Page 46 - Australasian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2018

AUTOMECHANIKA FRAKFURT
AUTOMECHANIKA FRANKFURT
LEFT: The SATA stand always steals the limelight in the collision product hall 11.
RIGHT: A tyre and wheel expo has merged with Automechanika.
BELOW: Stylish way to display a hoist.
Paint & Panel was unable to attend Automechanika Frankfurt in September this year so we asked Amanda Hein from the UK's bodyshop magazine to report.
TO SPEAK ABOUT the incredible size of Automechanika Frankfurt would not be new, however, as a first-time visitor, the feeling is inescapable. I was overwhelmed by the utter number of halls, exhibitors and visitors before I even stepped into Frankfurt Messe. This feeling does not last long, however, and was quickly replaced by excitement and wonder after I entered one of the 12 halls. Celebrating its 25th edition, this year’s
Automechanika Frankfurt saw over 5,000 exhibitors with over 136,000 visitors from over 181 countries.
Every Automechanika event brings something novel to the fairground. This year’s new themes included: the debut of REIFEN (tyres and wheels) as a co-located show, more training workshops than ever before and classic and collectible cars
which were debuted in the new hall 12, which was 33,600sqm. Additionally, 2018’s event had for the first time the
Automechanika Innovation Awards, which honoured more than 100 innovations in the sectors of parts, equipment, services, accessories and management.
There is no escaping the SATA stand when visiting Automechanika. When I entered hall 11, I was immediately greeted by the sounds of 60s rock’n’roll music and two large screens showing black and white images and videos. Emphasising its SATAjet 5000 B Sixties, special edition spray gun, SATA was completely stuck in an era. At one of the end stand was a diner style bar and kitchen, highlighted by neon lights. On the other side was a small movie theatre where guests could enjoy popcorn and
drink while watching SATA’s film about its 111-year history. Once full of food and drink, you then had the opportunity tositinaretrocarwitha member of staff and have your photo taken with a fan blowing your hair to give the impression of driving.
Besides the special edition spray gun, SATA were also
telling visitors about a new feature for its spray guns that will begin in 2019, which is customisation. Next year customers will be able to have any pictures or design they wish printed on their SATAjet 5000 B spray gun. At the stand, SATA had examples of cat collages, family pictures, movie quotes or simple designs printed on its spray guns.
Hall 11 was not lacking in spray guns. ANEST IWATA began sales of its new limited-edition Turnpike Hakone spray gun. The company emphasised the fact that this product has a split nozzle, which offers multiple benefits including less overspray, fine atomization and less air consumption.
46 PAINT&PANEL November / December 2018
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“Next year customers will be able to have any pictures or design they wish printed on their SATAjet 5000 B spray gun. At the stand, SATA had examples of cat collages.”