Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Over 5,000 visitors attended the debut in Jeddah of Automechanika 2016 exhibition — the leading regional trade fair for the automotive industry. The 3-day event, which ended on Thursday, created an ideal platform for thousands of key decision makers to network with leading automotive aftermarket manufacturers and suppliers to discover latest products and innovations. The 15th edition of the exhibition was held at Jeddah Center for Forums and Events, organized by ACE events group in collaboration with Messe Frankfurt. Majority of exhibitors and trade visitors reported a large number of deals, business enquiries and leads generated over three days. With country pavilions from Turkey, Taiwan, India, USA, Italy and China, Automechanika Jeddah 2016 delivered the latest innovations and solutions in the fields of parts, systems, tuning, workshop equipment, bodywork & paintwork, car wash, IT & Management and the latest automobile services. Confirming the success of the event, Zahoor Siddique, Vice President of Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions (ACE), said "we are delighted to have concluded our first exhibition with Messe Frankfurt, to stage this prestigious international trade show for the automotive aftermarket in Saudi Arabia," He added that Automechanika Jeddah resulted in new product launches, partnerships, distribution agreements, and manufacturing facility announcements by leading global and local companies. Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East underlined the success of the event and said, "Being held in Saudi Arabia for the first time, the recently concluded Automechanika Jeddah was a success with great reviews from both buyers and exhibitors and reflects the opportunities for members of Automechanika." Mahmut Gazi, Show Director of Messe Frankfurt, told Saudi Gazette, "In spite of being a first edition, Automechanika has seen huge interest from the industry in the Kingdom and witnessed an overwhelming number of visitors. The response from exhibitors has been great and many of them are waiting to come back for the next edition already." He added that the market in Saudi Arabia is vast and the absence of railway logistics at the moment makes heavy dependence of on-road vehicles for businesses, which was a clear indication that this country has one of the biggest automotive markets in the Middle East with and an untapped opportunity to launch a platform for networking of industry experts. Mahmut told Saudi Gazette that through this initiative, they want to bring global standards, innovation and efficiency into the Kingdom's automotive aftermarket industry. "We're very happy with the response from end-users", said Mohamed Ahmad, Sales Representative of 3M, who were also launch partners of the event. "Within Saudi Arabia, this industry is modifying itself and bringing new innovations and technology. For example, our company, 3M is not just concerned with sales, but dedicated to train customers to use vehicles in an eco-friendly manner while saving time, cost and increasing efficiency. Mohamad Abdulrahim, General Manager of the Juffali Auto Parts Company (JAPCO), said many visitors from within and outside the Kingdom attended the exhibition, which was much needed in a thriving automotive market. "In Saudi Arabia, every year 700,000 units of vehicles are sold with over 8 million passenger cars and 200,000 commercial on the road at this time," he said. He forecasted that with the economic slowdown, the average age of purchased vehicles is expected to increase, which in turn will be profitable for aftermarket industry.
