In its second year, the Chengdu International Trade Fair for Automotive Parts and Aftermarket Services (CAPAS) had another successful show and attracted 13,250 visitors from 25 countries and regions, an increase of 20 percent, when it was held May 21-23, 2015 at the Chengdu Century City New International Exhibition & Convention Center, China.
Increasing numbers of participating companies and businesses are seeing the benefit of CAPAS, Southwest China’s one-stop platform for the automotive parts and aftermarket industry, and the expanding market potential within the region. The top five overseas visiting countries and regions attending the show were (in order of highest attendance): the USA, Taiwan, Japan, Poland and Malaysia. In addition, the show attained a striking 13 percent increase in exhibitors – 668 exhibitors from eight countries and regions: China, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and the UK, showcasing their leading-edge technological innovations in 35,000 sqm of exhibition space. Besides the increased exhibitors and visitors, the show also set up two new overseas pavilions from Taiwan and Singapore.
Wang Xia, President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Automotive Sub-Council (CCPIT-Auto), said: “It’s very encouraging to see the significant growth of the show in just its second edition. On the platform of CAPAS, we hope that more and better auto parts and repair products will be introduced to the aftermarket, which can create a more innovative and integrated environment for the industry. I am confident that CAPAS will contribute to the development of the auto aftermarket in China.”
Echoing Wang’s vision, Jason Cao, Chairman of the Board of Management for Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd said: “The show’s result has affirmed the thriving automotive market in the region and as a result it attracted the new overseas pavilions. Each company is determined to take advantage of CAPAS’s benefits to probe the fast-growing market, build up brand image and set up business links to enter the Southwest China market. The show has gained a greater recognition that it not only serves as a launch-pad for starting business in Southwest China, but also moves the automotive industry forward by strengthening the business ties within the region, which is by means a crucial element in fostering an industry.”
Building on last year’s positive response, the Sichuan Pavilion, which is organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Sichuan Council (CCPIT-Sichuan), doubled its scale this year. President Li Gang commented: “Based on the development strategy of the Belt and Road Initiative, CAPAS is the first professional exhibition serving Sichuan automotive parts and the aftermarket industry. Rooted in Sichuan and West China, oriented towards the countries along the land and maritime Silk Roads, CAPAS focuses on building a platform for the auto service industry integrated with trade, investment and technological cooperation, in order to deliver great benefits to all exhibitors.”
Expanded supplier and visitor presence
Manufacturers and suppliers from various countries and regions are reaping the benefits and entering the expanding market through Southwest China’s one-stop platform for information exchange, marketing and trading covering the main automotive sectors of Parts & Components, Accessories & Tuning, as well as Repair & Maintenance. The top exhibitors at the show included: Asia-Pacific, Huaqiang, Huirun, Liqui Moly, Lu’s, Ruili, Songtian, Torch Spark and WD-40. The show also welcomed a number of leading companies as newcomers: Aborn, Autoaid, BLACKVIEW, Botny, Delian, FCAR, GSP, MBM, Musicson, Sheng Hua Bo, YILUDA and ZONYI.
One of those companies investigating the merits of CAPAS is first-time exhibitor, Paul Myers, Managing Director for Britpart from the UK. The company provides various parts for Land Rovers and Range Rovers and he chose to make the journey to CAPAS to gauge the response of the company within the region. He said: “We know there is a big population of Land Rovers and Range Rovers in the region and that’s why we want to explore the market. It’s encouraging that buyers here are knowledgeable and they are involved in the industry. We also achieved a good number of contacts, which we can follow up with, raise the brand awareness in the region and be able to talk to some interesting exhibitors here. I will have no doubt in exhibiting at the show again.”
GSP Automotive Group Wenzhou Co Ltd, a leading manufacturer for automotive driveline components for the worldwide aftermarket, was also a newcomer and had the same objective to learn more about the Southwest market. Sarah Ye, Asia-Africa Assistant Customer Executive explained: “The primary consideration is that CAPAS is comparatively a large-scale exhibition of its kind in the region. As our target is the domestic market, we want to find out the current situation of the market through participating in the show. Here, we have demonstrated our signature products and we attracted many visitors who came and enquired about the local dealer cooperation opportunities.”
