Industry
Philippe Colpron, Head of ZF Aftermarket, Executive Vice President ZF Friedrichshafen AG
Automechanika is a unique place to connect with local partners from all around the world who enable mobility uptime and drive the future of the aftermarket industry. It’s an invaluable platform where we bridge today’s needs with tomorrow’s innovations. We’re excited to participate in this global event and use it to showcase how we continue to reinforce our portfolio, digitize the ecosystem, maintain and build trusted partnerships. These connections allow us to deliver solutions that not only keep vehicles on the road but also prepare the industry for the challenges ahead. For ZF Aftermarket, Automechanika is about empowering our partners with the tools and technologies needed to ensure long-term mobility Uptime.
Enno Straten, Head of Automotive Aftermarket Business Segment, Continental
This year's Automechanika has impressively demonstrated how flexibly and quickly the industry is responding to the many challenges it faces - be it in terms of sustainability, digitalisation or alternative drive systems. In the many discussions I have had, I have experienced optimism above all - and with it the willingness to break new ground. That makes me confident about the future of the aftermarket!
Maik Losleben, President GKAM, Sales & Marketing, Schaeffler Vehicle Lifetime Solutions
“The trade fair was a complete success and is simply essential for networking. Over the five days of the fair, we met all of our key suppliers and global customers. The great thing about Automechanika is that we can present ourselves holistically and show how we are tackling the issue of transformation for our customers from the retail and workshop sectors.”
Frank Klaas, Vice President Communications, Geely Europe
“We are active in this market and this is where our development efforts are. Our development centre is located near Frankfurt, in Raunheim. In other words, we are developing new technologies in the market where we want to sell them. We want to be here so that we can explain what the Geely family stands for.”
Dr. Ralf C Kaiser, Head of Communications, BYD Automotive GmbH
“Here at Automechanika, we are not only showing the part of our product range that we sell in Germany, but are also showcasing our newest technologies that we will be offering in future. You could say that it provides people with a look ahead at the things they can expect from BYD.”
Michael Sun, CEO, Thinkcar Europe
“This is the first time that we have been at Automechanika Frankfurt, and I believe that we are the first company that is introducing AI to the diagnostics sector. We have had excellent talks, and we have taken advantage of the chance to present our new strategy. This has been a great start for our brand and for the future of our company.”
Frank Schlehuber, Senior Advisor CLEPA, The European Association of Automotive Suppliers
"The new area, the Sustainability Court, has been very well received. There is a lot of interest in the topic of sustainability, e.g. repair companies that are active in the field of battery maintenance. As the newly founded FAAS association, we were able to make valuable new contacts here. We are counting on more active members to develop, discuss and implement ideas for greater sustainability in the repair and service business.”
Theres Gosztonyi, Vice President Aftermarket EMEA, Clarios (VARTA Automotive Low-Voltage Batteries)
“The trade fair was a complete success for us. We were in dialogue with our customers from morning to night. It is always surprising for us where our customers come from to visit us here in Frankfurt: In addition to Germany and Europe, customers also come from Tanzania, South Africa, Moldova and Georgia. Against this backdrop, Automechanika is an important platform for us to exchange ideas with existing and new customers on current topics relating to 12-volt batteries for vehicles.”
Workshop
Prof. Dr. Benedikt Maier, Managing Director of Zukunftswerkstatt 4.0 (Future Workshop 4.0) and Deputy Director of the IfA
“At the Automechanika, ZDK and Zukunftswerkstatt 4.0 joint stand, we took a look ahead and demonstrated what tomorrow's workshops may look like in actual practice. There was a huge level of interest from trade visitors, who were extremely curious about the innovations on display here. For five days people were at our stand, putting innovations to the test, trying them out and talking about them. Automechanika 2024 emphasised the great importance of physical trade fairs. Especially in times of numerous, far-reaching and highly dynamic changes, networks are extremely valuable vehicles - companies are dependent on cooperation.”
