Industry stakeholders who attended Automotive Maintenance and Repair Expo (AMR) 2018 will now be better equipped than ever before to sail through the vast automotive aftermarket landscape. AMR, Asia’s leading repair and maintenance industry event, wrapped up last Wednesday with a steady increase of 5% in exhibitors. Housing 1,200 exhibitors and 57,117 trade visitors from 70 countries and regions, the fair offered participants extensive sourcing options, connections and industry knowledge, each of which are much needed for establishing a more sustainable business in the fast-changing market.
The growth and comprehensiveness of the fair could be seen from the extended product offering across the 110,000 sqm show floor. The newly added Car Care and Spare Parts Hall, for example, expanded the sourcing variety for distributors and end-users. Positive signs were also recognised from exhibitors who were happy to build relationships with workshops, 4S shops, trading companies, chain stores, car care shops, tyre shops and car washes.
The rest of the repair and maintenance sector was well covered by specialised halls for tools, tyre equipment and consumables, cleaning, car care, refinishing, collision repair, garage, chain store, testing, diagnostics and brand equipment. With a strong presence of top industry players, the fair reflected global product trends which drew a broad range and good quality buyers.
These key players included the likes of 3M, Anche, APG, Axalta, Beissbarth, Biaobang, BPI, Bright, Car-o-liner, Celette, Corghi, Dali, Festool, Fly-eagle, Gaochang, Hunter, JBT, Juxuan, Kapci, Launch, Leoch, Luoshi, Maha, Mirka, Nanhua, Nederman, Nussbaum, Panda, Piusi, RAV, Rupes, Sata, Sata Tools, Sensen, Snap-on, Sontian, Sorl Tech International, Tiptop, Wepp and more.
From the buyer’s perspective, the show organiser’s efforts in visitor promotion paid off with a good mix of trade visitors. Despite the recent Easter holiday and China’s tomb sweeping national holiday, this year’s show attracted 57,117 visitors. Strong growth was registered in overseas buyers such as Australia, India and Poland while China remained the majority. Several trade associations from the likes of Beijing, Chengdu, Hebei, Henan, Hunan, Shandong, Tianjin and Guangdong Province organised buyer delegation visits at the show.
Ms Fiona Chiew, Managing Director for Messe Frankfurt Traders-Link (Beijing), the newly formed company to run AMR, was very pleased with the fruitful outcome of this joint venture. She said: “There were two key objectives set for us to achieve after the new collaboration. One was to increase international business opportunities for exhibitors, and the other to connect global players from the extensive vertical supply chain to the emerging Chinese market through AMR. Judging from the increasing presence of international exhibitors and visitors at the show, I am pleased to say our strategies have been successful and we will continue to work even harder on this in future editions.”
Co-organisers of the show, the China Automotive Maintenance Equipment Industry Association (CAMEIA) and the China Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association (CAMRA), contributed their support to AMR by organising a range of concurrent activities. These events added allowed the industry’s leading businesses to shape their models and fit into the evolving industry trends.
One of the major highlights was the ‘Huanyue 5S Night’ – The AMR 2018 Automotive Aftermarket Awards Ceremony for China’s Top Repair Chain Store Brands, Top 20 Manufacturers of Exported Auto Maintenance and Repair Products, Top 20 Exported Products, Top 20 Distributors, and AMR 2018 Recommended Products. Nearly 2,000 industry representatives attended this award ceremony. Hosted by CAMEIA and CAMRA, several awards were presented to encourage new product innovation and developments across the industry.
Mr Xie Jiaju, the Chairman of CAMEIA, expressed the importance of hosting this event at AMR: “The awards energised the advancements of players in the aftermarket supply chain. Through this opportunity, the winning companies have increased their brand exposure and competitiveness in the market, which aligns with the objectives of AMR. We will continue to hold this event during the show in future editions.”
