FRANKFURT, Germany – Preliminary numbers are in for the 23rd Automechanika Frankfurt, which took place Sept. 16-20 in Germany.
This year, around 140,000 trade visitors from 173 countries attended the trade fair, with one in four attendees coming from the repair shop sector, according to event organizers. On the exhibitor side, the fair set a new record with 4,631 companies from 71 countries.
Detlef Braun, member of the board of management of Messe Frankfurt, said, “The ratings given by exhibitors have been outstanding with a significant impetus coming from outside Germany. However, German companies also see the current economic situation in a more positive light than in 2012.”
The number of international visitors rose by five percentage points to 60 percent. Particular interest was shown by visitors in subjects such as alternative power trains, fully automatic digital reception processes, energy efficiency, lightweight construction solutions with previously impossible loading capacities, accessories, customizing, car media and 3-D printing.
“More than ever before, Automechanika in Frankfurt has shown itself to be a platform for the presentation of important, future-oriented technologies as the key to tomorrow’s developments throughout the entire automotive aftermarket,” Braun added.
The fair also presented the latest products and developments from the world market in the commercial vehicle field. “Sustainability and environmental compatibility also play an extremely important role in the commercial vehicle segment,” Braun stated. “For example, vans with previously unheard of loading capacities and weight-optimized electric refrigerated vehicles were to be seen here for the first time.”
The “Truck Competence” area featured more than 1,000 exhibition stands.
Particularly popular at this year’s event was the “Collision Damage Talk,” the best-attended event in the Automechanika Academy program with 600 participants. Key players from the insurance business, including HUK Coburg and the newly founded German Partner Workshop Association (Bundesverband der Partnerwerkstätten – BVdP) and Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT) also made presentations. The event was sponsored by paint manufacturers who returned to Automechanika after an absence of 12 years.
More than 50 alternative drive chain pioneers from 12 countries presented their mobility concepts in Hall 10. Together with Prins Autogassystemen and Neste Oil, the German Liquid Gas Association (Deutscher Verband Flüssiggas e. V.) presented a bio version of LPG in a press conference on Sept. 16. It was announced that “biopropane” – LPG made of biomass feedstock – will be available from 2016 and help further reduce CO2emissions.
Another magnet for visitors was the Galleria with a wide-ranging choice of basic and advanced training choices. More than 650 trade visitors from 36 countries attended the practice-oriented workshops on collision damage management.
That social commitment also was demonstrated by an initiative of the ‘TEILEn e.V.’ (parts/share) association. More than 50 companies from the independent spare parts market have joined forces for a good cause and donated €250,000 to the Peter Maffay Stiftung, a charity for deprived children. The popular German rock musician accepted the donation personally at the fair and proved to be another magnet for visitors from German workshops.
On the Friday and Saturday of the fair, visitors from the workshop sector made good use of the “Automechanika Workshop Days” program, which included a variety of technological presentations, workshop exhibitions and competitions organized by members of the Independent After Market Association (Verein Freier Ersatzteilemarkt e.V. – VREI), e.g., Schaeffler, ZF and Valeo. Discussing the program, VREI Chairman Thomas Fischer said, “Together with our members, we succeeded in arousing particular interest on the part of workshop visitors.”
The next Automechanika Frankfurt will be held from Sept. 13-17, 2016.
