New exhibitors, even more product innovation and a refreshing new exhibition concept are set to make this year’s Automechanika, the world’s biggest trade fair for garage equipment, spare parts and accessories, even more interesting for trade visitors.

Since the very first Automechanika in Frankfurt Repair & Maintenance has always been the core exhibition area of the show. It has acted as a kind of nucleus around which what is the world’s biggest trade fair for garage equipment and vehicle servicing has developed over the last 45 years from the foundation of Automechanika in 1971 until today.

Automechanika 2016 is the 24th edition of show. It runs from 13 to 17 September on the trade fair site in Frankfurt am Main and, as always, products and services for garage equipment, tools, paintwork or bodywork repair, recovery services, accident assistance or mobile services have a special part to play.

The fact that all the sector’s leading German federations are present in Frankfurt underlines the huge importance of the trade fair. These include the German Association for Motor Trades and Repairs (Zentralverband des deutschen Kraftfahrzeuggewerbes - ZDK) with its 38,500 dealership and garage members, the 3,500 members of the German Association for Bodywork and Vehicle Technology (Zentralverband Karosserie- und Fahrzeugtechnik e.V. - ZKF), the Federal Association of the Automotive Parts Trade (Gesamtverband Autoteile-Handel - GVA) as an industry association with around 180 companies trading in automotive parts, or the VREI Union of free aftermarket, which has 53 member companies from the parts industry. The Federal Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Automobile Service Equipment (Bundesverband der Hersteller und Importeure von Automobil-Service-Ausrüstungen e.V. - ASA) should also be mentioned. It has 100 members, the majority of which are small to medium-sized companies. Many of them exhibited at the first Automechanika back in 1971. Now, in 2016, they again embrace the opportunity to present their products and services to an international audience of trade visitors.

As the demand for products and services for air-conditioning systems, testing systems and conceptual support in the workshop increases, the response of Automechanika Frankfurt has been a systematic reconfiguration of the Hall layout. The focus has been on Halls 8 and 9 which have been traditionally an important centre of attraction for visitors from the garage trade. This year, to ensure higher quality in this area, the products on show in both these Halls will focus on the greatly increased range of products and services for all kinds of garage equipment and services provided by the sector’s well-known and established providers. Alongside all the garage equipment specialists - the majority of which are small to medium sized companies – who traditionally exhibit in Hall 8, trade visitors will also find global players from the spare parts industry, presenting special systems solutions for garage workshops.