Ms Chen Qi, the Chairman of CAMRA, who organised the first awards for China’s Top Repair Chain Store Brands, shared her thoughts on their contribution to the industry: “Chain stores and brands are an inevitable trend in the industry. This award is a reflection on the significant contribution from the government in facilitating the automotive aftermarket’s development, and a milestone of the industry’s changing focus in terms of quality. The panel of judges formed by industry experts, entrepreneurs and key media, have worked closely together to select 35 out of 73 participated brands, after much evaluation.”
Other popular concurrent activities included:
‘WEPP China’ – New Trends in the Automotive Services Industry 2018, China’s Automotive Service Industry Summit – Technology Innovation and Business Module Upgrade
The China Auto Parts Dealer Grand Alliance Inauguration Conference
“Huanyue 5S” Aftermarket Empowerment: Summit for Internet+, Technology and Finance
“Huanyue 5S” China Collision Industry Summit
“Huanyue 5S” The Motor Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance Summit
The 3rd Edition of the National Finals of Automotive Mechanics
The 2nd JD.com x AMR China Auto Maintenance Products Mall
Exhibitor comments
“AMR is an industry event which gathers both domestic and overseas professional buyers from the entire auto maintenance sector. We participate in this show and launch our very latest technology and products every year. This time we have introduced our new Touchless Wheel Aligner, which can accurately measure the four-wheel positioning data of a vehicle. At AMR, we’ve met lots of domestic auto maintenance dealers from Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and other major provinces. There were also many repair shop owners, big data customers and auto parts manufacturers who want to cooperate with us. Now Messe Frankfurt has joined in the organisation of AMR, we have more confidence and will continue to support the show in the future.”
Mr Zhong Ke You, Service Department Manager
Launch Tech Co., Ltd.
“Our first experience at AMR has been overwhelmingly positive. We have met with our target customers including car painting buyers and dealers, and made many new connections with customers from Italy, Spain and the USA. To improve the industry technologies in colour change and repair, we have developed a new spray mask which comes in transparent and different colours. This new technology combines car care, film protection and paint elements together, which can greatly increase the quality and efficiency of the workshops. The show is a great way to find target customers for our products and market them in the repair and maintenance market.”
Mr Song Sheng Lai, Chairman
Liangdu (Shanghai) New Material Technology Co Ltd
“It is a very smart move to combine the local industry experience of Beijing Traders-Link with the international exposure of Messe Frankfurt. We are addicted to this fair because we can meet up with our business partners and dealers from all over China, as well as big chain stores and 4S shops who looking for new trends and products. It’s not easy for body shops to start business in big cities because of the pollution policies in China. To cope with that, we are offering a whole range of products with waterborne applications, which is a great chance to show our capabilities in the market. We also have a new tool to check a car’s colour accuracy in the paint booth, which I think will be very successful in China.”
Mr Albrecht Kruse, CEO
SATA Holding GmbH
“Everyone in the industry has recognised there’s fierce competition in the market, and transformation is critical for business to stay competitive. For example, automotive repair shops have to upgrade their service from traditional cars to new energy vehicles, as the sales volume has climbed up 137% in the past year. The show serves a purpose to facilitate industry integration by bringing more international resources and an exchange platform for local and international stakeholders. Like us, we are here to build up our network with 4S shops, repair shops and chain stores, and I am happy to engage in a potential partnership with Toyota.”
Ms Wang Hai Xia, Managing Director
Shanghai Juxuan Auto Supplies Co Ltd
“AMR surprises us every year, and we can see that in 2018, there are even more overseas buyers on the show floor. It’s a good place to extend our client base with the international market and present our new products, because it is very influential in the aftermarket sector and attracts highly relevant industry players. To accommodate for the changing aftermarket landscape in China, we have to provide not only products, but also a customised service to keep ahead with the evolving standards of chain stores. A show as influential as AMR allows us to do this effectively, whilst also increasing our brand’s competitiveness in the market.”