Peter Börner, Member of the Board of EUROGARANT AutoService AG, is pleased with the first official ‘Fleet and Insurance Day’ at the trade fair:
“One of the goals of this event was to show fleet managers what modern repairs should look like, from the cost estimate right through to the final top coat, live and in person at the exhibiting companies’ stands. Another was to offer the claims managers at insurance companies a look at the latest developments in the field of automotive engineering and vehicle electronics. Finally, both groups got together at the ZKF joint stand to share their ideas and experiences. It is already clear that we will be significantly expanding our efforts two years from now, in order to provide fleet managers at Automechanika with another one-of-a-kind programme.”
Jari Pfander, Head of Marketing & Communication, SATA
“Automechanika 2024 was a great success for us! We had many fruitful discussions with partners, dealers and customers and were able to present our new products in the areas of paint spray guns, respiratory protection and cup systems. We were particularly pleased to see the return of the paint industry to the show, which opened up new perspectives and valuable contacts for us. A big thank you to everyone who took part for their enthusiastic involvement and the inspiring discussions.”
Jérôme Zamblera, PPG Vice President EMEA Automotive Refinish
"We are thrilled to announce that our participation at Automechanika 2024 was a tremendous success. It was an honour to win the prestigious Innovation Award for our digital ecosystem PPG LINQ, a testament to our commitment to innovation and excellence in solutions that support our valued customers in the profitability, efficiency, and sustainable success of their business. The event provided also us with a valuable opportunity to engage with customers from around the globe, strengthening relationships and gaining insights to further enhance our offerings. We look forward to building on this momentum in the coming months."
Detlef Peter Grün, Federal Guild Master of the Automotive Trade and Vice President of the German Federation for Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK)
“The trade fair has been even more successful than I had hoped. I've talked with trainers, exhibitors, association staff and visitors, and everyone has been extremely enthusiastic. No matter where I went, I kept hearing the same thing: ‘This is the best Automechanika ever!’ I am certain that Automechanika shows the way forward for B2B fairs for the automotive industry. Another thing I liked about the event was the fact that Chinese automotive manufacturers exhibited here for the first time. The future looks bright!”
Siegbert Müller, Sales Director / CSO, CARBON GmbH
“Automechanika Frankfurt was a complete success yet again. The highlight for us was the presentation with race car driver Ben Dörr on the stage in Hall 11.1. Together we were able to make it clear just how important it is to bring in talented young people to the trade. It is the way to safeguard the future of our industry.”
Zoe Ghilardi, Marketing Communications Manager, Saicozero
“We are very happy with our exhibition at Automechanika Frankfurt this year. Having the first fully functional spray booth with live painting exhibitions at the fair was so much fun. It’s been a real pleasure for us to work with all of the people that have been participating in the live painting shows and to show-case our spray booth in action.”
Günter Hiermaier, Managing Director, LIQUI MOLY GmbH
“The move to Messe Frankfurt’s flagship – Hall 12 – was a success, because car care and lubricant manufacturers have once again been brought together under the same roof. They belong together, because both are about maintaining vehicles’ value – visually and mechanically. We are delighted by the move, because LIQUI MOLY is the only broad-based provider able to offer visitors products and services from both of these areas – everything from a single source. The Academy Stage in the same exhibition hall was also a success: presentations on additives and the latest developments with ACEA approvals drew a great response, as did the business talk with the new addition to our team of Managing Directors, Salvatore Coniglio. And having everything located in close proximity in Hall 12 was good for our colleagues.”
Thomas Aukamm, Hauptgeschäftsführer, German Association for Motor Trades and Repairs
“The Automechanika is back! While the market for new vehicles is in crisis, the trade fair in 2024 shows that the international after-sales market is more lively and attractive than ever before. With a true firework display of perfectly organised events, this event creates emotionality and once again asserts itself as the unassailable top leading global trade fair in its sector."
Jürgen Book, Senior Advisor of the Automechanika Classic Car Network
“The B2B network at Automechanika is picking up speed. We have found a gap to make this segment more visible for exhibitors. We had many participants from the classic car scene who were positively surprised by Automechanika and welcome the idea of an international classic car network.”
Nadine Girschewski, Chief Communication and Marketing Officer Koch-Chemie GmbH
“Automechanika 2024 provided the perfect platform for Koch-Chemie and Colourlock to present the fusion of the brands and many new products. The many discussions with the qualified trade visitors over all days of the trade fair make us positive that the trade fair will strengthen our growth and market position.”
