The organizers of the 13th edition of PAACE Automechanika México agreed that, once again, the exhibition demonstrated its capacity to draw both exhibitors and visitors alike because this year 489 exhibitors from 14 countries participated and 17,878 visitors from 31 countries attended the show.

The sponsoring associations INA, MEMA, SEMA, APRA, AAIA y Messe Frankfurt pointed out that the show, held from July 11 through July 13 at the Centro Banamex during the International Week of the Automotive Industry in Mexico, fully met the organizers’ expectations as well as those of the participating exhibitors, who were interviewed face-to-face on the show’s final day. Covering 18,581 square meters, PAACE Automechanika México featured pavilions from Germany, Argentina, China, South Korea and Taiwan.

The show’s multitude of colors was one of the points commented upon by the 17,878 registered visitors and it should also not be forgotten that the U.S. government’s Department of Commerce has given the international event its seal of approval.

Buyers from the vehicle manufacturers, replacement parts, off-road and rescue sectors, among others, were able to see for themselves the innovations emerging from the supplier segment.

Speaking for the organizers, Robert McKenna, president of the Motor&EquipmentManufacturersAssociation(MEMA), emphasized that “this was a very complete exhibition in which the major companies of Mexico’s automotive sector, 175 in all, participated, as did 95 from the United States and Canada.”

Mexico had the largest number of companies with 4,338 square meters.

Some of the local exhibitors gave their points of view as regards their achieved objectives in terms of purchases, quality of visitors and general organization.

Claudia Miñón, sales coordinator of Magna Cosma International, said: “We’ve enjoyed being here. We’re a global company with an important presence in the Mexican market and we consider that PAACE Automechanika meets our requirements and is a truly international show. For this reason, we’ll be here again next year.”

Aarón García, district manager of AC Delco: “PAACE Automechanika is a must for us to show our products. The results for our clients are very satisfactory and this show is a great example of what an exhibition of this type should be.”

Thorsten Irion, Beru’s sales and marketing manager: “I’ve witnessed for myself what my colleagues have told me about PAACE Automechanika: good organization, a magnificent quality in the aisles and on the stands, ease of movement for the visitors and, above all, the quality of the visitors, who really know their business. For me, it’s been a great pleasure to be here.”

Carlos Gutiérrez, from Gates de Mexico’s sales area: “The exhibition gets better year after year. On this occasion the quality of the visitors was better as there was not an excessive number of students walking around, rather real buyers who are becoming more and more interested in what we are exhibiting. Congratulations to the organizers and we’ll see you next year.”

The SEMA Salon, the space within the show set aside for tuning, this year grew and covered 2,000 square meters. It included the 30 best tuned vehicles from Mexico.

Chris Kersting, president of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), said that next year the area will be even bigger and better and be appropriate for a Mexican market which is already worth $16.5 billion pesos (US$1.6 billion).

Within the automotive industry week, the V International Congress of the Automotive Industry in Mexico (CIIAM) was held on July 9, 10 and 11 at the Centro Banamex with the participation of 360 experts from the automotive sector.

Many of the attendees remarked that this was the first time that there had been such a concentration of leading purchasing directors under one roof and at the same event.

They were referring to personalities like Bo Andersson, global purchasing vice president of General Motors Corporation; Simon Boag, Chrysler’s purchasing vice president; and Martin Schuebel, BMW’s purchasing vice president in the Nafta region.

The organizers are already working on PAACE Automechanika México 2008, which promises more surprises from the aftermarket sector and the global original equipment makers.