Five companies have been named as finalists in the Body & Paint category of the Automechanika Frankfurt Innovation Awards: Celette, Multichem, KMWE Michael Koeberlein, Carbon, and Herrmann Innovations.
This year, the judging panel expanded to include international aftermarket experts, including Stuart Charity, CEO of the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA). Jason Moseley, CEO of the International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS), is also a judge. The 14-member panel met on 21 July 2022 to determine which of the 133 submissions from 99 companies were most deserving, resulting in 96 nominees and 35 finalists.
The eight category winners will be announced at the awards ceremony at Automechanika Frankfurt on 13 September at 5 pm in the Congress Center’s Harmonie Hall.
The products submitted were evaluated against seven criteria:
- Degree of innovation and excellence of the solution
- Cost effectiveness
- User benefit
- Functionality and user-friendliness
- Market potential and relevance to the aftermarket
- Quality, durability and safety
- Contributions to sustainability, energy efficiency, climate protection, environmental protection and resource conservation
Automechanika Frankfurt said the awards submissions clearly illustrate the aftermarket’s trend towards smart digital solutions.
“The sheer scope of this year’s submissions is impressive, ranging from rescue systems for vehicles with battery fires and radar-supported turning assistance systems for trucks, all the way to highly complex laser scanners able to measure entire vehicles in a matter of minutes,” said Dr Gerhard Angerer, an expert assessor who helped evaluate the submissions.
“The digitalisation trend has also continued to accelerate, with approximately one third of submissions coming from this area. Forward-looking topics like new mobility, alternative drive systems and sustainability were also prominent in the submissions received.”
BODY & PAINT FINALISTS
Celette Eagle electronic car body measurement system: The Celette Eagle uses a laser-assisted electronic measurement system to ascertain chassis distortion, with the results compared to CAD coordinates supplied by the vehicle’s manufacturer. Automechanika Frankfurt said the system is able to reliably detect deviations of ±1.5 millimetres, and an entire vehicle can be measured in no more than 10 minutes.
Multichem Profix Refinish Systems: Profix is a refinish system for determining and mixing correct paint colours. It consists of three components: a hand-held spectrophotometer that is placed on the surface of the vehicle’s paintwork to determine the paint colour, a cloud-based expert database that calculates the paint formula based on the spectrophotometric data, and the MCMIX high-precision dosing machine which can blend and mix paint in two minutes.
KMWE Michael Koeberlein Clair 5000 Multi: The Clair 5000 Multi is a mobile extraction and air cleaning system for smaller paintwork jobs, such as spot repair in workshops without a painting booth. Automechanika Frankfurt said the extraction system is moved next to the vehicle to be repaired so it can extract paint mist created by spraying.
Carbon: CBR Carbon body repair system: Automechanika Frankfurt said CBR is an innovative alignment system for chassis bodywork exterior repairs. The pulling tools are made from lightweight carbon and carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics, making them ideal for efficient and sustainable repairs.
Herrmann Innovations: Ionstar: Automechanika Frankfurt said turbine generator technology makes the Ionstar the first ionising gun with fibre-optic technology that runs entirely without batteries or power cables. The “rugged and ergonomic” device weighs just 240 grams.