Automechanika Shanghai lived up to its status as the world’s second biggest Automechanika brand show when it broke records for exhibitor and visitor attendance for its 10th year when it was held 10 – 13 December 2013 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, China.
The show which is Asia’s annual leading international trade fair for automotive parts, accessories, equipment and services, covering the whole industry chain of OE and aftermarket, is organised by Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd and the China National Automotive Industry International Corporation (CNAICO).
Commenting on the 2013 show, Mr Jason Cao, Senior General Manager, Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd said: “Ten years ago the first edition of Automechanika Shanghai only had 235 exhibitors and most of them were small and medium sized domestic auto parts manufacturers. They recognised the show as the most direct and efficient gateway for exploring overseas markets. Now, after 10 years of rapid development boosted by the buoyant Chinese economy, technology advancement and global demand, we had a record number of top-quality exhibitors and visitors from China and overseas. By participating in a variety of platforms and channels, including the show, conferences and events, industry players gained knowledge about the latest products, technologies, services and ideas. Whether seeking opportunities in the domestic market or expanding overseas markets, show participants could find suitable business partners here. Automechanika Shanghai’s excellent brand influence is also attracting more and more government agencies and industry organisations which are helping to build and develop this platform. This was reflected in the show’s record number of fringe programmes. To summarise, Automechanika Shanghai has developed into a one-stop industry platform offering trading, brand building, marketing, information exchange, networking, promotion, as well as education and training opportunities.”
The final figures for Automechanika Shanghai 2013 revealed that the show attracted 4,618 exhibitors from 38 countries and regions representing a 12 percent increase. The show’s total exhibition space was 210,000 sqm, covering all the venue’s entire 17 halls plus seven outdoor tents.
Show praised for expanding international market coverage
Exhibitors could also be found in 17 overseas pavilions with first time pavilions from Australia, Poland and Tunisia. The returning pavilions were from France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UK and the US.
In 2013, the number of visitor was 81,936, a 14 percent increase from the previous show with visitors representing 141 countries and regions. Among 26 percent of visitors were from overseas, and the top ten visiting countries and regions were Taiwan, Russia, Turkey, Korea, Malaysia, Iran, US, Japan, India and Thailand. Both domestic and international exhibitors were pleased that the show covered domestic and international markets.
Exhibitors benefited from enhancing brand awareness and launching new products, exploring new markets as well as exchanging market information and enjoying networking with industry people. The show covered all automotive industry aspects with detailed categorisation.
Commenting on the show Mr Robert Niegel, Project Development Manager, Liqui Moly China Co Ltd, Shanghai Representative Office said: “We are regular participants. We exhibit to increase our brand awareness, to introduce new products and concepts for the car aftermarket. We believe that Automechanika stands for quality which is a very important issue in China. The organisation staff is very nice with lots of business sense and good awareness so we have a good impression of the show.” Liqui Moly China Co Ltd specialises in oils, lubricants and additives.
Another regular exhibitor is renowned car automotive lighting manufacturer Philips Lighting. Mr Ronald van Harten, Marketing Director, Automotive Aftermarket Asia Pacific, Philips Lighting based in Hong Kong also praised the show. He said: “We are exhibiting because it is an excellent opportunity to show our products to Chinese consumers, retailers and distributors and others from the region. Half of the products at the booth are new and it’s their first exposure to the region and the China market. We use Automechanika Shanghai to test and see the reactions of people to our products and based on that we can go to the next step of maybe introducing to the market.”
Attracting a large amount of industry people, the show offered opportunities to explore the market and meet potential business partners. Taking advantage of this was Shanghai BPI Trading Co Ltd, also known as Brake Parts Inc in China, specialising in automotive systems and parts assembly. Mr Michael Yuan Ming, the company’s Business Development Director remarked: “The fair has become an industry platform where professional players in each sector must come to check out the market. We have generated a lot of leads with distributors from regions we have not yet entered.”
Fawer Automotive Parts Ltd Co, which is an automotive components supplier of the First Automobile Works (FAW) Group, one of the largest automobile manufacturers in China was exhibiting for the second time. Mr Yi Fulong, Director of Import and Export Office, Planning & Development & Marketing Management Department said: “We returned because it is the biggest, most important and professional trade fair in China. This year, we again received a lot of enquiries from professional visitors from all around the world. We are especially happy to have met visitors from North America and Europe as we are eager to expand our market to those regions.”
Information exchange and networking are also essential elements for an international trade fair like Automechanika Shanghai. Mr Hamadi Maraoui, General Manager for Colmar, Tunisia enjoyed meeting industry people at the show. He said: “There are a lot of people coming here from Asia, the Middle East and Africa. For trade and industry, it’s always interesting to see the level of competitors, especially Chinese competitors and what kind of products they are promoting in this show. I think this can be a good time to exchange with them and to see what the future is in this area, as well as what they are thinking to do in the rest of the world.”
Returning to the show for the third time was US company Hennessy Industries Inc. Mr Howard Hagan, the company’s Vice President, Sales-International said: “This particular show helps us for both the Chinese and international markets as it has a strong international background. For the industry in general, the show provides a forum for users of equipment – retailers or OEMs – to see what equipment is new to the marketplace and to meet with the top management people of the different companies.”
