Automechanika Shanghai exceeds exhibitor, visitor expectations

Jan. 1, 2020
Automechanika Shanghai, Asia?s largest trade fair for the automotive parts, components and aftermarket industry, held from Dec. 9 ? 11 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, China attracted a record number of exhibitors and visitors for its f

Automechanika Shanghai, Asia’s largest trade fair for the automotive parts, components and aftermarket industry, held from Dec. 9 – 11 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, China attracted a record number of exhibitors and visitors for its fifth edition.

Exhibitor numbers increased by nearly 22 percent to 2,414 from 24 countries and regions, compared to the 2008 event. Showing an even larger increase were the visitor numbers with 38,551 visitors from 132 countries and regions attending the show. This is an increase of nearly 25 percent compared to the previous show. Automechanika Shanghai has further confirmed its position as an international show with 29 percent of the visitors coming from overseas, compared to 16 percent in 2008. The top 10 visitor countries and regions outside China were (greatest first) Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Iran, Japan, Russia, Turkey, India, the United States and Hong Kong.

“We are very happy with this remarkable result. Despite the global economic slowdown, the show continues to gain momentum and we have set new records for exhibitor and visitor numbers," says Jason Cao, General Manager, Messe Frankfurt Shanghai Co Ltd. "In addition, the show is establishing itself as both a major domestic and international event. This can be seen from our diverse range of visitor countries. As well as visitors from the traditional continents of Europe, Asia and North America, we have seen visitors from 35 new countries. These include nine new African countries as well as Madagascar and Reunion, two islands off the African coast, and also the Maldives. From the South American continent and the Caribbean region our first time visitors came from Cuba, the Bahamas, Dominica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago. We also saw first time visitors from Fiji, and New Caledonia.”

Automechanika Shanghai 2009 attracted a number of world’s leading companies to showcase their latest products and services.

Italian company Corghi, a global auto equipment manufacturer and soon to open a production plant in China, was confident about the benefits of Automechanika Shanghai.

“The show offers an important platform for us to strengthen and improve our relationship with different companies. We always give priority to participate in this show,” says Claudio Spiritelli, sales and marketing director.

Hyundai Enercell, the official automotive battery supplier to Hyundai and Kia motor vehicles was also enthusiastic about the show and the auto market. “The last two shows brought us a lot of business,” says company representative Jack Park. “This year we’ve also made a lot of good business contacts with buyers from Asia, Europe and Middle East. There are always ups and downs in the economic cycle, so we should be well-prepared for the recovery by exhibiting at good trade fairs.”

Sharing a similar view was Maxim Wang, vice president for Launch Tech Co Ltd, incorporated in China and listed in Hong Kong. It is a global player in the automotive aftermarket, providing a full range of equipment and service solutions for workshops. “We are an old friend of Automechanika Shanghai,” he remarks. “I am happy to see buyers at the show having a genuine purchase intention. The domestic automotive market has not been affected by the global economic situation. Instead, it is growing rapidly and we can feel this at the show.”

First time Taiwanese exhibitor was Unipoint Electric Manufacturing Co Ltd, a leading supplier of wiper blades and rotating electrical parts. The company supplies products to world-famous vehicle manufacturers such as Continental, Ford, GM, Peugeot and Toyota. Ms Yen Chun Chuang, the company’s Marketing Specialist says she met buyers from Africa, Europe, Middle East and South America. “The show provides a good opportunity for us to gain brand recognition and to stand out from other companies especially under the current economic climate,” she adds.

Sharon Ye, business manager for Zhejiang Luoshi Vibration Control Co Ltd was very impressed with the quantity and quality of visitors. “The buyers we’ve met are purchasing department decision makers and management,” she reports.

Marc Ripotot, aftermarket manager for French company Hutchinson, also praises the quality of the buyers. “We had quite nice distributors visiting our booth and I was surprised by the level of professionalism and by the volume they are representing,” he says.

Chery Engine Company from China remarks that the show included a comprehensive range of automotive parts, components, repair and maintenance products. “It is an efficient platform for industry players to promote themselves to customers,” comments Feng Wutang, general manager. “The show has further increased our brand exposure in the market.”

Third time USA exhibitor Snap-on, says the show was a good platform for equipment manufacturers to showcase their products and advantages. “Automechanika Shanghai is not only for overseas customers. Many domestic equipment resellers come here to find new products and business opportunities. In the last two days, there have been some potential Chinese resellers discussing opportunities to be our resellers,” explains Nicky Marr, equipment manager, OEM and Training.

Many international buyers came to Automechanika Shanghai to source from Asia’s largest platform for automotive parts, equipment and services and they were satisfied with the quality of exhibitors.

The Automechanika Matchmaking Forum offered additional business opportunities.

Heads of sourcing and procurement departments from 15 companies including China, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and UAE attended the Automechanika Matchmaking Forum to meet one-on-one with suppliers.

Dubai company Dynatrade specialises in a diverse range of automotive products such as tyres, batteries and vehicle parts. Manager, V Rajkumar was very satisfied with the event: “This is the first time that I’ve participated in the matchmaking event,” he says. “Since there are too many companies at the show, the matchmaking forum is like a shortcut for me to quickly make contact with the leading suppliers. I think this is a perfect idea.”

Other industry events at the show included the 5th International Forum and Showcase of Service Outsourcing in the Manufacturing Industry. Mr Solar Wang, Auto Parts Department Integrated Management Manager and Engineer for CSR Qishuyan Locomotive & Rolling Stock Technology Research Institute Co Ltd says he found the forum useful: “I really learned a lot from the speakers and I will talk to them later about the possibility of cooperation.”

Other events included the highly popular Automechanika Academy which was attended by many prominent industry speakers who explored the latest topics. Speakers included Mr Jia Xinguang, Industry Consultant of Beijing, Consultant of China Everbright Bank; Mr Shen Ningwu, Assistant Secretary General of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM); Mr Henry Zhang, Supplier Quality Engineer, Navistar/International Truck and Engine Co; Mr Kimura Yoshimi, Director, Yellow Hat Ltd; Mr Setsuo Hori, Deputy Director, International Dept, Japan Auto Parts Industries Association (JAPIA) and Mr Alexander Theil, Brand Protection Representative, Audi, Automotive Industrial Working Group (AIWG).

Automechanika Shanghai also organised five other events to update participants with the latest industry intelligence:

· Forum on Low Carbon and Zero Carbon Vehicle Technologies
· Chinese Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers & Distributors Networking Event
· Seminar 2009 for IMD (In Mold Decoration) in Automotive Interior
· Summit of China Auto Electronic and Electrical Appliances Industry
· Chinese Automotive Engine Parts Manufacturers International Trading Cluster Meeting

In 2010, Automechanika Shanghai will become a four day event, instead of a three day event, running from Dec. 8 – 11, 2010. Jason Cao explains: “As the show is becoming bigger and bigger, we see the need for an extra show day. We also received feedback from exhibitors and visitors who wanted to extend the show by one day to further maximise their benefits and opportunities.”

Automechanika Shanghai is organised by Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd and the China National Automotive Industry International Corporation (CNAICO). It is one of 13 global Automechanika fairs held in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa.

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