First expo and conference to focus on car body manufacturing

The world’s first expo and congress to focus on car body manufacturing – the AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING EXPO and Automotive Engineering Congress (AEE) – will be held from the June 4 to 6, 2013 in Nuremberg, Germany. “With few exceptions, car body manufacturing is the in-house expertise of the OEMs,” said Dr. Klaus Koglin, spokesman for the OEM Advisory Board of the AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING EXPO, Director Technology Development at AUDI AG until the end of October 2012 and now adviser to the Q7 Start-Up Management Team in Bratislava.

“The automotive manufacturers have a very large amount of design and manufacturing know-how in this field and the fastest access to innovations in process, material and joining technology. The body is the heaviest part of the car and is determined not least by safety, comfort and emotionality. Car body manufacturing is thus a key element of automotive production,” he says. The automotive exhibition and congress will present the entire spectrum of products and services for the process chain of car body manufacturing, painting and assembly.

The exhibitors include many of the industry’s key players: Arnold & Shinjo, Böllhoff, EDAG Production Solutions, Schotte Automotive, Sika, ThyssenKrupp, TRUMPF Laser- und Systemtechnik. It will be held every two years in the exhibition centre at Nuremberg. The exhibition and congress are supported by the Automotive Circle International, the market leading communication platform for the international automotive and system supplier industry. The complete portfolio is organized by the specialist publisher Vincentz Network based in Hanover. NürnbergMesse is responsible for the organization on the ground. According to Automotive Circle International, car manufacturers have expressed keen interest in the AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING EXPO. High-ranking decision-makers from internationally operating original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are members of the exhibition committee and cooperate closely with the organizers to tailor the exhibition concept to the exact needs of the industry.

All the car manufacturers involved agree that the exhibition comes at exactly the right time. The industry faces challenges in lightweight construction, process optimization and the use of intelligent materials. “Car body engineering is increasingly concerned with identifying technology and material innovations as quickly as possible and developing their suitability for series production. And this is exactly where the AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING EXPO offers an ideal platform,” says Franziska Moennig, Director of the Presidium of the Automotive Circle International in the Vincentz Network.

The event is expected to attract 60 exhibitors and 2,500 trade visitors. Running parallel, the Automotive Engineering Congress will take place from June 4 to 5, 2013. It will focuses on finding answers to the urgent challenges of the industry: cost effectiveness, flexibility, lightweight construction and sustainability within the “painted car body” processes have been defined by the OEM exhibition committee as the key topics at the congress. The AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING EXPO is targeted at the following segments – automotive components, automotive production facilities and system components, hardware and software for design and development, materials and semi-finished goods, forming and shaping technology, joining technology, surface technology, quality assurance technology, testing and measurement technology and engineering services. A highlight will be the “Avenue of Innovations,” where the industry’s pioneering innovations are displayed. All exhibitors can apply to take part in this event.

Automotive Industries (AI) asked Moennig why a new show like the AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING EXHIBITION was needed.

Moennig: The idea is intriguing: AEE is going to be the only exhibition in the world aiming to cover one of the automotive OEM’s core competences in a concentrated form and to the depth needed within this very specialized engineering segment. Thus, AEE offers huge professional networking opportunities for everybody involved.

AI: Why is car body manufacturing such a critical issue?

Moennig: With the car body being the heaviest part of a car, weight reduction here remains the most important goal in modern car body engineering. Car body manufacturers and their suppliers still need to achieve further breakthroughs in order to invert the upward weight spiral in vehicle engineering.

AI: What are some of the trends and challenges facing the car body manufacturing industry?

Moennig: High-efficiency lightweight design using latest process and material developments is indispensable in future car body engineering. This has been the mega trend at least for the last 10 years. And it will clearly be the main technology driver in car body engineering and technology for the next decade.

AI: What role do you see the exhibition playing in helping manufacturers?

Moennig: AEE offers huge professional networking opportunities for everybody involved: car body manufacturers and suppliers along the process chain “painted car body” – the event will be a perfect platform for future professional and business interaction.

AI asked Maice Middelkampf, Head of Events, Automotive Circle International, to share some of the topics at the Automotive Engineering Congress.

Middelkampf: The congress focuses on today’s possibilities in the development, construction and painting of series-produced car bodies and comprises high-level technical progress report sessions as well as invited keynote lectures and “hybrid” presentations, focusing on specific development aspects that require a multidisciplinary approach. Thus, it provides a comprehensive overview on the current state of the art in all important aspects of car body product and process engineering, within the entire manufacturing chain leading to the painted car body.

AI: Who are some of the key speakers?

Middelkampf: The congress program offers more than 60 technical papers from international suppliers as well as OEM reports. All of them present latest developments and innovations. Thus, we do not focus on one key-note, but on the complete palette. Attendees get a perfect overview combined with a lot of networking possibilities with their peers.

AI: Tell us about the reaction to the exhibition and congress from automotive manufacturers.

Middelkampf: Their reactions have been more than positive as the complete concept of the AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING EXPO and its concurrent events have been developed in close cooperation with high-ranking decision-makers from internationally operating automotive manufacturers. And all of them agree: It is the perfect timing for the event as the conditions and rules of business in the industry are changing.