Recognizing the marketable strength of the region was returning exhibitor Luo Changgeng, Vice President of Shanghai Musicson Technology Ltd, an agent for the world famous German brand Sonax specializing in car care products, who said his aim for attending CAPAS again is to build the brand, support local distributors and expand the company’s influence in the local market. “The show offers an effective bridge of communication with our old customers. The most preferred city for automotive trade fairs in the region is definitely Chengdu as the automotive industry maturity and industry concentration is much higher than other cities in Southwest China,” he explained.
Chengdu Zhongda Tianhao Machinery Co Ltd, a top-notch brand for automotive repair and maintenance equipment, also had great success at the show and made positive business contacts in its larger booth space this year. Gao Dongmei, General Sales Manager shared: “We received a good response and the result was effective, as we received a considerable number of visitors from the local repair and maintenance workshops. The buyers who came to our booth showed high intention of purchase and I am happy that some of them have already placed orders with us.”
With the aid of the regional government agencies, industry associations, media and various organizations, the second edition of the show has made a stronger effort in organizing a number of local and overseas visitor groups including those from Chongqing, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan and Yunnan. Also, buyers from the Asian countries and regions such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand were invited. This is the first time Ian Sia, Managing Director, Automotive Synergy Incorporated Sdn Bhd of Malaysia, has visited CAPAS. He was pursuing potential partnerships for his car care products business. He shared: “I’ve already met some potential suppliers from China. We have purchased some samples from them and I will get in touch with them further. It’s a good step to launch the show because there is a good opportunity for both the show and the market to grow. Since the automotive market in Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai have matured, the industry must focus on the second-tier cities,” he said.
Feng Jianfeng, President of Guizhou Automotive Parts Association (GZQCQP), organized dozens of companies to make the trip to Chengdu. Acclaiming the efficient and convenient sourcing experience, he said: “Most of our buyers have a clear mission for their procurement requirements, mainly focused on decorative accessories and passenger car products. Some of them also came for new products, technologies and ideas and to see new market trends. The Southwest China automobile market has so much room for development and the potential is immeasurable.”
First-time visitor Jones K F Wong, SMA Honorary Secretary for Service Managers Association of Hong Kong and General Manager, Aftersales for BMW Concessionaires (HK) Limited, wanted to bring the industry updates to his association and company. He commented: “The show is quite concentrated and I agree that the show is a one-stop platform for all sorts of the automotive industry. This show is worth visiting again. West China is gaining more importance for the industry, companies like us have already started to set up 5S shops here in the region such as in Chengdu and Chongqing.”
Hands-on, informational events
The 2015 show offered a larger fringe program, which included several interactive events, forums, informational seminars, product presentations and a factory visit throughout the three-day show, enhancing the show’s dynamic atmosphere. The CAPAS Academy, the Automotive Aftermarket Service Model Innovation Summit and the real car tuning experience, among others, were all invaluable experiences available to the exhibitors and visitors.
The CAPAS Academy 2015 included the topics of: “Market – Automotive Aftermarket Service Channels Open for Win-win Situation” and “Technology – Eco-spray and Resource Integration”. One of the audience members, Xi Bin of Guangzhou YiMa Information Technology Co Ltd explained his desire to attend the academy: “I am very interested in the topics which it offered. I think the grey area of purchasing can be avoided and this is why I attended this seminar in order to gain a valuable insight. It does enhance my visions and broaden my horizons.”
Organizing the Automotive Aftermarket Service Model Innovation Summit was Chen Haisheng, Chief Editor and Co-founder of AC Innovative Communication Inc., who said: “Our aim is to attract a large number of aftermarket services stores, as they are currently the largest automotive aftermarket buyer group, followed by the dealers, manufacturers and e-commerce providers. Now there are 400,000 service stores and nearly 300,000 distributors in China. This is a fabulous platform to gather and get in touch with these service providers, I am glad that the result is excellent.”
The CNSTEA Car Tuning Club Activities and the exciting simulative car racing experience was organized by Lv Silang, Operations Manager for CNSTEA. He recognized the importance of the fringe program as he would like to promote the development of motor sport in China. He noted: “We brought our simulators here, allowing everyone to experience the charm and fun of motor sports. We are very happy that our event has drawn a large crowd. I am grateful for the cooperation with the show as it provided an unparalleled opportunity to enhance our company's image and our influence in the market. I hope that motor sport and the car modification sector will gain more importance in the local automotive industry.”
CAPAS is organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Automotive Sub-Council (CCPIT-Auto), Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Sichuan Council (CCPIT-Sichuan).
The next edition of the show will be held May 19-21, 2016. For more information about CAPAS, visit
www.capas-chengdu.com, or email [email protected].
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