Exhibitors elated with high-calibre buyers flooding the four-day event
Visitors commend show as the must-attend exhibition for the industry
Fringe programme is largest in history of show and shares comprehensive approach to automotive industry
Deemed the world’s second largest Automechanika brand show, the 2015 edition of Automechanika Shanghai has once again shattered even more records for exhibitor and visitor attendance and fringe programme events. Held from 2 – 5 December 2015 at the National Exhibition & Convention Center (Shanghai), China, this year’s show continues the upward climb with a 23 percent increase in visitors and a 10 percent increase in exhibitors.
The record-breaking figures for Automechanika Shanghai 2015 are as follows:
• 5,395 exhibitors from 39 countries and regions attended representing a 10 percent increase on 2014.
• 109,686 visitors from 140 countries and regions attended. The top 10 overseas visiting countries and regions were, in order of highest attendance first: Taiwan, Korea, Russia, Malaysia, Turkey, Iran, India, the United States, Japan and Thailand.
• 280,000 sqm of exhibition space was required to accommodate the expansion covering 11 halls, representing a 27 percent increase on 2014.
The 11th edition of Automechanika Shanghai was honoured to have Mr Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer Messe Frankfurt GmbH, in attendance. He commented: “The growth of Automechanika Shanghai is astounding. It continues to grow in leaps and bounds and is testament to the strong development of not only the automotive industry in China and entire Asia, but also the high level of satisfaction experienced by the exhibitors and the buyers. The strong partnership between Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd, the China National Automotive Industry International Corporation and 44 local and overseas supporters ensures not only professionalism, but also utilises the extensive international and local resources available through the vast network of the industry’s leading organisations and associations.”
China National Machinery Industry Corporation’s Vice General Manager, Mr Ding Hongxiang conveyed considerable happiness with the results of the show. He commented: “The coordination between us is an ideal partnership and not only the melding of the two organisations but also the abundant supporters on the cutting edge of this industry, without which this show would not be possible. The professionalism and internationality of these organisations are beneficial to each prestigious association and company that joins the Automechanika Shanghai show.”
Exhibitors elated with high-calibre buyers flooding the four-day event
This year, five new countries joined Automechanika Shanghai – Ecuador, Finland, Israel, Liechtenstein and Morocco. This is a 16 percent increase from last year in the number of overseas exhibitors. Also 34 countries and regions returned this year – Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.
In addition, increased product categories were also included in this year’s show, drawing in even more global high-level buyers. The show serves the entirety of the industry chain of OE and aftermarket for the established sectors of Parts & Components, Repair & Maintenance, Accessories & Tuning, and the newly-added Electronics & Systems sector.
Exhibitor Mr Pierre Touvier, General Manager Sales Asia & Eastern Europe with NTN – SNR of France, has been exhibiting at Automechanika Shanghai for four years. NTN – SNR exhibits at the show to expand the company’s customer base in China and to have a presence in the Chinese market. Mr Touvier said: “In the past, our company was not well-represented in Greater China. But thanks to the fair, we have gradually developed brand awareness within the region. Automechanika Shanghai is without a doubt our go-to platform to tap China’s auto aftermarket sector. We have come across a number of potential clients with great prospects and set up a few business meetings with a number of new clients, primarily distributors and agents within the auto aftermarket industry. We value high-quality customers from various regions and the show is able to meet our expectations. This is an event we cannot miss and will definitely be back again next year.”
Several new brands joined Automechanika Shanghai this year realising the great potential of a vast network of industry organisational connections. Denso is one such brand newly exhibiting this year. Denso is a supplier of spare parts for vehicle manufacturers and knew the potential for increasing clientele during the show was tremendous. Mr Kyosuke Miura, General Manager, Aftermarket Sales Dept. of Denso (China) Investment Co Ltd Shanghai Branch said: “Automechanika Shanghai attracts many customers from around the world, including China, to come here to look for better products. Many buyers from different countries came to our booth and I think we’ve significantly promoted the goodwill of Denso. We’ve attended many exhibitions before, but in terms of exhibition scale and number of visitors, Automechanika Shanghai has a great advantage. I think it is a very good exhibition. China still has a large opportunity for growth in its car parts industry and the auto aftermarket has a great potential of development.”
