New repair technologies at Automechanika Frankfurt 2018

What do workshops need to be ready for when repairing vehicles in future? In the Frankfurt Festhalle, leading industry players and first movers in the field of 3D printing and electromobility will be showing off their latest products and solutions. Participants include German and international automotive manufacturers, representatives from the parts industry, transport and logistics providers, as well as the energy industry, workshop equipment providers, software developers and start-ups. In addition to electromobility, areas of focus will include connected cars, vehicle safety, mobility services, state-of-the-art workshop technologies and cluster initiatives.

 Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG will be debuting robot repairs and independent charging robots at Automechanika, as well as cutting-edge solutions for the workshop of the future utilising augmented reality. It will also be possible to experience electric mobility from yesterday and today at the trade fair: PS.Speicher (Kulturstiftung Kornhaus foundation) will be presenting the first electric vehicles, while the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Lingen Campus, will be featuring their world-record-setting electric cart, which can accelerate for zero to one hundred in a matter of seconds. There will also be specialist presentations and training in the Festhalle every day as part of the Automechanika Academy. For example, Robert Bosch GmbH will be utilising augmented reality to explain high-voltage motors as part of a certified workshop. Another highlight on the stage is a presentation by Lamborghini Holding S.p.A. on all aspects of professional repairs of accident-damaged carbon.

 Visitors to the Festhalle can look forward to new products and services from a wide range of companies, including Ampire Electronics GmbH & Co. KG, BIZOL Germany GmbH, Editions Techniques pour l’Automobile, Eucon GmbH, ForceManager, Hella Gutmann Solutions GmbH, Nexion S.P.A. Division Corghi, GE Additive, Reduced Carbon Energy Develop Co. Ltd. Taiwan, Texa S.P.A., TÜV Rheinland Group, WERBAS AG and the German Federal Association for eMobility (BEM e.V.). At the joint stand organised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and in cooperation with AUMA, the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry, a number of young companies will be presenting their promising products and solutions for all areas of the automotive aftermarket.

The Festhalle will also be hosting a special showcase featuring the Automechanika Innovation Awards. For more than 20 years now, these awards have been given to honour pioneering products and solutions with particular promise. This year there will be guided tours that feature the stands of the award winners. Olaf Mußhoff, Director of Automechanika Frankfurt: “The wealth of innovation on offer in the Festhalle is simply unrivalled. Many companies coordinate their innovation cycles with Automechanika, and the Festhalle is the perfect place in which to gain an overview of everything that’s new in the automotive aftermarket.”

 Alternative drive systems: surging ahead

 Greater range, faster charging, improved acceleration – electric vehicles are developing rapidly. The very first electric cars were produced back in the 19th century. In the ‘130 years of electromobility’ exhibition, PS.Speicher illustrates the history of electromobility with vintage electric cars. Alongside the Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG stand, visitors will be treated to various demonstrations, including a robot that is able to autonomously connect cars to a power supply and charge their batteries. Not only does this make things easier for the driver, but it is also safer – especially when dealing with fast-charging stations with high current flows.

 Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Lingen Campus, will be demonstrating just how fast one can go in electric cars. Professor Gerd Terörde and his students developed an e-cart that set a world’s record for rapid acceleration: from zero to one hundred in just 2.63 seconds. More than 300 students helped work on this vehicle, which will be on display in the Festhalle during Automechanika Frankfurt. As electric vehicles and hybrids become ever more important, demand for compatible lubricants is growing accordingly. BIZOL Germany GmbH will be presenting new maintenance programmes for both combustion engines and automatic hybrid transmissions, as well as a new motor oil designed especially for hybrid vehicles and automatic start-stop systems in city traffic.

 New workshop technologies

 The workshop of the future will be smart – and connected. New software solutions and augmented reality not only make it easier to conduct diagnostics within the workshop, but with the assistance of artificial intelligence they can even assist sales processes. For example, WERBAS AG, one of the leading providers of IT solutions, will be presenting its applications in the fields of development, service, training and sales for the first time in the Festhalle, while lighting and electronics specialist HELLA provides an overview of state-of-the-art automotive technology under the motto ‘OE expertise meets diagnostics’. At the MAHA Maschinenbau Haldenwang GmbH & Co. KG stand, Gudat Solution GmbH will be showing off ‘Digitales Autohaus’ [‘Digital Dealership’], its web-based solution for process planning. This software makes it possible to centrally book and manage appointments and employee and shift management, as well as to coordinate loaner and rental vehicles.

 In the field of artificial intelligence, the Spanish firm ForceManager is presenting the first solution for an intelligent voice-controlled personal sales assistant. ‘Dana’ software helps employees with a variety of tasks, including planning and optimising their working days, route and time management for external appointments, and customer relationship management.

 Automechanika Academy: Tomorrow’s highlights today

 As part the Automechanika Academy, a series of talks, panel discussions and presentations focusing on the future will be taking place on various stages. Top players, start-ups, universities and research institutions will be offering insights into their latest products in the Festhalle, with topics that include digitisation, networking, connectivity, autonomous driving, alternative drive systems and much, much more. Among the major industry players taking part are Lamborghini, which is exploring repairs of accident-damaged carbon, the Toyota Mobility Foundation, which will be talking about the reinvention of mobility, the BWM Group, which is addressing autonomous driving, Continental AG, which will be exploring networking between cars and workshops, and industry star Sascha Lobo, who will be giving a talk on the radical impact of digitisation. On trade fair Thursday, start-ups will be taking centre stage in the Festhalle, while the Connected Mobility Conference is being held right next door in the Forum. Here, the focus will be on such questions as: When will autonomous driving and artificial intelligence become reality, and how will they handle data security and energy efficiency? Furthermore, where does Germany rank internationally when it comes to innovation? Industry experts offer interesting insights and discuss current topics.