Fair tunes up opportunities

Over 12,000 visitors from 97 countries and regions visited the second Automechanika Shanghai, which took place at the Shanghai New International Expo Center late last year.

The fair was deemed a great success by exhibitors, many of whom said that the number and quality of the onsite buyers, exceeded their overall expectations. They were also impressed by the international presence.

With the number of exhibitors and visitors up 161 and 38 percent respectively from 2004, the fair is clearly gaining momentum and a reputation as one of China's leading professional forums for the automotive parts, components and aftermarket industry.

The show consisting of sections of parts & systems, accessories & tuning, repair & maintenance, and service station & car care products showcased a complete range of products for the automotive aftermarket.

Of the 615 exhibitors at the 2006 fair, 80 percent were from Chinese mainland. Around 20 percent were from overseas, including large groups from Germany, South Korea, Turkey, the United States and Italy.

Most of the foreign exhibitors cited the strength of the Shanghai market and their trust in the Automechanika brand as their main reasons for choosing the fair.

Cecilia Costantino of the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade, and organizer of the Italian pavilion, said: "For us, Automechanika Shanghai is the perfect business platform as the focus is clearly on auto parts and accessories. We know the Automechanika brand, and therefore believe in the quality and professionalism that the Shanghai fair is able to deliver. This fair has generated an incredible number of customer enquiries for the Italian companies present."

On the visitor side, an impressive 25 percent of all buyers were from overseas (around 3,000). Most foreign buyers were from South Korea, Russia, Australia, and Malaysia, with a significant number of people also coming from India, the United States, Italy, Turkey and Japan. The extremely high level of international buyers was echoed in the exhibitor feedback at the fair.

"The diversity of representatives from different countries has been staggering, we've seen people from all across Asia and the Middle East," said Glenn Secco of Neltronics, Australia - a supplier of GPS navigation and radar equipment who came to Shanghai looking for Chinese and Asian distributors.

"The show's been great, a lot busier than we anticipated and there's been more interest in our products than we thought possible. It's been a very successful exercise for us."

Companies looking to meet buyers from the local market were not disappointed either. "We are looking to make direct sales into the Shanghai market, so hope to meet representatives from large production facilities here at the show. The stand has been very busy and our staff have collected a lot of business cards, so it appears business has been good," said Henrik Nbold of Wrth, Shanghai (Germany), supplier of assembly apparatus, connectors, fasteners, lubricants, tools and machines. "I think it's important to be here to show the name of our company; 'Made in Germany' still carries some weight in China."

The Automechanika Shanghai 2006 specialist fringe program included supplier-buyer matchmaking in the "Automechanika Matchmaking Forum" and market seminars at the "Automechanika Academy."

Both events were aimed at providing attendees with a well-rounded and comprehensive overview of the Chinese auto industry and of the opportunities that lie therein.

Yasuo Aoki of the Japan Auto Parts Industries Association (JAPIA) chose Automechanika Shanghai 2006 as the venue for the launch of their anti-counterfeit campaign in China, presenting an infringement activity analysis at the Automechanika Academy. "China is considered one of the fastest growing automotive markets in the world, and as such it is important for us to help make suppliers, manufacturers and users in China aware that counterfeiting is illegal, and that only genuine auto parts ensure vehicle safety. The response here has been very positive; I am glad we were given this opportunity to inform members of the auto industry."

Since 2006, Automechanika has been held annually in Shanghai, allowing the automotive industry to get together once a year in the country's most vibrant regional marketplace. The fair of this year is held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center and will end on December 7.

(China Daily 12/05/2007 page16)