Despite the enormous show scale that covered all aspects of the automotive industry, sourcing was made easier by clear and efficient categorisation. For example, many of the halls were classified by industry sectors and by different areas showcasing the latest products and technologies such as the new Auto Air-conditioning and Commercial Vehicle Zones in addition to the strengthened New Energy Zone and Remanufacturing Pavilions.
Zhejiang Lantong Air-Conditioning Co Ltd from China was one of the exhibitors at the Auto Air-conditioning zone. Mr Genyuan He, Deputy General Manager for the company said: “Due to the rapidly growing global auto air-conditioning industry, participating at Automechanika Shanghai allowed us to meet potential customers, suppliers or other members of the industry at an international level. We stood out to buyers by being in this specific zone. We also got the latest accurate Chinese and European market information through attending the related onsite seminars and networking events.”
Mr Ruibing Jia, International Department Minister for Shandong Binzhou Bohai Piston Co Ltd from China was an exhibitor in the Commercial Vehicle Zone. He said: “We are happy to be one of the zone exhibitors as we found that most of the leading Chinese commercial vehicle auto parts manufacturers are here. We met a lot of local and overseas buyers who are looking for commercial vehicle related products for OE and aftermarket.”
This year’s show also attracted visitor groups from Australia, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Poland, Russia, Thailand and Turkey. This was in addition to domestic delegations from provinces such as Anhui, Fujian and Guangdong, and the second and third-tier cities of inland provinces such as Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shangdong, and Sichuan.
Mr Sheng Yang representing Chinese company Temco International Ltd added: “The show covers the complete categories of the auto parts sector. Our sourcing team finds many target products available here. It is a good time of the year for parts purchasing. Meanwhile, we are able to see many new products and technologies that closely follow market trends. Exhibitor quality is very impressive. It is rare to see this much overseas famous brands in other industry exhibitions.”
The show also attracted first time Indian visitor Mr Harshad Kansagra, Director of Skill Precision Balls PVT Ltd. He commented: “Automechanika Shanghai is a platform to find out new technologies in the automotive industry and we have come to gain the latest market information. The show is wonderful and of great benefit to all manufacturers and those interested in auto parts.” Also visiting the show for the first time was Mr Gilson Masterosa from Mactop Auto & Parts Imports, Brazil. “I am looking for OE suppliers for German cars for the Brazilian market,” he said. “It’s just amazing to put all the suppliers together. We can find local and suppliers from everywhere so this is the best Automechanika show we have visited.”
Fringe programmes cover wide spectrum of industry sectors
A record 40 fringe programmes were organised during Automechanika Shanghai, including events that supported the new show zones. Seminar topics ranged from remanufacturing and new energy to auto parts and components, repair and maintenance as well as accessories and tuning.
Commenting on the fringe programmes Mr Ji Xuecheng, General Manager of CNAICO, one of the show organisers said: “Automechanika Shanghai is respected for its high quality fringe programmes and once again it has set a new record with 10 more sessions than last year. The fringe programmes offered participants market and industry information, background context and interpretation of government policies, innovative technologies, applications and development, as well as education and training.”
Mr Xiwen Zhang, General Manager for Shanghai Longfeng Automobile Parts Co Ltd was one of several speakers at the Automotive Aftermarket Summit. He said: “The attendees were mostly from repair or 4S shops all over the country. By communicating with them, I am also inspired a lot. The forum is definitely playing a positive role in the development and improvement of China’s auto market in various aspects.” Attendee Ms Yan Li, a representative of VOLVO Car Distribution (Shanghai) Co Ltd added: “This is my first time to attend the Aftermarket Summit at Automechanika Shanghai. It was very fruitful because the speakers covered each sector of the aftermarket. The insightful forecasts and accurate data analysis strongly support the market information. This was an excellent industry networking platform.”
Another of the well attended seminars was the Legal Problems Faced by Automotive Aftermarket Enterprises in Relation to the Three R’s Regulation session. The speaker was Mr Baochang Qiu, Director of China’s Huijia Law Firm. He commented: “It is pleasant that the audience showed enthusiasm for my topic as it goes very close to their vital interest. It is crucial to provide them with general reference standards and the best solutions for all types of difficulties.” Audience member Ms Junying Huang, Secretary-General, Fujian Motor Vehicle Maintenance Trade Association added: “This forum had very strong orientation to not only trade visitors attending to show, but the whole auto repair industry as well.”
Representing Steyr Motors Co Ltd, an Austrian Company, Mr Kai Chen, Director for the company attended the Auto Parts Remanufacturing Industry Seminar. He said: “The seminar introduced some technologies which we have great concern to, such as electric motors and hub motors, which will be incorporated into our products. It is helpful for us to setup a comprehensive development strategy.” Also attending the same forum was Mr Ricky Wang, Vice President for East Lake New Energy Automobile Corporation of China. He remarked: “During the next five to 10 years, I think the automotive remanufacturing industry will begin to flourish. The interactive session of this seminar was great. The audience was domestic and from overseas countries and regions such as Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea. We shared very unique insights with each other.”
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