| Historical new heights have been reached in China’s automotive industry and China is now the second largest automotive market in the world.
The market within China is enormous and proof of this was found at the recent Automechanika show in Shanghai. The third annual Automechanika Shangai, organised by Messe Frankfurt in partnership with the China National Automotive Industry International Corporation was the largest Automechanika ever held outside Germany. Attended by nearly 22,000 trade visitors from 103 countries and regions, of these, 5,287 people came from overseas. Focusing on parts, products & equipment for automotive original equipment and aftermarket, the show housed 1,250 exhibitors in six halls.
Speaking at the opening press conference, Stephan Kurzawski – Vice President of Automechanika said that Automechinika Shanghai provides the industry a place where information can be sourced and new products can be displayed “We are pleased and proud about the growth & development of Automechanika in Shanghai,” said Mr. Kurzawski . “This industry is growing extremely fast; China produced over 7.2 million motor vehicles in the first 10 months of this year, up 22% over last year, creating huge demand in the aftermarket sector. In addition, governmental bodies are working on new policies that will help clean the air. So, while we continue to hear good and positive news like this from every corner of the auto industry in China, we can expect Automechanika Shanghai to continue to play a key role in bringing the entire industry together, and providing a place where new products & technology can be sourced and vital market information can be learned.”
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1,250 companies from 23 countries & regions participated in the show, including some of the world’s best-known companies and market leaders. Pavilions from Germany, Italy, Taiwan & Korea were all present. Automechanika’s Match-Making Forum allowed top-level companies with specific sourcing or manufacturing criteria to meet with pre-selected, top-level buyers in a quiet one-on-one meeting off the show floor. Participants included BMW and Valeo – one of the world's top automotive suppliers focused on design, production and sale of components, systems and modules for cars and trucks.
Many of the exhibitors commented on the increased size and stature of the fair, but more importantly, on the improved hall layout, style and booth design, which gave the entire event a much more professional and ‘international’ feeling.
Melbourne based CMC International Group, a one stop shop for body and paint supplies, was a first time exhibitor at the Shanghai show, and owner Spiros Stouraitis was very happy with the results. “We decided to come to introduce the quality of our product and to re-enter the market,” he said. “We have already made very good contacts here, people from Qatar all the way to Ohio, America have shown interest in our product. We would most certainly come back next year.”
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A special initiative at this year’s Automechanika Academy was educational information on ‘brand protection’. Copyright laws are a hotbed issue right now, especially within the automotive industry and Automechanika ran various educational discussions about copyright infringement and plagiarism. While Mr. Stouraitis acknowledges privacy protection is quite difficult in the Chinese market, he feels that the proof is in the quality of the product. “Copied products are not the same quality; you need many years of experience to produce quality.”
One of the speakers at the Automechanika Academy was Ms Joann Chan of General Motors China, also fulfilling the role of Best Practices / Enforcement Committee Chairman for the Quality Brands Protection Committee (QBPC). “The QBPC wants to make a community and society contribution by eliminating counterfeit products,” said Ms. Chan. “In the market, our members are competitors, but at the QBPC we are partners working together towards the same goal – to stop fake parts. We are presenting best practices and case studies from around the world, we hope to introduce them to China and influence how things are done here.”
The market in China is only getting stronger and events such as Automechanika Shanghai will continue to assist the automotive industry in China and around the world to strive towards excellence, fair trade and competition.
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