Digitisation and ‘Greener World’ needs transforming customer experience
Dubai, UAE: Automechnika Dubai, the Middle East’s largest international trade show for the automotive aftermarket industry, which runs at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) until Thursday (December 16), was officially opened today by His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) & Commissioner General for Infrastructure, Urban Planning and Well-Being.
Lifting the hood on a rapidly transforming and maturing sector where digitization is the new driver, the 18th edition of the show, organised by Messe Frankfurt Middle East, has exhibitors from 47 countries and 12 national pavilions all demonstrating just how far the sector has come in its technological transformation and signaling more change ahead.
“Technology advances are impacting all segments of the industry and are in evidence across all the show’s six sectors,” explained Mahmut Gazi Bilikozen, Show Director of Automechanika Dubai.
“This represents a seismic shift in the regional industry, which is advancing rapidly in terms of service provision, product innovation and professional standards. This is an industry which has now come of age.
“Compared to 2019, we have seen a 40 per cent increase in senior management and an 18 per cent increase in procurement and purchasing personnel pre-registering for the show – another signal of increased business activity and interest in finding new partners,” added Bilikozen. “Visitors have also pre-registered from 143 countries, so we’re expecting plenty of activity over the next three days.
Spread across eight DWTC halls, Automechanika Dubai features six sectors: tires & batteries; car wash, care & reconditioning, repair & maintenance; parts & components; electronics &systems as well as accessories & customization.
For the first time, the show will feature a comprehensive awards ceremony recognising excellence in products, services, personnel and training within the regional industry and a Tools & Skills Challenge - an action-packed live stage where workshop specialists can demonstrate their skills in tire changing, tire mounting and smart dent removal.
A Greener industry
The scale of transformation impacting the sector has been summed up by Romanian show newcomer Wemzer Industries, which says the sector is now increasingly aware of its need to contribute to global ‘greener world’ endeavors.
With Wemzer now producing OEM specified standard ceramic and carbon-free products, the company’s Managing Director Amin Uz Zaman identified additive manufacturing, remanufacturing, e-commerce, hybrid / electric drive trains and mobility as a service as the new sector drivers.
“The automotive aftermarket is undergoing big disruption,” he said. “With electrification and digitisation driving change, we are reshaping the way customers, automotive suppliers, and industry stakeholders think of cars and driving and how business in the automotive aftermarket is conducted and value is created.”
The massive penetration of internet connections and smartphones has driven the customer’s expectation for a seamless, comfortable, and most importantly a transparent shopping experience. The automotive industry was probably delayed in embracing this transformation, but the pandemic accelerated the process and now we are witnessing a massive digitization of the industry.”
Unprecedented growth expected
Despite setbacks due to the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic, Wemzer Industries believes the aftermarket is poised for unprecedented growth.
“There may be challenges related to supply chain, but we have positive indications for economic recovery across our target markets. The automotive aftermarket revenue is anticipated to record US$ 800 billion by 2027, according to the most recent study by Global Market Insights Inc. It is a well-known fact that the global automotive industry is dynamically expanding,” said Zaman.
“Digitalisation has recently taken an exponential pace. There are certainly dimensions that are yet to be revealed. It is a revolutionary transformation of the business and its value chain, requiring the integration of new layers and partnerships with new enablers to complete the transformation that goes beyond offering a seamless omnichannel shopping experience.”
And with industry analysts forecasting the GCC’s automotive parts retail revenue will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.8% to US$6.84 billion in 2025, there’s much at stake for industry players facing greater than ever competition.
Keys to success are being outlined at the Automechanika Dubai Academy where experts are probing the industry’s region outlook, the impact of electrification within the GCC, digital trends, sector diversification and fourth industrial revolution outcomes.
More information is available at www.automechanikadubai.com
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Background information on Messe Frankfurt
The Messe Frankfurt Group is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. The Group employs approximately 2,300* people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 30 subsidiaries around the world. In 2021, the company had to contend with the challenges posed by the pandemic for the second consecutive year. Annual sales will be approximately €140* million after having been as high as €736 million in 2019 before the pandemic. Even in difficult times caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we are globally networked with our industry sectors. We serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of the Group’s key USPs is its closely knit global sales network, which extends throughout the world. Our 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. We are expanding our digital expertise with new business models. 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).
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
* Preliminary figures for 2021
About Messe Frankfurt Middle East
Messe Frankfurt Middle East’s portfolio of 16 exhibitions includes Automechanika Dubai, Automechanika Riyadh, Beautyworld Middle East, Beautyworld Saudi Arabia, Hardware + Tools Middle East, Hypermotion Dubai, Intersec, Intersec Saudi Arabia, Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East, Light Middle East, Materials Handling Middle East, Materials Handling Saudi Arabia, Middle East Cleaning Technology Week, Paperworld Middle East, Prolight + Sound Middle East, and SPS Automation Middle East. The subsidiary also organises a series of conferences and seminars including Digital Next, Think Light, and the International Conference on Future Mobility. For more information, please visit our website at www.messefrankfurtme.com