For over three years, garage equipment manufacturer Ravaglioli S.p.A of Italy has had a presence at Automechanika Shanghai. Ravaglioli S.p.A Sales Director Mr Ferdinando Moro said the company will continue to return to the show as they successfully promote their brand and products to the Chinese market and Asia Pacific region at the fair. He expressed: “We made connections with a significant number of domestic companies at the show this year who distribute to local workshops and garages. Not only did we generate a number of business leads among local Chinese distributors but also connected with potential buyers and distributors from the Middle East and Africa, particularly from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who all showed genuine interest in our products. We insist on participating in the show every year because it is known for drawing large numbers of professional buyers. We will not hesitate to come back again next year.”
The sector that experienced the largest growth in Automechanika Shanghai this year was Accessories & Tuning. Returning exhibitor High-Tech (Shanghai) Trading Co Ltd, China’s official agent of Motul, which is the world famous engine oils and lubricants manufacturer, took advantage of Automechanika Shanghai to connect with distributors in the high-end market. Marketing Executive, Mr Win Wang said: “There are more visitors here than last year. Because of the many orders we received at the show last year we expanded our booth area to almost 200 square meters and we will keep attending this show in following years. We’ve met many regional distributors and agents who have rich industrial experience. We also met many overseas buyers from Africa, Morocco, the United States and Europe. We found the high-end products attracted more attention and can see the increasing demand of high-end products in the whole market. Automechanika Shanghai is the best way to promote our brand, expand new business and meet frequent clients.”
Exceeding demand experienced at previous Automechanika Shanghai exhibitions produced the need for the new Electronics & Systems sector, which utilised over 40,000 sqm of exhibition space, approximately 15 percent of the total exhibition show space, housing 658 exhibitors at Automechanika Shanghai.
Zhejiang Vie Science & Technology Co Ltd, General Manager, Mr Carl Yao was an exhibitor in the Electronics & Systems sector. His company, which has shifted its developing strategy to electronic control products due to the competitive market, got to know clients from developed countries whose businesses focus on OEM at Automechanika Shanghai. Mr Yao explained: “We brought our newly-launched high-end electric brakes such as EBS and ABS and subframe for passenger vehicles, which are our growth points in the future. We had quite a lot of visitors who came to our booth, especially many overseas buyers, most of them are highly professional. We met both new clients and frequent clients at the show. We also want to promote our new products and potential customer development. Automechanika Shanghai has gathered more professional visitors than the other industry fairs. It has become the biggest car parts and services trade fair throughout the Asia car aftermarket industry.”
In addition to a new sector this year, Automechanika Shanghai welcomed two new pavilions from Israel and Russia for a total of 18 overseas pavilions, which also included France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United States.
Recognising the internationality and multi-faceted range of Automechanika Shanghai within the automotive aftermarket, as well as the rising popularity of New Energy technologies, Dr Lawrence Poon, Hong Kong Pavilion organiser and Principal Consultant of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), said: “This is HKPC’s first year exhibiting and organising the New Energy Zone at Automechanika Shanghai. The fair is the most well-known and international platform in Asia for car parts, accessories and service. The exhibition results this year were outstanding. Through my interaction with the exhibitors, they all are very satisfied with the fair as it has generated large numbers of business leads. The synergy between exhibitors and visitors is high as many come to our booth for solutions. The fair has created unique partnerships and opportunities between different companies. In the coming edition, we hope to set up an even larger Hong Kong Pavilion at the fair.”
Mr Jianjun Xie, Secretary General of the Remanufacture Committee of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said: “Remanufacture and new energy are not only involved with products themselves, but a concept in the aftermarket industry and a project of recycling economy, and are sure to be an important part of the industry’s future development. Automechanika Shanghai is an influential trade fair in Asia.”
Visitors commend show as the must-attend exhibition for the Asian market
Automechanika Shanghai has become the must-attend event of the year within the automotive aftermarket sector. It is highly regarded among exhibitors and visitors for both Chinese and overseas business partnerships. The 2015 show expanded its efforts in including more local and overseas buyers and professional visitors’ groups from varying markets. Automan Director Mr Jan Wang was invited to attend Automechanika Shanghai as part of a professional buyer group and was primarily searching for the latest in the cutting-edge market of tools, equipment and accessories. He said: “We highly appreciated the organisation work of the Premium Buyers Club, I think it is a very good idea. We have over 600 members in our system and it’s really hard for us to gather together. Automechanika Shanghai provides us a valuable opportunity to get together and to discuss the industry issues face-to-face.”
