A positive response from trade visitors and exhibitors, excellent business transactions and another extremely high level of international participation have all helped the 7th International Suppliers Fair (IZB) in Wolfsburg, which came to an end on Friday after three extremely busy and successful days, to confirm its position as a leading communication and business platform for the automotive supplier industry. The event organiser Wolfsburg AG recorded a total of 49,000 visitors to the event, which received an extremely positive response from its 776 exhibitors from 28 different nations, including this year’s partner countries Argentina and Brazil. The trade fair also welcomed delegations of top-class representatives from the fields of business and politics and from a variety of associations and organisations before closing its doors and looking back on another consistently positive experience as Europe’s leading showcase event for the automotive supplier industry.
“In comparison to the IZB 2010, this year's event saw another significant increase in the quality of the products exhibited and the internationality of the exhibitors and visitors", concluded Thomas Krause, a Member of the Board of Wolfsburg AG, in his summary of the trade fair on Friday. He also referred to the extremely large number of decision-makers from all over the world who were present at the event at supplier companies’ exhibition stands or as visitors to the IZB.
“The fact that eight of the world’s ten highest-volume automotive companies showcased their products and services here at the IZB is impressive evidence of the trade fair's importance for the automotive supplier industry”, added Stephan Böddeker, the IZB Project Manager at the company Wolfsburg AG, which organised the event. The trade fair location of Wolfsburg was an important or essential factor behind the decision of over 90 percent of exhibitors to attend the IZB. Three quarters of the exhibiting companies were even represented by members of their management teams who attended the event in person. Over 90 percent of the trade fair exhibitors are now returning home from the event with a good or excellent overall impression of the IZB. A fifth of the around 49,000 visitors that attended the event came from locations outside of Germany.
Dipl.-oec. Thomas Aurich, the Head of Corporate Communication at the company Delphi Deutschland GmbH stated that: "The IZB is an extremely important trade fair for our company. We feel right at home at the event as a supplier company and a partner of the Volkswagen Group and this cooperative setting has led us to set up a lounge at the IZB in order to provide a venue for important discussions, which sets our appearance at the IZB apart from our involvement in other trade fairs. The IZB TV team is attracting a lot of attention to our lounge and we are also using the interviews that we conduct with individuals such as our top South American managers in the lounge to underline the importance of the trade fair and its partner countries for our company.” As mentioned by Mr Aurich, the IZB TV studio was also located in the Delphi Lounge.
Enno Pflug, the Head of External Communications in the Interior Division at Continental, concluded that: "This year’s IZB again confirmed its growing importance as a trade fair that is specifically tailored to suit the needs and requirements of automotive supplier companies. The integration of internationally relevant topics in particular enables the event in Wolfsburg to provide significant added value and it also stands out by providing exhibitors with the opportunity to directly communicate with a specialist audience.”
The most important supplier companies in the automotive industry were also accompanied by representatives from virtually all major vehicle manufacturers, who came to Wolfsburg to find out more about the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry. Start-up companies also made the most of the opportunity to present themselves to the world at the IZB, for example the Israeli company Arilou Information Security Technologies Ltd., which presented its protection against cyber attacks as one of a total of 14 world premieres showcased at the event. In reference to Arilou’s involvement in the IZB, Ziv Levi, the CTO and founder of the company, stated that: “As a start-up company, we are aiming to use the IZB as an opportunity to establish the right contacts in order to work as a manufacturer and supplier of completely new security systems for the automotive industry in the future. The IZB is an interesting and well-organised trade fair that gives us the chance to improve our knowledge of the market and our rivals.”
Sustainable production, alternative engines and materials and ‘the networked vehicle’ were the central IZB topics discussed at the exhibition stands and at many of the forums and congresses accompanying this year’s event. The trade fair also featured an abundance of developments that demonstrated the innovative power of the automotive industry, for example car body and interior components made of renewable raw materials, lightweight supports that enable weight savings of up to 40 percent and new range extenders that are able to recharge electric vehicle batteries while they are being driven.
