SA to host African Automechanika expo

Image courtesy of quickpic.co.za

Optimistic response

“We are absolutely delighted at the very positive local and international acceptance of Johannesburg as the latest venue for this famous automotive trade fair brand that was established originally in Germany more than 20 years ago and started expanding globally just over 10 years ago,” comments the show director of Automechanika South Africa, Philip Otto.

Coincidentally this year's inaugural Automechanika South Africa ties in with the Confederation Cup for the first time, as a precursor to the World Cup coming to the African continent for the first time in 2010 and stresses the growing significance of Africa on the world stage.

In addition, Africa is one of the few continents on the world where growth in vehicle sales is predicted for 2009 as most of the world's new vehicle markets face plunging sales.

Worldwide interest

“We already have many registrations and enquiries from people in several African countries that intend coming to Johannesburg to see this global showcase of automotive products, ranging from replacement and service parts to workshop equipment, car wash equipment, panel beating and painting equipment."

More than 300 companies will be displaying their wares, surpassing the original target of 250, with the majority coming from countries outside South Africa.

“A total of 11 countries have booked international pavilions - Germany, Italy, Spain, China, Thailand, Turkey, Taiwan, India, Brazil, Argentina and Malaysia. In addition, a number of individual companies from Dubai, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Greece, Poland and Peru have bought their own stands, which makes a total representation of 19 countries when we include South Africa,” explained the show director.

Demand for parts

“The tightening of belts at this time is resulting in some companies and individuals keeping their vehicles longer before trading them in, so this means a higher demand for service and repair parts, which is good news for exhibitors at Automechanika SA.

“In addition, the slowdown in exports of built up vehicles from South Africa means that many of the component and accessory suppliers have excess capacity, so we expect many of them to use Automechanika SA to find export markets for their products,” adds Otto.

Ideal timing

“We believe that the timing of our trade fair, in the first quarter of 2009, is also ideal in line with the recent, long-awaited announcement of the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP) to chart the way forward for the South African motor industry from 2013 - 2020 as the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP) runs out in 2012,” continues the show director.

“In addition, dealership service facilities are under increasing pressure due to the big increase in vehicle sales over the past five years and operators will be looking at equipment that can make their operations more time- and cost-effective. This is an important segment of the displays at any Automechanika trade fair and I am sure many solutions to the changing requirements of vehicle servicing operators will be on display at Expo Centre in March 2009,” Otto concludes.

Global hosts

Johannesburg now joins 12 other cities in 11 countries that already play host to an Automechanika trade fair. They are: Frankfurt (Germany), Dubai (Middle East), Istanbul (Turkey), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Toronto (Canada), Mexico City (Mexico), Italy (Rome), Shanghai (China), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Bangkok (Thailand), St. Petersburg and Moscow (Russia).

The major event on the Automechanika calendar is the trade fair held every two years in Frankfurt. Last year this show attracted 161,000 visitors from 146 countries, which underlines the growing importance of the automotive aftermarket now that new vehicles sales are slowing drastically and owners are being forced to keep their vehicles longer.

For further information, visit: www.automechanikasa.co.za or www.automechanika.com