Chinese visitor, Mr Biao Tian, General Manager at Changsha Ench Service Co Ltd primarily handles sales and service for the global luxury cars such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Land Rover, Toyota, etc and he and his clients found the internationality of the show very appealing. Mr Tian said: “I invited seven representatives from the biggest dealership groups in Hunan to Automechanika Shanghai, to learn, to understand, and to collect some industry-relevant information and the show impressed them very much. The degree of internationalisation here increases year by year; I see lots of international companies, especially German and Japanese enterprises. The show has increased in scale and the overall layout is more reasonable than previous editions. I think Automechanika Shanghai provides not only a procurement platform, but also a chance for us to realise cognitive advancement. This value is much higher than the actual purchases.”
Visitors travel from all over the world to source at Automechanika Shanghai and experience the full scope of the Asian automotive aftermarket possibilities. Mr Mohamed Aly Mowena, Chairman, Mowena for Import & Export Co of Egypt, found the professionalism of exhibitors and the availability of quality products most impressive. He said: “I came to the show to source for European truck parts, components and air valves. The fair is excellent and this year I have made many business connections as there were many suppliers at the fair. For the first time, I have signed contracts with 4 – 5 companies onsite, marking my first time importing components from China. The fair is great and well established and I am particularly impressed with the number of professional and high-quality exhibitors. I really look forward to future editions of the fair.”
Japanese visitor, Mr Takashi Akahoshi, Manager from Meiji Sangyo Company agreed, commenting: “I came to look for high-quality auto products to import to Japan, including sensors, hub bearings and motor components. Quality is very important to us and all products we source from China need to pass the US-grade quality inspection. I am happy to report that we have found 5 – 6 new business contacts. As always, the fair is great and even better with the new location. I will be back again next year.”
Fringe programme is largest in history of show and shares comprehensive approach to automotive industry
This year’s fringe programme for Automechanika Shanghai was the largest to date and a staggering success, with 53 exclusive events held over the 4-day show. That is an overwhelming increase of 40 percent from 2014. The fringe programme is an invaluable opportunity to experience beneficial educational, marketing and information exchange opportunities. The professionalism and high-level material continues to grow each year in the fringe programme. Not only were the event topics abundant and broad, but the attendees were plentiful, with many events overflowing with interested parties.
The well-rounded fringe programme focused on auto parts supply chain, repair and maintenance chains, insurance, modification parts and technologies, new energy and remanufacturing. One of the spotlights was placed on the Summit: Merger and Acquisition Strategies for Chinese Automotive Corporations in the Overseas Markets, organised by Shanghai Anting Auto and Parts Export Base Development Co Ltd and Chamber of International Commerce Shanghai, and supported by Morning Whistle Group.
Discussions were centred on case sharing of merger and acquisition in overseas markets by Chinese enterprises, as well as analysing global development strategies for Chinese brands. Many of the management executives of key local and international automotive leaders, financial institutes and consultancies were invited to offer profound insights at the Summit. Speaker, Mr Xuan YAN, President of Nielsen Great China commented: “Potential markets for Chinese enterprises are far beyond the BRIC countries. Enterprises have to take different crucial elements into account for mapping out their overseas plans”
Other major functional and innovative events within the fringe programme this year included the Automotive Aftermarket Summit and the Autohaus China 4th International Dealer Summit. Several domestic and overseas organisations also utilise the Automechanika Shanghai platform to form strategic partnerships. Making the most of the emerging sector, New Energy Zone, within Automechanika Shanghai, the German Federal Association for eMobility (BEM) and Shanghai Zhida Technology Development Co Ltd performed a signing ceremony during the show to commemorate the official membership of the first Chinese company entering the Association. The support and recognition from these high-level associations and agencies has further underlined the show’s important role for the industry.
Automechanika Shanghai is organised by Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd and the China National Automotive Industry International Corporation (CNAICO). It is one of 15 Automechanika fairs held in Africa, Asia, Europe and North, Central and South America. The 2016 edition of the show will be held 30 November – 3 December 2016 at National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), China.
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