Formex Industries attended the Automechanika automotive trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany. This massive event took place between Tuesday, 13 and Saturday, 17 September 2022 and highlighted the new technologies and innovations that will revolutionise the manufacturing sector and automotive trade.
Formex Industries commercial executive, Mihlali Sogoni, attended the international trade show which drew over 140 000 visitors the last time it was held. With thousands of professional exhibitors, Automechanika is one of the largest aftermarket automotive events in the world.
It covered the latest developments in manufacturing, tooling, services, tuning and equipment. In addition, Automechanika offered a variety of educational talks, workshops and training programmes for attendees. Formex’s presence at this event ensures that we remain on top of trends and developments in the global automotive manufacturing sphere.
Formex at Automechanika 2022
Automechanika was attended by representatives from automotive industries in hundreds of countries. By attending the event, Formex is hoping to get its name on an international stage and highlight the modern manufacturing solutions in-place in South Africa.
“We were there to get the Formex name recognised globally, to learn the latest automotive component trends and to identify future partnerships,” says Sogoni. “The future of mobility has given us another chance to catch up, as leading automotive nations are no longer so far ahead of us,” he adds.
The sheer volume of products on show was staggering. “One could build a complete vehicle or truck with all the parts that were there, then maintain, restore and customise it,” explains Sogoni. According to him, the entire area of the Automechanika show floor was about 12 times the size of the Cape Town International Convention centre (CTICC).
Trends and innovations at Automechanika
While the trade show covered an immense variety of automotive specialities, the trends and innovations component is perhaps the most interesting. This part of the event included workshops and talks hosted by global experts in their respective fields.
The themes for the trends and innovations component included new tech in mobility, parts and technology solutions, accessories and customisation, data and connectivity, as well as sustainable e-mobility in the future.
The daily programme was absolutely packed, with something of interest for all attendees. The event hosted seminars on 3D printing for automotive manufacturing, trends in supply chain management, remanufacturing demonstrations, automotive artworks and installations, a CEO breakfast and an e-commerce networking lounge.
At the CEO breakfast, the two keynote speakers this year were Mika Häkkinen and Mark Gallagher. Häkkinen is a two-time Formula 1 world champion, winning back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999 for McLaren-Mercedes. Similarly, Gallagher has been a leading Formula 1 executive for almost 30 years.
This breakfast presented a unique opportunity to meet face-to-face with respected leaders and association representatives from around the world. It allowed exclusive attendees to exchange opinions and ideas with one another and build new partnerships for future success.
While Automechanika trade shows happen in many countries, not just Germany, Formex is looking forward to attending the next event. It will help to increase awareness of the strong automotive manufacturing sector that the country has and allow Formex to solidify partnerships with more international brands. For more information about our components and products, please contact us today.
Formex Industries is a metal forming and assembly company that supplies a variety of complex products to the local automotive industry and the export market. The company is based in the Nelson Mandela Bay metropole, South Africa’s foremost region for automotive manufacturing and export.
Formex is a Level 2 B-BBEE supplier. The company is owned by Deneb Investments Limited – a subsidiary of Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited (HCI) – one of South Africa’s biggest true B-BBEE companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
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