Buyer and Industry trend insights from AAPEX and pre-Taipei AMPA Mega Show events

With the end of the year nearing and ushering in relaxed COVID travel restrictions all over the world, suppliers and buyers alike are itching to return to the new normal and get a head start in targeting potential business opportunities ahead of 2023.

One of the world’s biggest auto parts fairs, AAPEX 2022 in Las Vegas, wrapped up on Nov. 3 and reported finally seeing crowds return compared to 2021’s edition. Economic Daily New’s CENS publication team was on-site at this year’s AAPEX, and together with Importers & Exporters Association of Taipei and Taiwan Transportation Vehicle Manufacturers Association, the team led 42 suppliers to form the largest Taiwanese exhibition group at AAPEX amid 1,400 exhibitors in total.

Under the “Taiwan Pavilion” moniker, exhibiting suppliers expressed satisfaction regarding this year’s buyer turnout and overall quality. While the exhibiting supplier count had yet to return to pre-COVID numbers, Taiwanese exhibitors were nonplussed, pointing out that while the overall exhibition floor size was smaller as a result, this meant that the buyer crowds were actually more concentrated and not as spread out, leading to better opportunities to keep buyers’ attention.

Many suppliers also noted that the quality of the buyers were impressive, with many buyers very proactive about their discussions with the suppliers, which meant that there was immediate and quite urgent demand waiting to be fulfilled in the American market.

CENS publication team members observed that as buyers obtained our industry magazine Taiwan Transportation Equipment Guide (TTG) and AAPEX Show Express showcasing quality supplier information, these buyers were receptive after learning that the publications covered Taiwanese supplier data, signifying that buyers at AAPEX were familiar and open towards what Taiwan has to offer.

In terms of the products that our suppliers were offering, product type ranged from electrical equipment, fuel supply systems, auto lights, window lift motors, drive shaft hangers, parking sensors, timing gears, steering parts, brake calipers, air-conditioning systems, cooling systems, engine parts, foot pads and other plastic accessories, and finally, a wide assortment of spare parts. Suppliers included LC Fuel Tank, Cub Electparts, Motec, AMP, Jeesoon Terminals, Casp Auto Parts, Yi-Lin Motors Parts, and Jiuh Ching.

Sustainability: a core theme at the Taipei AMPA 2023 Mega Show

Back in Taiwan, the industry is gearing up for next year’s biggest automotive mega show in April: Taipei AMPA for auto parts, Autotronics for automotive electronics, and 2035 e-Mobility Taiwan that showcases Taiwan’s electric vehicle and self-driving car ecosystems.

Trends like sustainability have never been so touted by the industry before, suggesting the speed and desire to implement new technologies. At a seminar discussing auto parts trends hosted by TAITRA to promote next year’s Taipei AMPA and related shows, Deloitte Senior Manager Brandon Kudrow, who specializes in the automotive parts field, said that while the majority of trends in the past were often an area of interest among larger, global companies, Kudrow warned that SMEs in the auto parts industry must keep a close eye on the developments, as trends like ESG implementation will eventually impact the entirety of supply chains.

For auto parts suppliers, end-of-cycle impact of the product will have a more significant role in facilitating ESG, Kudrow said. More importantly, if these SMEs are looking to become suppliers to Tier-1 or OEM companies, ESG reports are a must-have, as investors, auto brands, and consumers all over the world are trending towards innovative, sustainable, and circular practices to reduce their carbon footprint and emissions.