Automechanika Frankfurt Affirms Position as the World's Top Auto Trade Fair
2012/12/18 | By Quincy LiangTaiwan remains the third-largest foreign source of exhibitors at 2012 Automechanika in terms of booth floorage
The 2012 Automechanika Frankfurt, the world's leading international automotive trade fair, was held on Sept. 11-16, once again affirming its reputation as the top platform for displaying the latest trends and developments in the automotive aftermarket and supplier sectors. And, despite the weak economic climate, it once again attracted a record number of exhibitors.
Messe Frankfurt, which organizes the biennial fair, reported the participation of 4,593 exhibitors from 74 countries (up from 4,471 exhibitors in 2010) together with 148, 000visitors from 174 countries (153,837 visitors in 2010).
“The aftermarket is booming and, despite the current economic disruptions, Automechanika has once again proved to be a reliable constant,” commented Detlef Braun, member of the Messe Frankfurt executive board. “With an increase in the number of visitors from East Europe and Russia, coupled with a decline in numbers from South Europe, Automechanika reflects the current situation in the world economy.”
This observation was reinforced by Klaus Burger, president of the Federal Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Automobile Service Equipment, who said, “Although visitors from South Europe had scarcity value, there was a very large number from Germany, the Benelux countries, and East Europe.”
The increase of numbers compared with the previous event was due to participation from Germany, France, Poland, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan. As in the past, the largest number of exhibitors came from Europe, with Germany leading and Italy coming in second.
An exhibitor poll indicated that the quality of visitors to the fair also showed improvement this year, with 70% of exhibitors being satisfied or extremely satisfied with the quality of visitors, compared to 64% for the last fair. The ratio of German exhibitors who reported making new contacts rose to 67%, up from 62% in 2010.
The 305,000 square meters of the Frankfurt Exhibition Center were fully booked for this year's show, which covered three themes: “Truck Competence,” e-mobility, and basic and advanced training. The “Truck Competence” idea was a big hit with both exhibitors and visitors, since many body-repair shops and garages work on both cars and trucks.
E-Mobility
Some 160 companies from 35 countries represented the pioneering field of e-mobility at the fair, showcasing innovative solutions in terms of original equipment, conversions, accessories, and charging facilities, as well as waste disposal and recycling. Two special shows highlighted the rich variety of e-vehicles. One consisted of the latest charging technology and “light car sharing concepts” as well as electric cars and electric-powered two-wheelers, presented by member companies of the German Association for E-mobility (BEM). The other featured a special display on the subject of e-mobility and energy self-sufficiency by electric car pioneer Karabag, which also presented Germany's first comprehensive service network for electric cars.
A new feature for Automechanika was a focus on commercial vehicles, with its “Truck Competence” logo directing visitors to the appropriate booths. Some 700 exhibitors, 25% of them from Germany, signed up for the logo and a special visitors' guide for this area was created and published.
Another new feature was an extended range of initial and further professional training opportunities on offer. For the first time, the Galleria area of the exhibition hall was designated as the venue for those who wanted to take part in three-hour workshops and professional development sessions.
Taiwan Presence
As at the previous show, Taiwan was the fourth-largest national source of exhibitors at 2012 Automechanika in terms of booth floorage, and third-largest foreign source. A total of 482 Taiwanese exhibitors were there, up from 468 in 2010. Including companies that registered through foreign subsidiaries or partners, Taiwanese exhibitors actually totaled around 500, according to Messe Frankfurt's branch in Taiwan.
Exhibitors at Automachanika (2008-2012)
| |||
| 2012
| 2010
| 2009
|
German | 852 | 849 | 913 |
Foreign | 3,741 | 3,637 | 3,558 |
Total | 4,593 | 4,486 | 4,471 |
No. of Countries | 74 | 76 | 71 |
Source: Messe Frankfurt | |||
No. of Exhibitors by Product Category
| |||
Product Category
| 2012
| 2010
| 2008
|
Parts & Systems | 2,696 | 2,583 | 2,622 |
Repair & Maintenance Equipment | 962 | 941 | 938 |
Accessories & Tuning Equipment | 460 | 473 | 610 |
Service Station & Car Wash Equipment | 365 | 356 | 322 |
IT & Management Systems | 110 | 133 | 188 |
Source: Messe Frankfurt | |||
No. of Exhibitors by Country (2010-2012)
| ||
Country
| 2012
| 2010
|
| | 654 | 536 |
| | 114 | 105 |
| | 852 | 826 |
| | 164 | 172 |
| | 164 | 159 |
| | 497 | 514 |
| | 113 | 117 |
| | 120 | 110 |
| | 117 | 98 |
| | 118 | 126 |
| | 482 | 467 |
| | 241 | 250 |
| | 145 | 156 |
| Total | 4,593 | 4,471 |
| Source: Messe Frankfurt | ||
The number of Taiwan exhibitors has been growing steadily over the past two decades, and this year most of the island's exhibiting delegations were organized by three bodies: the China Economic News Service (CENS), a leading Taiwanese supplier of print, event, and online media including the Taiwan Transportation Equipment Guide (TTG) magazine, led 233 companies that occupied more than 340 booths; Messe Frankfort's Taiwan branch led 136 suppliers to the event; and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), a semi-governmental trade promoter, led 67.
