Automechanika Frankfurt says its 2022 exhibitor line-up is just as international as before the pandemic, with more than 2800 exhibitors scheduled to attend the event. Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, said 83 per cent are from outside Germany, representing approximately 70 countries. In 2018, 86 per cent from 76 countries attended.
“This means that this year’s trade fair, which is occupying the entire exhibition grounds, features an exhibitor line-up whose international make-up is comparable to that of the anniversary event in 2018,” Braun said. “We regret to say that continuing pandemic-related restrictions in China under its zero-COVID policy and the war [the Russian invasion of Ukraine] mean that there will be almost no exhibitors from China or Russia this year.”
The event will also host more than 350 live presentations covering a broad spectrum of topics on four stages. Key among these is the automotive aftermarket’s rapid and extensive transformation with a number of live presentations scheduled to help businesses handle the change. The presentations include three presented by BodyShop News, along with two presented by the International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS).
“The challenges facing automotive workshops are immense, with extensive new software and hardware technology such as artificial intelligence, high-tech diagnostics tools and, in particular, unfathomable quantities of vehicle data,” Braun said. “A wide range of answers and solutions to these challenges will be on offer at the upcoming Automechanika Frankfurt in the form of workshops and presentations, supported by prominent companies and some 130 international partners and supporters of our Automechanika trade fairs worldwide.”
A series of practical body repair workshops, conducted in German and English, will take place daily in the Galleria. Held in collaboration with partners from industry, the workshops will present the most important steps in the repair process, including systematic car damage assessments, damage cost calculation, working on high-voltage vehicles, bodywork, paintwork, digitalisation, and ADAS calibration.
The Future Workshop 4.0 showcase will present future technologies, processes and business models, and offer practical ideas and concepts on how to make business operations more efficient and ‘future ready’. According to Automechanika, Future Workshop 4.0 realistically mimics the structures of a conventional workshop with a practical depiction of the customer journey, allowing visitors to learn about innovative technologies and put them to the test at 10 selected stations.
The event will also showcase a new industry initiative, Talents4AA, which aims to attract talented newcomers to the industry.
A new showcase – Innovation4Mobility – will present pioneering solutions for connected vehicles and climate-neutral mobility in Hall 3. ‘Connected cars’, autonomous driving, and alternative fuels will be addressed by a range of companies, including Audi, Adobe, Bosch, BPW Bergische Achsen, Boston Consulting Group, eBay, Google Cloud, KEYOU, Fraunhofer ISE, INTIS, Schaeffler, Solaris and the Toyota Mobility Foundation.
E-commerce will also be presented in the Automechanika programme, with eBay exhibiting for the first time and hosting the E-Commerce Networking Lounge in Hall 4. On 16 September, the amz Talk will explore the question: “Digitalisation and ecosystems in the automotive parts aftermarket – can e-commerce and online marketplaces improve the procurement process?”
The Automechanika Innovation Awards will also reflect the trends currently shaping the industry, with 133 submissions from 99 exhibitors covering a host of applications. These range from paint-care products produced from renewable resources and rescue systems for vehicles with battery fires, to highly complex laser scanners able to measure entire vehicles in a matter of minutes.
Automechanika Frankfurt will take place from 13 to 17 September 2022 at the Frankfurt exhibition grounds.