This year’s 25thAutomechanika Frankfurt trade fair for the automotive aftermarket, which took place in Germany from September 11-15, had a great deal to offer for truck, van, bus, and trailer operators as well as for service providers to this segment of the motor industry.
More than 1 000 companies showcased products on stands displaying the orange Truck Competence logo, while this year’s event featured the first Truck Competence Symposium as well as discussion panels and training workshops for commercial vehicle professionals.
The symposium, themed “Trends in Commercial Vehicle Service”, focussed on electromobility and digitisation. It also featured presentations and discussion groups looking at the challenges faced by commercial vehicle service centres, particularly in Europe, where massive changes in hardware as well as operating systems are taking place rapidly. Connectivity between vehicles and service providers was also explored in depth.
In addition, training workshops for commercial vehicle professionals were organised all day on each of the five days of the show. Here the focus was on: “Dealing with sensor and camera-based driver assistance systems in everyday workshop life.”
“Automechanika Frankfurt has responded to the growing importance of the commercial vehicle market for workshops and replacement parts dealers by continuing to grow and widen the scope of its support programme for this market segment,” explained Olaf Musshoff, Director of Automechanika.
An increasing number of digital technologies and intelligent and networked systems are being used already in commercial vehicles, as well as in servicing these vehicles. It is a trend that was reflected in the products and innovations on display from Truck Competence exhibitors at the recent Automechanika in Frankfurt. Already there are smartphone and tablet apps for training and providing instructions for servicing and repairing commercial vehicles, as well as the online ordering of replacement and service parts.
