IAAE 2007 Shows Wide-ranging Auto AM Products and Services

Celebrating its 6th anniversary in 2007, the International Auto Aftermarket Expo (IAAE) opened its doors from March 16 to 18 in the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center in Japan, where over 40,000 visitors from all over Japan and worldwide browsed goods and services, negotiated and closed deals of various descriptions in the automotive aftermarket (AM) segment.

The IAAE 2007 featured the theme "toward the sound development and the revitalization of the automotive aftermarket." The show drew a total of 38,552 visitors from across Japan and all around the world during the three-day span. The official stats say that 261 firms displayed products and services, of which 146 were Japanese and 115 from 12 foreign countries, including Taiwan, China, the U.S., Korea, Germany, Malaysia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Singapore, Sweden and Thailand, all of whom filled 506 booths at the show.

It is noteworthy that the Taiwanese and mainland Chinese exhibitors, which totaled 40, focused on hand tools at the IAAE 2007. The exhibition groups from Taiwan and mainland China were the largest among foreign exhibitors at the show, effectively exerting their unmistakable influence in the Asian market for automotive hand tools.

The show, organized annually by International Auto Aftermarket EXPO Steering Committee Members and up to 20 related associations of auto parts and accessories, displayed a wide range of goods, services and ideas related to the enormous automotive aftermarket, including replacement parts, automotive glass, parts and accessories, car-wash systems, auto finishing and welding equipment, maintenance equipment and tools, business consulting, vehicle sales systems, merchandising tools and used car trading systems.

Intelligent Systems

More than a mere trade show of products and services, the IAAE 2007 also held seminars and presentations on the application of information technology and intelligent transport systems. The proponents who believe there is ample room for technical improvement in the auto AM segment showed the audience how adopting such systems in the auto AM segment can be expected to realize greater convenience and better operational performance, safety for all those in the industry, including professionals, operators and consumers. Moreover, Kazunori Betsui, president of Nissan Used Car Co., Ltd., was an invited speaker who talked about a topic that has significant relevance and impact on, not only the future of the secondhand car business, but also an issue that continues to gnaw at the increasingly sensitized awareness of the importance of resource conservation by global citizens. Those uninformed and less ecologically conscious were reminded that the secondhand car business has a key role to play, though not obviously, in terms of reducing greenhouse gases. Simply put, if more people bought used cars, then less new ones need be made and hence less energy, especially the conventional type that contribute to global warming, are used to extract raw materials and manufacture.

The above presentations and seminars introduced ideas, either currently practical or relatively-easily feasible in the near future, that kept interested parties brainstorming and seeded inspiration.

Cutting-edge Demos

The IAAE 2007 also saw innovative highlights in the form of a series of next-generation automotive AM services, which were introduced by several big-name companies, such as TEXA, DENSO and Mitsubishi Mobile. The three-day event included demonstrations of many cutting-edge auto AM applications and services, including diagnostic systems, water-based coatings and low-VOC paints, high-tensile steel plate and aluminum alloy, repair parts vendors selling rebuilt items, UV-reducing and darkening films for windows, special presentations by Japan Auto Glass Union (JAGU), car washing systems, and programs related to car sales business introduced by the Malaysian Auto Industry and Internet ITS Consortium.

Virtually a fixture at global trade shows, CENS (China Economic News Service), a leading export media in Taiwan, promoted and circulated from its booth various publications, including TTG (Taiwan Transportation Guide), TTG Japanese edition and CENS Hardware. Reports are that many visitors, buyers, and globally-leading industry suppliers and brands such as DENSO, Hitachi and Honda stopped by to pick up sourcing magazines, which feature a host of Taiwanese suppliers of auto parts and hand tools.

Japanese buyers were particularly interested in CENS publications, which, they believe, provide the most useful information for finding Taiwan-made parts and repair tools. Besides, and according to the CENS representative on-site, the in-depth reports in the magazines help uninitiated buyers to achieve peace of mind, a critical factor in the often volatile and deceptive business world. In other words, the insightful, incisive reporting effectively help Japanese buyers to home in on excellent, experienced suppliers in Greater China.

The next IAAE is scheduled for March 13-15, 2008 and to be held in the same venue, while the organizer expects to set a new attendance record-bringing over 40,000 global visitors past the turnstiles. Such optimism and focus should succeed to build the IAAE into the most influential fair of its kind in Asia.