Mr Feng Li Bin, Regional Manager
Snap-on Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd
“AMR is a show that we can't miss every year. It is also the most relevant annual industry event for production enterprises, channel distributors and end users. This year, the show features auto accessories, body maintenance, oil and other new products, many of which match what we are promoting. A lot of cross sector exhibitors have come to our booth to seek cooperation during the show, which has completely overwhelmed us and also reflected the show truly promotes industrial chain integration. We also received positive response from distributors and end users to our new products at our booth too. We will return to the show in 2019, and we hope to continue enjoying a successful business platform at AMR.”
Mr Zhang Yun Kun, General Manager
Zhongshan Eagle-fly Electrical Appliance
Trade association and buyer comments
“I have been visiting the show many times and this year I have seen something different. The booths are bigger with better decorations, and there are more international faces. Messe Frankfurt is very experienced in the international market, and AMR is specialised in the Chinese market. This combination will make the show even more powerful in future editions. Besides this, the show layout is very well organised which makes it easy to find the right suppliers. It’s important for me to come every year because most of my important partners and suppliers are here, such as Launch and J&F. Instead of visiting them in their factories, I can see them together in one place to discover their latest products.”
Mr Chady H Abdo, Managing Partner
CAS Canada Auto Solutions Inc
“The show offers a comprehensive range of repair equipment and tools and car wash, paint booths, electroplating machines, wheels, tyres and more. Every time we come, we are able to see new things and products that are suitable for our market and improve our work efficiency. This year is no exception and some of our members have even made orders onsite.”
Dato’ Too Peng Huat, President
The Federation of Automobile Workshop Owners’ Association of Malaysia
“Today, I have made orders for automotive transmission fluid exchangers, brake disassembly tools and air conditioning cleaning products. Apart from sourcing, I have noticed three product trends at AMR this year. There are more environmentally friendly products, new portable lifts and new generation diagnostic equipment. I’m sure the show will have even more cutting edge technologies and solutions in the future with the cooperation between Messe Frankfurt and Traders-Link Beijing. We have also attended the concurrent events that help us know more about the government policies related to our industry and the future development of the repair and inspection business.”
Mr Jin He Zhang, General Manager
Dezhou Dezhong Car Maintenance Center
Fringe event comments
“I believe the summit today has brought eminent value to the industry by sharing the benefits of data management and block chains. After rounds of engaging discussions, the attendees have come up with many new ways of improving business and production efficiency. With the inclusion of Messe Frankfurt at the show, I look forward to utilising their global expertise and expanding our summit into other parts of the world.”
Mr Handson Yang, Executive Deputy Director & General Secretary
The China Automotive Maintenance Equipment Industry Association and the Informatization Working Committee (speaker at the “Huanyue 5S” Aftermarket Empowerment: Summit for Internet+, Technology and Finance)
“Mechanics are like the doctor of cars. They need good inspection technics to diagnose the vehicles. This event offers a good opportunity for participants to upgrade their inspection ability. A training session was arranged for them before entering to the finals. There’s no better place than AMR to host such national event as it is the leading trade fair of the sector. Through this platform, industry players can improve their technical knowledge and learn the latest diagnosis equipment on offer.”
Mr Kan You Bo, Secretary General and Chairman of Panel of Judges
Host of the 3rd Edition of the National Finals of Automotive Mechanics
Automotive Maintenance & Repair Expo 2018 was held from 1 – 4 April at the New China International Exhibition Centre (NCIEC) in Beijing. The next edition will be held from 21 – 24 March 2019. For more information, visit www.amr-china.cn or email sara.qin@china.messefrankfurt.com.
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Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. With more than 2,500* employees at some 30 locations, the company generates annual sales of around €661* million. Thanks to its far-reaching ties with the relevant sectors and to its international sales network, the Group looks after the business interests of its customers effectively. A comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services.With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent). *preliminary numbers 2017
For more information, please visit our website at:
www.messefrankfurt.com | www.congressfrankfurt.de | www.festhalle.de
Download
- AMR18 Final Report (pdf, 241 KB)