Raphael Dammann, Head of Sales Strategy at DAT
“The car scanner at the DAT stand was a real crowd-puller for the numerous trade visitors and the many hundreds of trainees who came to see us. The scanner is one of several ways of professionally recording damage. The special feature here is that high-resolution cameras document the entire outer skin of the vehicle as it is driven through, and the DAT software then not only recognises the damage on these images thanks to artificial intelligence, but also assigns it to the appropriate areas and all affected parts. From this, the DAT software then automatically creates a damage calculation.”
Manuela Wörle, Head of Marketing | Communication Otto Christ AG
“Otto Christ AG can look back on a successful trade fair appearance at Automechanika 2024. Our innovations and products were very well received and aroused the interest of many visitors and customers. We appreciate the valuable contacts with industry experts, potential business partners and existing customers from all over the world. The trade fair offers us an ideal platform to tap into new markets and further expand our international presence. Personal dialogue with local players remains a central component of our corporate strategy. We would like to thank everyone who visited our stand and look forward to further strengthening the connections we made at the trade fair.”
Michael Schäfer, Strategic Sales & Key Account Manager Commercial, Axalta Coating Systems Germany GmbH & Co. KG
“We are delighted with our successful presence at Automechanika Frankfurt 2024, which was the first Automechanika in a long time to have a clear focus on body and paint. It provided the perfect forum to showcase our latest innovations to an international audience: Axalta Nimbus, the advanced cloud-based platform for the bodyshop and Axalta Irus Scan, the next generation colourimeter. We also showcased Axalta Irus Mix, the world's fastest fully automated mixing system, non-paint offerings (Axalta Audurra) and the U-POL/Raptor range. Another focal point was our partnership with Solera as part of our BELEAF portfolio. In addition, our technical team presented 15 live paint jobs with Fast Cure Low Energy products and repair solutions for motorhomes in a paint booth from the manufacturer Saicozero. Many thanks to the trade fair team for the excellent organisation and to all visitors for the interesting discussions and positive feedback!”
Trade
Karin Weissenberger, Director of Commercial Operations for Parts & Accessories eBay Deutschland:
“We are delighted with the positive response to our trade fair presence at this year's Automechanika. Our eBay E-Commerce Networking Lounge was very well received by all visitors and offered the ideal opportunity for exciting discussions with manufacturers, brands, dealers and garages. Automechanika once again provided us with an excellent platform to deepen existing business relationships and establish new partnerships. As the No. 1 marketplace for vehicle parts and accessories, we look forward to capitalising on this momentum and shaping the future of the aftermarket together with our partners.”
Dirk Scharmer, Managing Director, German Association of the Automotive Parts Trade
“Networking requires personal relationships, and Automechanika is the perfect place to cultivate them. I was particularly impressed this year by the fact that the industry is still growing and that innovative new products were presented.”
Fotios Katsardis, President & CEO, TEMOT International Autoparts GmbH
“It was an exciting week at Automechanika Frankfurt, witnessing its great success firsthand. The vibrant atmosphere and strong global participation reinforced its importance as a key industry gathering, especially during times of rapid changes. Automechanika continues to set the standard as the essential platform for the aftermarket to connect, collaborate, and advance our sector. My sincere congratulations to the entire Automechanika team for delivering an outstanding event!”
Ambition area for Gen Z
Wolfgang Weyand, Director Automechanika Special Events
“The area for the Gen Z target group was a great success. Gaming, simrigs, e-sports, hypercars, plus seminars and presentations with well-known speakers and top influencers from the automotive industry. AMBITION was the innovative hotspot for Gen Z,” says Wolfgang Weyand Director Special Events Automechanika. “Several content partners such as Eintracht Frankfurt, the congress organiser Copetri, the Myle car festival, ECON and HOLM contributed greatly to the success of the content section. Communication for this new format took place almost exclusively via social media; the most successful real on TikTok has 1 million views. In the evening, the programme seamlessly transitioned into a party atmosphere in the visually and technically very appealing venue. One highlight was the show by US hip-hopper ‘Rich The Kid’ on Thursday evening, which attracted over 1,000 young people to the AMBITION area.”