Reopening Doors to World: Reviews of world’s best-known exhibitions being back

To organizers of professional trade fairs, the down is coming again after more than two years of the COVID-19 darkness. Between 2022 and 2023, trade fairs of automotives and auto parts all over the world generally witnessed visitor and exhibitor turnouts recover to normal levels, while some held in the form of “online exhibition” even reported satisfactory results.

Under this scenario, Taiwan’s auto parts manufacturers rolled up their sleeves, with an attempt to show off to demanding buyers from all corners of the globe their newest products and technologies developed in the past three years when the world was severely dampened by COVID-19 pandemic. Worth mentioning is that most of them actively made good use of local ICT (Information and Communication Technology) resources and effectively worked out a variety of smart accessories, automotive electronic parts, and customized parts for EVs, to better tap the sprawling market segment.

With a near-ubiquitous presence at world’s major trade fairs, CENS continued to exert its influence over professional buyers by circulating its Taiwan Transportation Equipment Guide (TTG) and USB e-magazines on the spot to offer them an easy access to select suppliers, industry news, and exhibition updates from the island.

AMPA 2022

The Taipei AMPA and Autotronics Taipei 2022 took place at Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1 from April 20 to 23. According to the statistics by the organizer TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council), there were 528 exhibitors using 1,216 booths at the venue, an increase of nearly 40 percent compared to 2021.

Furthermore, to serve international buyers who couldn’t arrive on the showground in-person, TAITRA also organized an online edition of AMPA 2022 and Autotronics Taipei 2022, which attracted more than 1,700 registered foreign buyers from over 60 countries, such as Japan, the United States, China, Singapore, and Indonesia, and proved to be a success, especially at a time when many countries including Taiwan still stuck to strict COVID-19 restrictions.

Automechanika Frankfurt 2022

Kicking off September 13, Automechanika Frankfurt 2022 was noted for being the world’s foremost physical exhibition of its kind reopening since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the site, nearly 3,000 exhibitors from 70 countries were present and brought varieties of automotive parts, repair equipment, automotive electronics, Mobility as a Service (MaaS), automotive coatings, and other exhibits. During the five days of the event, 78,000 visitors from 175 countries showed up, who together created an optimistic purchasing atmosphere on the showground to blow away the gloom among industry insiders concerned about the disrupted global supply chain.

At the world’s best-known automotive trade fair, CENS also held a booth to circulate on the site the latest issues of TTG, which allow international buyers in search of suitable Taiwanese suppliers to seize business opportunities with ease. Moreover, buyers could get from the magazines updated industry news, trends, and a quick look at innovative technologies that are being brewed up in Taiwan. CENS also offered visiting buyers at the booth with instant matchmaking services to help streamline their purchase process.

AAPEX 2022

In 2022, AAPEX hosted 1,400 exhibitors from all over the world, who occupied some 2,500 booths to showcase more than 1,000 different kinds of auto parts, accessories and related services. Although the show had half the footprint it did in 2019, the visitor turnout bottomed out by around 70 percent, which indicates increasingly strong demand from the U.S. and its neighboring countries.

According to the official data of AAPEX, market size of the global aftermarket (AM) segment for auto parts and accessories is estimated to have reached US$1.8 trillion, to which the U.S. alone contributes US$514 billion. Such strong momentum of the U.S.’s AM segment can be owed to a great number of automobiles and trucks roaming on roads, especially large truck fleets that generally have their own repair workshops, which are an integral part of domestic transportation in the U.S., and therefore effectively sustain local market demand for AM parts.

Perhaps among the most remarkable Taiwanese suppliers attending the trade fair was Cub Elecparts, a manufacturer of automotive electronics, who showcased its tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) for large vehicles. With its products meeting demand from the local market segment mentioned above in the U.S., the Taiwanese exhibitor enjoyed a flood of inquiries from buyers. Sale representatives of Cub Elecparts stated that in response to market changes, the company continues to engage in R&D for new products, including ABS sensors, oil pressure sending units and turn signal switches.

TAPA 2023

As of today, 2023, the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have begun to recede and international professional exhibitions are beginning to revive. In the face of the transition, CENS and Exporters Association of Taipei (IEAT), Taiwan Transportation Vehicle Manufacturers Association (TTVMA), etc, are going to jointly organize an exhibitor group to participate in Thailand International Auto Parts & Accessories Show 2023 (TAPA 2023), which will reopen its door following four years of suspension.

As the 12th largest automobile manufacturer in the world and the largest automobile manufacturing and export center in Southeast Asia, Thailand produced 1,685,705 vehicles last year, of which 959,194 units were exported. A large portion of the exported vehicles went to Asia, the Middle East, North America, Central America and South America, etc,, along with US$20 billion worth of auto parts.

There is a great demand for automotive components in Thailand, as surveys show that 30 percent of local consumers tend to buy OE (original equipment) parts and the remainder prefer AM models. Additionally, in recent years, the Thai government has been actively encouraging the development of the EV industry by introducing a number of policies such as tax breaks and subsidies to motivate local manufacturers to invest in EV production.

INA PAACE 2023

Mexico is the world's fourth largest auto parts producer and the world's sixth biggest manufacturer of heavy-duty vehicles, with nearly 90% of its auto parts exported. Backed by such performance coupled with geographic advantages, the country is the U.S.’s largest source of auto parts for the moment. Accordingly, INA PAACE, which is scheduled from July 12 through 14, 2023 in Mexico, is expected by industry insiders to help revitalize their business in America, especially when the exhibition since its inception in 1996 has been regarded the most important trade fair of its kind in Central and South America.

At INA PAACE 2023, exhibits are categorized into ten major groups: “Accessories & Customizing”, “Body & Paint”, “Car Wash, Care & Detailing”, “Connectivity & Autonomous Driving”, “Diagnostics & Repair”, “Digital Solutions & Services”, “Electrics & electronics”, “Oils, lubricants & fuels”, “Parts & Components”, “Tires & Wheels”.

Mexico has absolutely great business potential, not just because of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that has come into effect since July 2020, but strong local demand from the automotive industry. Eyeing such considerable opportunities, ever more Taiwanese manufacturers have actively invested in Mexico over the past years, making Taiwan the Central American country’s fifth largest foreign investment source.

Exhibitors will face challenges from market

Mainly due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, many exhibitions have been suspended since 2019. Some trade fairs, which continued to be held as scheduled amid the pandemic, were wrapped up with disappointing exhibitor and visitor turnouts. However, starting in 2022, while trade fairs have successively resumed, some organizers have even blazed a new trail by organizing exhibitions online, most of which turned out to be a success.

As there's always one thing after another, now exhibitors have to face a radical change in market demands and a series of challenges, including growing concerns on carbon emissions, together with the rise of EVs.

Committed to serving as a promotion arm for Taiwanese auto parts suppliers and helping them to better go global, CENS will continually provide the latest information on the auto parts industry and recommend the most qualified suppliers from the island to buyers around the world.