July/August 2018

A utomechanika Birmingham 2018 opened its doors on 5 June, after months of anticipation. Finally, the bulk of the UK automotive sector was gathered under the roof of the NEC. Hitting its stride in its third year, the show has continued to be developed so attendees can get the most from it as they made their way round the 500 stands, 150 of which housed exhibitors that were at Automechanika Birmingham for the first time. Aftermarket magazine provided backing to the show in a number of ways. As well as sponsoring the Aftermarket Seminar Theatre, the magazine also sponsored the Garage Social, where attendees could take a break and network with fellow industry members in a comfortable area. Snap-on Snap-on made its Automechanika Birmingham debut in 2018. Their stand was one of the go-to sites during the show and enjoyed an enviable location next door to the Garage Social area, which as we said was sponsored by Aftermarket magazine. The company used the event to launch its new ZEUS diagnostic and information system. Their stand was essentially a giant mock-up of the tool, and included a light-up floor. Commenting on the launch of ZEUS, Tristan Hindle, National Sales Manager at Snap-on said: "What we found is that over the years we have been giving technicians data, but what we needed to do is to define the data and take them from a code to a fix. What we have done is scaled it down, we take everybody through the code with intelligent diagnostics, straight to the fix using all the tools we've got over the years with Snap-on. It helps technicians with speed and efficiency and goes to the fix. This will make an average technician better, and will help with workshop efficiency in the garage as well, and help with innovation. We have 437 franchisees around the country, but when it is something as big and innovative as this, Automechanika Birmingham is definitely the stage to get the awareness and the brand name out there. Everybody knows Snap-on, so it is another string to our bow. We've been in diagnostics since 1988 when we launched the MT2500. Development is at the heart of what we do at Snap-on Diagnostics, so this is another innovation for us." Tristan added: "We have had a good show. We have spoken to a lot of people and they are happy with what they have seen." HELLA HELLA were back for 2018 aboard a welcoming stand that sat beneath a handy yellow banner that was one of the most useful orientation landmarks within the Garage Quarter. If you were in doubt about where you were, you just looked toward the skies for HELLA guidance. Orientation of a different sort was the aim of HELLA's presence however. The focus for the company at the show was the growing importance of ADAS calibration for independents. Helen Goldingay, HELLA’s Senior Head of Marketing and Communications, said: "ADAS technology is already fitted to hundreds of thousands of vehicles, which is why it is imperative that cameras and radar sensors used by these systems are recalibrated to ensure their correct operation, not just following accident repair or windscreen replacement, but after everyday service and repair work such as steering and suspension replacement and adjustment to the vehicle’s geometry." 30 AFTERMARKET JULY/AUGUST 2018 AUTOMECHANIKA BIRMINGHAM 2018 www.aftermarketonline.net THIRD TIME'S A CHARM AUTOMECHANIKA BIRMINGHAM Everything you want to know about Automechanika Birmingham 2018 Below: Delphi Technologies returned in 2018