Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

Tianjin, 3 April 2024. The Auto Maintenance and Repair Expo (AMR) concluded on 23 March 2024 at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin). This chapter in the show’s long history saw an increase of participation compared to the previous year, with strong results in terms of the exhibition area, and number of exhibitors and visitors. The show also had a significant surge of internationalism with industry players from 46 countries and regions gathering to explore hot topics around innovation, green development, new energy vehicles, connectivity, as well as talent naturing. With a wide range of fringe programmes, product and technology showcases in repair and maintenance, diagnostics, parts and components and coating, AMR 2024 received wide acclaim from attendees across the board.

Key figures from AMR 2024:

• Visitor profile: 45,616 visits (18 percent increase) from 46 countries and regions (doubling from the last edition)

Top ten overseas countries and regions include South Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Albania, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, India, and Brazil (descending order)

• Exhibitors: 1,061 from 10 countries and regions (61 percent increase)
  Including China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Spain, Taiwan, the UK and the US
• Scale: 100,000 sqm (25 percent increase)
• 33 fringe events

Rooted in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jing-jin-ji) region for 40 years, AMR’s commitment to establishing an international platform for information exchange, business cooperation and education was clearly evident throughout the four-day show. In fact, it expanded the Repair and Maintenance and Parts and Components sectors to accommodate the increase of exhibitors, while the comprehensive range of zones emphasised a number of global industry trends, national guidelines, and needs in the automotive aftermarket for innovation and a greener future.

As the mainstay sector of AMR, Repair and Maintenance converged leading brands from around the world. With a booth in the sector, Mr Jacky Li, Vice President of Corwei (Yingkou) Industrial Co Ltd, said: “This year, we brought smart manufacturing products with Italian technology patents and maintenance equipment for new energy vehicles to the show. We welcomed customers from all over the world, including Chinese buyers and overseas customers from Europe, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, as well as new customers from Africa. Our distributors and customers expressed high praise about the fair, which opened up more business channels for us.”

AMR 2024 built upon the amount of exhibition space in Parts and Components, offering an even more comprehensive range of product showcases. The sector welcomed Danaher Auto Spare Parts Co Ltd, a key Chinese manufacturer of spare parts. Mr Emmett Yang, Director of the company, expressed: “Tianjin is an important manufacturing and distribution hub for automotive components in China. Leveraging geographical advantages, AMR’s platform has facilitated our expansion in the North China market, as we can showcase products and promote our brands in the region.”

In conjunction with the 10^th anniversary of inaugurating the Jing-jin-ji region, the new Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Manufacturing zone highlighted the local advantages as an automotive production site, gathering enterprises in OEM and core components. As a loyal exhibitor at AMR, Faret Auto Radiator (Tianjin) Ltd was a prominent exhibitor at this zone. The General Manager, Mr Zhuo Lei, said: “We participate in AMR almost every year to highlight our products and promote our brand. The fair provides an opportunity for us to reconnect with old friends, make new business connections, and strengthen partnerships. We also hope to expand into broader global markets as an upswing of the show’s international influence.”

To foster the high-quality development of the automotive industry and address the talent demand, AMR featured an Industry and Education Integration zone, supporting the communication and cooperation between vocational institutions and enterprises. The zone offered several co-related conferences and forums to elaborate on the country’s direction. Ms Zhiqing Miao, Director of the Integration of Industry and Education at the China Automotive Maintenance Equipment Industry Association, was a speaker at the 2^ndIndustry and Education Integration Vocational Education Forum, a well-received fringe event held in this zone. She explained: “We hope to promote the interrelation of industry and education through AMR, a leading platform in China’s automotive repair and maintenance industry. It provided a stage for some 20 vocational institutions to exhibit. The combination of showcases and forums helped to address the demand for talent within the industry and to advance the transportation sector in China.”

