The 64th edition of the IAA trade show turned out to be second largest commercial vehicle show ever hosted in the German city of Hanover and attracted a large audience from abroad – including a sizeable Australian contingent.
According to Matthias Wissmann, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), the show staged a record 354 world premieres, more than two thirds of them in the equipment segment.
The number of exhibitors – a total of 1,904 from 46 countries – was nine per cent higher than in 2010, and the exhibition space was up by 11 per cent to 260,000 m2.
“This IAA Commercial Vehicles has the second largest number of participants and the second largest exhibition area since the IAA was formally divided into the IAA Cars and the IAA Commercial Vehicles, that is, for 20 years,” said Wissmann.
Considering the mere size of the show, it is no surprise that Australia’s finest in the field of trailer technology and logistics made the way to Europe to experience the event first hand.
Overall, more than 260,000 people visited the show, with 27 per cent of the professional visitors coming from abroad. This was mirrored by an eight per cent rise in foreign exhibitors to 1,047 – led by China for the first time.
One key topic scrutinised by Australia’s trucking elite was aerodynamic optimisation. According to Wissmann, progress has been made in the design of the front of a truck, the connection between cab and semi-trailer, as well as in the overall design of the trailer.
“The manufacturers of trailers and bodies are well on the way here with their clever developments. The manufacturers of commercial vehicle tyres are also making important contributions to bring down the rolling resistance, which can account for 30 to 40 per cent of fuel consumption,” he said.
“Another genuine growth topic at this IAA was the telematics segment (…). The strategic task is to optimise the networking of dispatchers, forwarders and customers in such a way that the complete logistics chain is always accessible online via smartphone. The trailer manufacturers in particular are very active in this field,” Wissmann added. “More transparency leads to greater profitability and increased efficiency.”
Since Wissmann also stressed the importance of experimenting in the field of vehicle dimensions – referring to the principle of “deregulation instead of regulation” – Australia’s PBS scheme was a much-discussed topic as well.
Overall, European manufacturers were optimistic about long-term prospects of the industry, as they strive to cut costs, increase fuel efficiency, local production and the commonality of parts, while capitalising on continued strong demand in markets such as Russia. But, even small, highly specialised markets like Australia have gained importance in the course of global economic re-alignment.
“One particular statement by more than half the trade visitors is remarkable: They are planning investments in the commercial vehicle sector in the next six to 12 months, and one quarter of these visitors came to the IAA for precisely this reason,” said Wissmann.
Image: Numerous international delegations visited the IAA, including groups from Australia, North and South America, as well as Asia. Our picture shows the team of tanker specialist Tieman Industries visiting the stand of their European partner, O.ME.P.S. L-R: Mark Nelson and Orlando Iluffi (both Tieman), Antonella Cafaro, Adamo Merola, Alessandro Munzio, Vicenzo Munzio (President O.ME.P.S), and Colin Tieman, Joint Managing Director of Tieman Industries.
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