With the help of a $180,000 Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) award from ITA, NPES, The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing, and Converting Technologies, opened an office in Delhi. The February 2005, opening was preceded by a reception hosted by the U.S. Embassy. NPES is the first major U.S.-headquartered trade association to open its own office in India.

NPES selected Mr. Viren Chhabra to serve as the office's senior director. Mr. Chhabra brings to the job decades of experience in India's printing industry. From this new base in India, NPES has launched a new website: NPES.in, recruited trade show participants, set up technical seminars, and hosted trade missions. From its new Delhi office, NPES can better address a lingering obstacle to greater trade: tariffs and duties.

Although India reduced the customs and excise duties on capital equipment in 2005 and 2006, the country’s printers are still required to pay 7.5% customs duty together with 14% CVD (countervailing duty), 4% special CVD and 3% education tax. The total for printing equipment imported into India works out to a very substantial 28.64%. NPES and ITA have been able to help some U.S. exporters get exemptions or reduced rates for high-end products not otherwise available in India, but on the whole, this combined effective duty is a substantial barrier to most U.S. firms. NPES continues to educate Indian trade associations about the benefits of more open trade. Progress has been slow, but more progress is on the horizon. NPES has learned that this effective duty rate should go down substantially in 2010.

NPES executives and staff join Minister Counselor John Peters of ITA's Commercial Service to inaugurate the association's new office in Delhi.

Key Facts:

Cooperator:The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing, and Converting Technologies (Reston, VA)

Industry: Printing, publishing, and converting.

Markets: India

MDCP award: $180,000

NPES match: $360,000

MDCP generated exports: $53,741,100

Project period: 2004-2008

Scope of project: Improve market access for U.S. manufacturers by opening a trade association office in India,and launching a website: "Profiting from American Printing Technologies in an Open Market" (PAPTOM). Also strengthening U.S. exports by staging U.S. pavilion exhibits of U.S. technology in Indian trade shows, promoting/leading inbound Indian missions to U.S. trade shows, and organizing a national PAPTOM conference in New Delhi.

Key ITA Team Members: Manufacturing and Services: Office of Materials & Machinery; Commercial Service: Delhi; Market Access & Compliance: India Office.

Manufacturing and Services industry specialist Dawn Kawasaki and NPES international director Mike Hurley inspect the quality printing put out by U.S.-supplied printing equipment at a printing facility in India.