The IZB Partner Countries: Argentina and Brazil
The total of over 60 stands run by exhibitors from this year’s IZB partner countries, Argentina and Brazil, also welcomed a multitude of interesting discussions. Both of these nations are important growth markets with increasing incomes and a growing propensity to consume and therefore have a bright future ahead, in particular where the automotive industry is concerned. These excellent prospects were reflected by the high interest shown by European supplier companies in the framework conditions that apply to involvement in the South American market.
Cdr. Juan Manuel Becerra, the Commercial Manager of the company Industria del Plastico y Metallurgica Albano Cozzuol S. A., declared that: “I am extremely impressed by the size of the trade fair and its number of exhibitors and visitors. The IZB gives us the opportunity to further intensify our already excellent connections with our customer Volkswagen and to establish new contacts. We also want to draw attention to our company in Germany and prove that Argentinian supplier companies are by no means inferior to German companies.”
Dipl. Ing. MBA Jürgen F.W. Schwan, the European Sales & Marketing Director at the company WHB Foundry S.A., provided the following summary of the IZB: “I am extremely impressed by the opportunity that exhibitors have to present themselves within this framework. I am, of course, also delighted that we were able to establish contacts that are already taking effect at our stand during the VIP tour. Our powertrain parts have made us the market leader in Brazil, where Volkswagen is our largest customer with a share of 25 percent of our sales. Our main focus is the reason why we have come to the IZB: We want to export to Europe!"
The Region Showcased Its Competence
The fact that 80 companies exhibiting at the IZB came from the German Land of Lower Saxony enabled the region to present itself as a business location for the automotive industry. “The Automotive Cluster and the research and development institutions of the Metropolitan Region have used their expertise to set new benchmarks at the IZB”, explained Thomas Krause, who also referred to the 30 companies from Wolfsburg and ten companies from the German town of Braunschweig that presented their innovations at the trade fair. “The region’s supplier industry has yet again impressively demonstrated its ability and efficiency and further extended its leading position in the automotive industry.” Krause additionally mentioned the fact that the International Suppliers Fair is an important economic factor for the south-east region of Lower Saxony every two years, declaring that: “We expect the IZB to have created added value of around 15 million Euros for the service providers, hotels, stand constructors and catering companies involved in the event.”
The H&D International Group, an IT service provider based in Wolfsburg, provided visitors to its stand presentation entitled “Discover the Future Workplace” with an insight into the world of work of tomorrow and solutions that enable unlimited company-wide communication. Dipl.-Kfm. Wolfgang-Joachim Schmälze, the Managing Director of the H&D International Group, concluded that: “This trade fair is traditionally extremely important for our company because it enables us to intensify our long-term relationship with Volkswagen’s Research and Development Division as an IT service provider.
The event, which is outstandingly organised by Wolfsburg AG, is more than just a platform for trends and innovations; it has also established itself as an essential gathering and networking opportunity for the automotive industry."
Another exhibitor at the IZB was the Society for Optical Measuring Techniques (“Gesellschaft für Optische Messtechnik mbh” – GOM), from Braunschweig, which presented its ATOS ScanBox, a new complete solution for automated shape and volumetric analysis, at the event. According to the GOM Product Manager Jan Thesing: “We have been involved in the IZB ever since the very first event and have enjoyed a first-hand experience of the trade fair’s increase in size and relevance. The IZB gives us the opportunity to present our company in a location close to the Volkswagen factory site and therefore enables us to intensify our contacts with our client Volkswagen and with other companies from the region.”
The Job Fair, which took place on Thursday for what is already the fourth time, was attended by over 1500 students, graduates and young professionals who made the most of the chance to ask representatives from the human resources departments of German and international exhibitors at the IZB about internship placements and career, employment and further education opportunities. The free application portfolio check that was again offered by Wolfsburg AG at this year's event also attracted a large amount of attention.
Another highlight of the IZB was the International Automotive Congress – Argentina and Brazil, which was fully booked well in advance and attracted a total of over 200 participants interested in finding out about the latest strategic challenges and demands in South America, the concepts and solutions used by successful automotive manufacturers in that area and suppliers and the prospects for sustainable mobility in the South American automotive market. This event kicked off a high-quality programme of events such as congresses, conferences and meetings that accompanied the IZB.
The 8th International Suppliers Fair will open its doors to the international automotive supplier industry in Wolfsburg in autumn 2014.