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19/09/2006
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Final Report 2006
Automechanika sets new exhibitor and visitor records
Optimism: positive economic prospects for the sector
Innovation: the hub for modern service technology
This year's Automechanika, Leading International Trade Fair for the Automobile Sector, attracted over 165,000 visitors (2004: 163,337) from 130 nations to Frankfurt from 12 to 17 September. With more than 60,000 visitors coming from outside Germany, the level of internationality reached around 40 percent (2004: 39 percent) and included more top decision makers than ever before. 4,658 exhibitors – four percent more than at the previous event – from 72 countries presented their latest products and innovations at the fully booked-up Fair and Exhibition Centre (around 300,000 square metres (gross).
Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt: "The whole world is envious of the Automechanika because the biggest trade fair for automotive parts and services in the world still has a great potential, as shown by the significant growth in the number of visitors and exhibitors from many segments of the market in Europe, the USA and Asia. Together with our partners, we intend to expand this leading global position by forging ahead with the process of internationalisation at the same time as strengthening the domestic market."
In Germany, the Automechanika is still considered to be the most important trade fair for workshops with over a third of all visitors coming from the workshop and repair sector.
The top five European visitor nations after Germany are Italy, Great Britain, France, The Netherlands and Poland. The leading non-European visitor nations are China, the USA and India.
96 percent of visitors were satisfied to very satisfied with the range of exhibits at the fair. The greatest interest in terms of visitor numbers was shown in 'Parts & Systems' followed by 'Repair & Maintenance', 'Accessories & Tuning' and 'Service Station & Car Wash'.
German visitors said the economic outlook is significantly better today compared to 2004: almost 90 percent consider the development to be satisfactory to good (2004: 77.2 percent) and thus are once again in line with the opinions of foreign decision makers after a long period of divergence.
On the exhibitor side, expectations are even higher than two years ago with around 90 percent of all manufacturers rating the current economic situation in the sector as being satisfactory to good (2004: 80 percent). German companies in particular are more hopeful: over 90 percent consider the economic situation to be satisfactory to good (2004: 82 percent) while, among the foreign manufacturers, the figure is 88 percent (2004: 79 percent).
Representatives of the sector unanimously confirmed this encouraging trend. Robert Rademacher, President of the German Association for Motor Trades and Repairs (Zentralverband des deutschen Kraftfahrzeuggewerbes - ZDK), said, "The Automechanika confirmed the upward trend in the German and European service and parts markets. The small to medium-sized companies of the automobile trade are returning home from Frankfurt with a confident outlook. The Automechanika once again confirmed impressively that quality and customer orientation form the basis for economic growth. Modern service technology was to be seen throughout the Exhibition Centre."
Hartmut Röhl, Chairman of the Federal Association of the Automotive Parts Trade (Gesamtverband Autoteile-Handel – GVA): "Taken together, the numerous discussions held with members, visitors and exhibitors in 2006 produce a clear picture: the Automechanika is immensely popular! The opportunities available in Frankfurt, especially for the parts trade and industry and the workshop trade, are unparalleled. All important companies and personalities from the sector can be reached quickly and easily at this contact bourse. In the opinion of the GVA and many members, the intensive preparations have paid dividends. Moreover, some interesting perspectives have also opened up on an international plane. All of this shows how important it is to continue strengthening and expanding the fair for the future of our market."
Klaus Burger, President of the Federal Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Automobile Service Equipment (Bundesverband der Hersteller und Importeure von Automobil-Service-Ausrüstungen e.V. - ASA): "This was one of the best Automechanika fairs in every respect since it was founded in the seventies. The growing internationality of the Automechanika gave workshop-equipment suppliers an outstanding opportunity to intensify and expand their contacts to export markets. Innovative solutions, for example, in the field of contactless wheel alignment or effective workshop networking, have shown that Germany's workshop-equipment industry plays a leading role worldwide in the introduction of new technology. The sector's leading trade fair once again demonstrated that it is the world's foremost information platform for international business in the automobile aftermarket. This year's Automechanika has generated important impulses for the positive development of the sector, which will be felt well into next year."Dr. Klaus Weichtmann, General Manager of the Central Association of Bodywork and Motor Vehicle Engineers (Zentralverband Karosserie- und Fahrzeugtechnik – ZKF): "The mood in the sector has improved over recent months. The Automechanika confirmed this trend and has generated new impulses for the sector and, in particular, for topical and contentious issues, such as insurance, damage management and order allocation. We are very pleased with the number of visitors, especially from the German workshop trade. The Automechanika is the meeting place for the paint and body trades – and Hall 9.2 was the central place they went to."
Sigrid Pook, General Manager of the Federal Association of Filling Station and Vehicle Washing Plants (Bundesverband Tankstelle und Gewerbliche Autowäsche Deutschland - BTG): "Visitors found a significantly larger range of products and services in the vehicle-wash sector. And this resulted in a large number of visitors. The exhibitors there were extremely pleased with the course of business at the fair because many visitors said they were seriously interested in placing orders. Today, the Automechanika is the world's biggest carwash event. In the filling-station segment, the focus was on the introduction of alternative fuels. The export business is growing in significance for many exhibitors, regardless of segment. Accordingly, the Automechanika is an important platform for making the necessary contacts."
The Automechanika is not only the world's biggest and most important meeting place for the sector but also an international hub for innovations, which generates valuable impulses for the sector. The high degree of interest in the Automechanika Innovation Award was symptomatic of the host of new products and developments to be seen at the fair. Many visitors took advantage of the Innovation Show in the foyer of Hall 4.1 to find out about the latest technological developments. There, they could see the 100-plus innovations submitted by 83 companies from 15 countries. The Automechanika Innovation Award was presented to 13 outstanding new developments during the opening ceremony of the fair. Prof. Wilfried Bockelmann, jury member and former Development Director at VW: "Compared to other competitions in the automobile sector, I was pleasantly surprised by the large number of entries and their high standard of quality. The winners included some innovations of really great importance for the future of the automobileThe Automechanika Innovation Award is the prize that honours innovations in the European supplier industry."
Launched at the beginning of the year, the "Messe Frankfurt against copying" initiative against product piracy booked an initial success. As Messe Frankfurt manager Detlef Braun explained, "The fakes found by German customs at the Automechanika demonstrate clearly that copied parts not only result in losses for the companies concerned but can also endanger drivers' health and lives. Accordingly, our campaign against plagiarism has been given a warm welcome by the exhibitors." During the fair, customs officers confiscated numerous product copies including steering boxes, brake pads, seats, aluminium wheels, radiators and headlamps. ZDK President Robert Rademacher added: "The joint campaign against product piracy must be continued. After all, at stake is not only billions of euros in revenues but also the good image of our business."
The Automechanika Academy, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, was also very popular. The Original Equipment Forum, the main congress at the Automechanika, was given an extremely positive rating by both speakers and participants. On 13 and 14 September, over 200 international specialists and managers from 20 countries heard about the latest trends in the automobile sector, new technologies and growth markets. Over 300 trade visitors, around 20 percent from outside Germany, attended the Aftermarket Forum and held discussion with renowned representatives and experts from the sector on subjects such as increasing profits in the aftermarket through, for example, active service sales, vehicle monitoring and the impact of the Brussels competition initiative on business in the automobile trade
The next Automechanika in Frankfurt am Main will be held from 16 to 21 September 2008.
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(Informationsquelle: Frankfurt Messe)
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