On Sept. 12, day three of Automechanika Frankfurt in Germany gave trade fair attendees the opportunity to start their day with a networking breakfast hosted by Talents4AA. The nonprofit organization is an industry initiative of the automotive aftermarket to attract and retain talent of all ages. Members include manufacturers, parts distributors, workshop networks and professional and educational organizations.
Also focused on attracting more people to the industry is The Women Automotive Network, founded in 2019 and now 34,000 members strong. It organized a talk titled “How to attract and retain talent within the automotive industry.”
For those looking for new ways to connect with Gen Z, Automechanika Frankfurt show organizers encourage involvement in Ambition, an event format targeted to this group.
Mario Dimovski, director of circular and repair innovation at The Body Group.
“Ambition aims to address Generation Z emotionally and win them over as prospective customers, buyers and specialists,” said show organizers. “The new event format focuses on dialogue, addressing them at eye level and with a high-quality experience. The aim is to get the young generation excited about new technologies and give them ideas for their own professional future.”
Those interested can get involved in one of the theme worlds: Club Zone, Sport Zone, Recruiting Zone, Future Mobility Zone, Gaming Zone and Food Zone.
Industry educational sessions continued throughout the day and were held at the Sustainability Court, Innovation4Mobility, Detailing DIY areas, Diagnostics & Repair, Car Wash, Care & Detailing/Oils, Lubricants & Fuels, and Body & Paint.
As part of the day’s Body & Paint Academy presentation, Mario Dimovski, director of circular and repair innovation at The Body Group, shared insight on “Collision Repair Innovations & Industry Transformation.”
Michel Malik, left, BodyShop News International, moderated a Collision Talk panel discussion, “Innovations Reshaping Body Repair Forever.” Panelists included, second from left to right, Steven Simone, Celette; Ron Olsson, ProSpot; Andrew Tindall, INDASA; and Robert Snook, Business Success Global and IBIS.
Michel Malik, BodyShop News’ CEO and group publisher, moderated a Collision Talk panel discussion, “Innovations Reshaping Body Repair Forever.” Panelists included Ron Olsson, president of Pro Spot; Steven Simone international business development director at Celette; Robert Snook, owner of Business Success Global and moderator of the International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS); and Andrew Tindall, commercial director of INDASA.
At the Automechanika Global Booth, a lecture was held on new business opportunities in Central Asia, specifically Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The event provided data and analytics for participants to learn about the region’s growth potential.
Automechanika works with LogisticNetwork Consultants to organize “fight clubs” focused on “What does the future of the automotive aftermarket look like?” They explore the potential for optimization and possible solutions for tomorrow’s logistics and supply chains.
On Sept. 12, a “fight club” was held on the future of the supply chain in the automotive aftermarket with Dr. Paulina Prantl from the Working Group for Supply Chain Services at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and the KIRA avatar (AI with voice recognition). On Sept. 14, a representative of Gen Z will be meeting KIRA to share insight on career opportunities and activities in the supply chain.
The show continues through Sept. 14.
Stacey Phillips Ronak