As the 3rd largest fair of the automotive industry after Frankfurt and Shanghai, Automechanika Istanbul will be held for the 12th time this year. We had a chat with Tayfun Yardım, Messe Frankfurt Istanbul Genral Manager, and Alexander Kühnel, Hannover Fairs Turkey General Manager, and learned important things about the fair which will have a special section on lubricants.
Let’s begin with your comments and evaluation on the worldwide known Automechanika from the past to the present?
TY: Automechanika Istanbul is one of the greatest and most successful fair organizations of the automotive industry across the world. Having organized 16 fairs in 15 countries, Automechanika is the leading fair of the automotive sector. Automechanika Istanbul has drawn great interest and demand from local and foreign firms in recent years, and this interest has made it the third largest fair of the automotive industry after Frankfurt and Shanghai. Automechanika Istanbul is the most popular fair of the automotive sector in the Eurasia region. Organized by Messe Frankfurt Istanbul and Hannover Fairs Turkey, the fair has another importance: the cooperation between two German companies.
We held a very fruitful event last year during Automechanika Istanbul. We hosted procurement committees from many countries such as Germany, Czech Republic, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Morocco, Pakistan, Spain, Taiwan, France and South Korea. Automechanika Istanbul became one of the most important international fairs in Turkey not only for participants but also in terms of the number of visitors from 110 countries.
Automechanika Istanbul, which will be held for the 12th time in Turkey this year, continues to grow even further every year with the number of national and international participants and visitors. We have also grown in terms of capacity and area. The exhibition area increased from 34 thousand 800 square meters in 2014 to 40 thousand 500 square meters in 2017. As the exhibition area is located at an intersection point for Europe, Middle East and Central Asia, it gathers all sector professionals from the automotive world.
How is it to take the responsibility of being the Turkey representative of such a big brand?
AK: The automotive industry is one of the “locomotive” sectors in Turkish economy. It brings together the largest exporters of the country and represents one of the leading investing industries. For foreign investors Turkish automotive industry is not just a temporary investment opportunity, but they also want to turn it into a production hub for global markets. Large scale international car manufacturers in Turkey carry out their production with a focus on export. Also with the impact of the key industry, Turkey has become a major supplier for global markets in the automotive sub-industry and aftermarket sector. A record number of cars have been produced in recent years, and this has made Turkey one of the top five countries in Europe.
Considering this size and potential of Turkish automotive sector, we can now see more clearly our responsibility. This is a very huge responsibility and requires great commitment to be the organizatör of Automechanika İstanbul, one of the largest automotive fairs of the world, in a country like Turkey, which is highly successful in production. We are very glad to be a part of this success. With Automechanika İstanbul, we are realizing an assertive event that will fit Turkey’s strength.
You appeal to more and more people from the automotive industry every year. What are your expectations and goals for this year’s fair?
AK: International expertise for dynamic markets is a success criterion for each Automechanika Fair. By attracting around 44 thousand visitors from more than 110 countries to last year’s fair, we gladly did our part to contribute to Turkey’s quest to reach economy goals. Additionally, we hosted 1217 participants from 33 countries in 2017.
Having been organized for 12 years, Automechanika İstanbul fair is reevaluated every year on the basis of the demands and expectations of the sector, and renewed so as to ideally meet the needs. With this vision, we are aiming to make maximum contribution to the sector and the national economy by gathering new participants, new countries and new product groups in İstanbul -Turkey’s center of finance and commerce- by holding the Automechanika İstanbul fair on April 5-8, 2018 at TÜYAP.
Automechanika İstanbul has proved its success about parts and systems. However, we included new product groups with our “Everything about automotive” motto, and it is a source of joy for us to see the development of these areas every year. This year, we will offer the special sections of Repair and Maintenance, Alternative Driving Systems (e-mobility), Tyre&Rim (Reifen simultaneous fair), Battery, Car Wash, Accessories and Customizing, Lubricant.
Moreover, we will once again hold the Procurement Committee Program with the support of the Ministry of Economy and Uludağ Automotive Industry Exporters’ Association. We will host procurement committees from Europe, Middle East and Africa regions; participating firms will come together with international buyers and have the opportunity to make new business deals.
Can you tell us about Automechanika Academy, E-mobility and other projects?
TY: Automechanika İstanbul offers great opportunities to participants for import, export and new business deals. In this vein, we organize Automechanika İstanbul not only as a trade fair but also as a huge event that hosts many simultaneous events, additional programs and special promotions.
Within the scope of Automechanika Academy, we hold seminars, workshops and events. Automechanika Academy consists of high-standard conference sessions with expert speakers. In this manner, we bring together participants from large scale regional and national automotive manufacturers, and focus on the sector’s future with various seminars, workshops and events. Automechanika Academy is organized with the support of TAYSAD, OSS, AKÜDER, TOBFED and TEHAD, and every year we aim to increase Automechanika İstanbul’s contribution to the sector by developing the Academy’s content every year.
Last year we organized E-Mobility and Future’s Technologies special exhibition and forum areas for the first time, and they attracted great attention. At this year’s E-Mobility forum, both participating firms and visitors will have a chance to see all developments and innovations in the sector. In the forum area, there will be exhibitions on the suppliers and new entrepreneurs in the automotive key industry, alternative driving systems, autonomous driving, fleet management of the future, smart charging stations, data management, and alternative fuel technologies.
Please enlighten us about your special section on Lubricants.
AK: As an important sector with a high added value in Turkey, lubricant is a very special area for us. The production and consumption volumes are increasing in this sector every year. This uptrend clearly indicates the potential of the sector.
The special section on lubricants will consist of fuel and lubricants, facilities, equipment, auxiliary materials, consumable materials, and recycling product groups.
Why should lubricant blenders or suppliers participate in this fair?
AK: Lubricants sector is important for Turkey to generate an income from petroleum. In recent years, major investments have been made in this field and Turkish blenders started to export their products from world class blending plants to many countries in the world, particularly to Europe. Turkish lubricant sector’s taking a part in Automechanika İstanbul –one of the largest automotive fairs in the world- is highly important for showing its potential to the entire world.
For the lubricants section, many procurement committees will visit the fair. Here we will search for new ways of cooperation. We especially observe that European countries are very interested in Turkish lubricants sector and open to new collaborations. We believe Turkish lubricants sector’ participation to Automechanika İstanbul fair with their world class products is very precious both for the sector and Turkey.
What are your long-term objectives for the special section on lubricants at the domestic and international level?
TY: Our objective for the special section on lubricants at Automechanika Istanbul is to provide added value to the sector. Turkish lubricants sector aims to make Turkey a production hub for Europe and Middle with new investments and cooperation with universities and civil society. Particularly, diversification of R&D supported products increases the confidence in national production. Lubricants sector’s growth means development and growth in many sectors from packaging to transportation, and also new employment opportunities. In this regard, we will continue to take new steps for the development and growth of the sector in domestic and foreign fairs, to look for new cooperation opportunities, and to represent the sector at the international level.