Spotlighting some of the biggest global trends, the Green Repair & New Energy zone saw the widely-praised National Vocational Skills Competition 2024 held at the area. It was initiated by the China Automotive Maintenance Equipment Industry Association (CAMEIA) and 11 municipal industry associations. Emphasising safety, green protection, energy-saving and efficiency, it featured two single contests named the New Energy Vehicle Repairer and the Vehicle Paint Finishing. They brought together 80 contestants from across China, with two winners for the first prize, four taking second prize and 10 holding third prize. In addition, the zone also showcased spray booths, spray guns, paint robots, and other green repair technologies and equipment, new energy vehicle maintenance products and diagnostic toolkits, as well as battery technology.

Additionally, AMR offered a gateway for international trade and cooperation, converging overseas exhibitors with products from around the world. One key exhibitor from abroad was MAHA Maschinenbau Haldenwang GmbH & Co KG based in Germany. Mr Michael Amann, Managing Director of MAHA, said: “The event is an excellent platform for networking, finding business partners, and engaging with other industry players to discuss the industry’s future. After the past few years of disruption, it is vital for us to reconnect with partners face-to-face. China’s vast economy makes it a crucial market for us. The show has been very promising, and I am looking forward to participating in future editions as well.”

The internationalism was also reflected in the professional buyers travelling to Tainjin to visit the show and explore business opportunities. A professional buyer from Malaysia, Mr Daryl Yap, General Manager of UNIPAC Engineering (M) Sdn Bhd, commented: “This is my first time visiting AMR and I am very impressed by the scale of the show. It provides an ideal meeting point for us to see our partners from Germany and learn more about Chinese suppliers. So far, we have managed to identify a number of manufacturers that we would like to follow up with after the fair concludes. In addition, the Green Repair & New Energy zone was very attractive and I hope to look for EV repair solutions like battery-related equipment here.”

In terms of domestic buyers, Zhejiang Automobile Service Association organised a buyer delegation from Zhejiang. Mr Weimin Hu, Vice President of the association, said: “As a well-established aftermarket platform in the Jing-jin-ji region, AMR is an annual must-attend event. This is the fourth time I have visited and this time, our delegation is looking to procure diagnostic products and learn about the developments on servicing new energy vehicles. We are pleased to having identified and connected with a number of exhibitors during our visit.”

Elsewhere, the exhibition saw 33 fringe events take place concurrently, providing audiences with valuable experiences. Amongst them, The 6^th International Automotive Aftermarket Conference was a major highlight of the fringe programme that brought industry experts, scholars, top executives of leading companies, and industry associations together to discuss and analyse transformations in the aftermarket, as well as a variety of trends across China and overseas. Speakers also debated the development of new energy and independent after-sales services, raising motivation to promote the high-quality development of the automotive industry.

As the conference co-organisers and speaker, Mr David Dai, Founder of Magic Cube, shared his opinion on the industry: “Facing the changes in the automotive aftermarket, companies should take advantage of the resources at trade shows to learn about the trends in the market to find their own positioning, streamline their operations, and face challenges with a positive attitude.”

Overall, exhibitors and visitors praised the show’s efforts to establish an efficient trade platform for the automotive aftermarket.

In terms of the industry’s future, Mr Shuiping Wang, President of the China Automotive Maintenance Equipment Industry Association, said: “The automotive aftermarket will need to continue strengthening technological innovation by embracing sustainable smart manufacturing and the rise of emerging companies. Next year, we look forward to seeing more innovative achievements around the fairground.”

Commenting on the prospect of the show, Mr Yanhua Zhang, President of China Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association, expressed: “As a leading event in the automotive aftermarket, AMR endeavours to make strong contributions to the industry’s quality upgrade by promoting electrification, digitalisation, and green development.”

The Auto Maintenance and Repair Expo (AMR) is co-organised by China Automotive Maintenance Equipment Industry Association (CAMEIA), China Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association (CAMRA), Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd and China National Machinery Industry International Co Ltd (Sinomachint). The fair is one of the some 40 global events under Messe Frankfurt’s Mobility and Logistics sector.

The next edition of AMR will return in the spring of 2025, with details to be announced in due course. Please contact Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd at + 86 400 613 8585, visit www.amr-china.cn or email [email protected] for further enquiries.

– End –