Autopromotec, Day Two: business opportunities outside Europe

May 24, 2013

Autopromotec's second day of activity featured the the fourth IAAM13 Conference (previously known as the European Automotive Aftermarket Symposium).

The international automotive aftermarket event-within-an-event was supported by the industry's main national and European trade associations: AICA, ANFIA, AIRP, CLEPA, EGEA, FEDA, FederPneus and FIGIEFA. It focuses on providing companies and professionals operating in the aftersales an anticipation of trends and developments of the aftermarket sector in Europe and a number of strategic countries and groups of countries, such as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China).

BRIC countries do offer interesting opportunities: They now boast important car manufacturers, and will have to respond to the growth requirements of their aftermarket structures over the next decade by creating new distribution networks for spare parts and equipment. "The European expertise, along with the high technological value of its products, will then certainly represent a high added value to meet the requirements in such countries," say show organizers.

A number of speeches during IAAM13 addressed these issues.

* Giorgio Cometti, president of AICA (Italian Garage Equipment Manufacturers Association) emphasised the strategic importance of the event, which provides equipment manufacturers with new business opportunities.

* Moderator Joseph Frank, former aftermarket director of CLEPA, spoke on “The political Framework for the European Automotive Industry and CARS 2020,” which outlined future European policies for the automotive industry.

* François Passaga, president of GIPA, a firm that specializes in aftermarket surveys, talked about aftermarket trends in Brazil. According to Passaga, the number of vehicles in circulation, most of which are of the “flex-fuel” type, is constantly increasing, and so is the demand for maintenance services in the workshop -- with clear benefits for all players in the aftermarket.

* Pierre Fleck, CEO of Europart Holding, a European leader in the distribution of truck and bus spare parts, discussed his post-sales experience in Russia. He focused on successful strategies as well as on the mistakes that must be avoided when approaching such a highly-structured market. Fleck suggested that the key to business success in the Russian market is having a local partner who could help understand local sales dynamics.

* Wayne Xing of CBU China,a publishing house and business intelligence firm headquartered in Beijing, said China currently represents the largest automotive market in a developing country, which is likely to be heavily affected in the future by the dramatic traffic and pollution levels characterizing the Asian country. The speaker provided a number of suggestions on how to operate locally, suggesting the importance of collaborating with the government in industrial and commercial projects.

* Les Parfitt, representing the multinational business consulting firm TMG Advisory India, focused on Indian production, specifically on the industrial districts where car manufacturing is more developed and on how the component industry is benefiting from the growth of the car market. The vast majority of workshops in India are independent, even though their number is decreasing in favor of OEMs, he said. Parfitt concluded his talk by emphasizing the growing demand for aftermarket services in the country.

The 25 edition of Autopromotec, the nickname for the International Biennal Exhibition of Automotive Equipment and Aftermarket Products, will run from May 22-26, 2013, in Bologna, Italy. Attendance is expected to exceed 100,000 buyers, one-fifth of them international buyers.

For more information on the show, check out these links:

"Autopromotec, Day One: Speech! Speech!"

"Ready to go: the 25th biennial Autopromotec."

"U.S. aftermarket is focus of Autopromotec panel."

"Tour de force: Kenda sponsors cyclist."

"Federal will introduce Formoza AZ-01 in Italy."

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