Industry experts in Taiwan attribute the lack of a significant growth in the number of Taiwan exhibitors at this year's fair to the global recession, which forced many suppliers of tuning parts and accessories to pass up the chance to promote their products in Frankfurt. However, many of those who did go spent more money on expanding and decorating their booths so as to promote their corporate image more effectively.
Many auto-parts manufacturers in Taiwan are still doing relatively well. “Since the great majority of auto-parts makers in Taiwan focus on the aftermarket,” explained Tommy Ni, general manager of CENS, “economic fluctuations and uncertainties have a relatively small impact on their sales. When the global economy turns good, increased new-car sales create new demand for both replacement and performance-tuning parts and accessories in the aftermarket; and when the economy turns bad, consumers become conservative about replacing their cars and keep using their old ones, and this keeps up the demand for replacement parts.”
When the global recession rapidly spread around the world a few years ago, Ni went on, most Taiwanese aftermarket parts suppliers actually gained international market share as the hard economic times prompted consumers to turn to Taiwan-made products for better value-for-money. And, said the general manager, “With the European financial crisis still lingering and the world filled with economic uncertainty, we believe that buyers at Automechanika this year will look for new partners who can help them survive by supplying quality items at reasonable prices.”
In addition to the long-established activities such as the Automechanika Innovation Award, Green Directory, and Automechanika Rally, this year's event added a number of impressive new shows including rally, racing, and trial trucks in the outdoor area between Halls 9 and 11, metalworking and body painting training events in the Galleria, and special exhibitions and test courses for e-mobiles in the Agora and in front of Hall 10.
Automechanika's Innovation Awards point to trends of development, honoring the creative minds that develop the innovative products that elevate the industry to higher levels. The nine winners of the 2012 awards (out of 117 entries) were announced a few days before the show, having been chosen by an eight-member jury in late August. Fifty-four of the products entered came from Germany and 58 from other European countries, mainly France, Italy, the Netherlands, the U.K., and Belgium.
Presentation of the awards took place during Automechanika's opening ceremony, and the five best entries in each category were displayed in a special Innovation Awards exhibit in the foyer of Hall 4.1.
Aftermarket Forum
The Automechanika Aftermarket Forum, held on the first four days of the show, featured analysis and discussion of new developments and trends in the automotive industry by groups of scholars and experts, with English-German simultaneous translation.
Twenty-five participants with particularly sustainable and emission-cutting products were chosen for the Green Directory this year. An independent expert reviewed the dozens of entries in terms of innovativeness and sustainability, and points were given within the framework of subsequent analysis of materials along with energy efficiency and emissions balance. Visitors were guided to Green Directory products by eye-catching leaves in the halls, along with a handy brochure.
This forum was designed to initiate cooperation between Taiwan and Europe. This is a timely move, for in Taiwan the information and communications technology (ICT) industry is expanding from the manufacture of 3C (computers, communications, and consumer electronics) products to 4C products and technologies (with the addition of “car”).
The Europe Meets Taiwan Forum was organized by the Network of Automotive Excellence jointly with Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute, Institute for Information Industry, and Automotive Research & Testing Center, and held on Sep. 12. The main topics of discussion were “Telematics” and “Electric Vehicles”; European industry representatives, scholars, and experts were invited to attend, along with representatives of Taiwan industries.
Truck Competence
Automechanika included a great deal of “Truck Competence,” and a special visitor guide told visitors what it was and where to find it for the first time. The “Truck Competence” brochure provided an overview of all exhibitors and their locations at the fair.
Around 700 exhibitors, spread throughout the exhibition center, mounted “Truck Competence” displays. The displays were described in the brochure and identified by a “Truck Competence” logo. A group of sporty trucks and the super-sized monsters of motorsport were on show in the open-air exhibition grounds.
German-made E-mobility
BEM and its member companies organized a special show covering an area of more than 700 square meters, and two test courses for e-cars and electrically powered bikes (including electrically assisted pedal cycles, e-bikes, and e-scooters) ran from the exhibition hall to an outdoor area with several charging columns. Participating companies included Adam Opel with its Ampera, EnBW with its new “Electronaut Charging Card” system, EDAG with its innovative Light Car Sharing Concept, Helmut Niemeyer GmbH with its EGRET One e-scooter, and Movelo with various electrically assisted pedal cycles.
Carwash Museum
Exhibitors showed car washes, filling stations, pumps, and photos and posters from the past five decades in a 170-square-meter area where visitors could find good advice for cleaning their cars. Visitors and workshop teams competed against one of the latest car washes for a variety of prizes.
