German firms hold expo

JAKARTA (JP): At least 35 companies from Germany, mostly manufacturers of analytical and laboratory equipment, are taking part in a three-day exhibition, which opened yesterday at the Jakarta Convention Center.

The exhibition, "Analytical and Lab Equipment -- made in Germany", is being jointly held by the Association of German Precision Mechanical Industries in cooperation with the German- Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and the Confederation of German Trade Fair and Exhibition Industries.

Peter Kind, the association's director, said yesterday that the exhibition would help increase business contacts and provide information on German technology.

He said that German exports of analytical and laboratory equipment to Indonesia more than doubled to a value of about Rp 10 billion (US$2.8 million) in the last three years.

Minister of Trade and Industry Tunky Ariwibowo, in his speech at the opening ceremony, said that Indonesia's import of the equipment increased by 19.6 percent to $427.9 million in 1996, from $357.8 million in 1995. (08)