Europe’s leading trade fair of the automotive supplier industry achieved another record-breaking result. The 5th International Suppliers Fair (IZB) which took place in the Allerpark in Wolfsburg closed its doors on Friday, 31st October. For three days, about 680 exhibitors from over 20 nations took advantage of the 33,000 m² of available exhibition space in order to present their companies and showcase their products and innovations in the automotive supplier sector. Compared to 2006, the IZB – which is held every two years alternating with the IAA in Frankfurt – has not only succeeded in attracting more exhibitors, it has also drawn more visitors than the last trade fair in 2006. This year’s IZB saw as many as 46,000 visitors.
 
“We have succeeded in further developing the IZB as a leading trade fair for automotive suppliers at a high level. It is clear from the reactions of visitors and exhibitors that the trade fair has gained a reputation of excellence and is highly regarded by the entire German and international automotive industry,” commented Prof. Dr Bernd Wilhelm, expressing his satisfaction with the outcome of the IZB. Wilhelm is Spokesman of the Board of Wolfsburg AG which has been hosting the IZB since 2001. Therefore, quite contrary to what is generally happening in the fair and exhibition business, all signs point to growth for Wolfsburg as a city where mobility is prized. Mayor Prof. Rolf Schnellecke was also delighted with the great success of the International Suppliers Fair: “Once again our city has made a name for itself as an internationally acclaimed and highly attractive trade fair location.” This statement was also confirmed by the exhibitors. Michael Senoner, Manager Corporate Communications of Magna International Europe AG, said: “The IZB has come to be recognised as a major show for experts and professionals, a must-be event for automakers and automotive suppliers. With nearly 700 exhibitors it provides an excellent insight into product diversity, know-how and innovative solutions offered by automotive suppliers. The many Indian exhibitors who came to the IZB once again emphasise the internationality of the event.”
 
Trade show offering prime opportunities for networking. Despite the current financial crisis and commodity prices which are increasing worldwide, the automotive industry was in a better mood than expected and took full advantage of the IZB as an opportunity for networking, embracing the 'Connecting Car Competence' motto. After all, the largest top-volume suppliers worldwide were represented again at this year’s trade fair in Wolfsburg. “For us, the IZB offers a great opportunity to present our company. We have increased our stand space yet again where this year visitor reactions were even more positive than in previous years. Compared to the IAA, we are especially pleased about the high proportion of industry experts visiting the IZB, allowing high-level technical discussions at the stand,” confirmed Dipl.-Ing. Georg Mölbitz, Resident Engineer VW Wolfsburg of the ZF Friedrichshafen AG.
The presence of companies from the USA, China and Japan as well as the visit of delegations from US and South Asian trade associations also highlighted the internationality of the event where India as this year’s partner country was represented by more than 50 exhibitors.
 
Partner country India attracting strong interest
The number of car manufacturers opening production facilities in India which, after China, is ranked as the fastest growing economy in the world, is constantly increasing. As a result, European automotive suppliers were highly interested in receiving information about the framework conditions for setting up a business on the subcontinent. For many of the Indian exhibitors who came to Wolfsburg it was the first time that they had showcased their products and services at a German exhibition. “As TVS Group we are the largest manufacturer of automotive components in India, where six of our 30 companies have come to the trade fair for the first time," summarised P. Vijayaraghavan, President Business Development of TVS Rubber. “The IZB is a fantastic event and has been a great experience for us. We felt very honoured and were truly proud when Prof. Dr Martin Winterkorn visited us at our stand.”
The German side reaffirmed its strong interest in the IZB, as was observed by Jörg Voltmer, Marketing Director at the Technical Sales Office Braunschweig of the Robert Bosch GmbH: “The IZB gets more crowded each year. We receive an increasing number of decision makers from the Volkswagen company. At the same time our stand is very well frequented by purchasing managers from this year’s partner country India, representing companies such as Mahindra and Tata. After all, we have radically changed our stand concept this year. This year’s focus was exclusively on our partner country India. We do not need to entertain our customers, we need to talk to them. The trade fair offers an opportunity to establish new contacts and intensify existing ones.”
Representatives of Indian automobile manufacturer societies and automotive component manufacturer associations such as SIAM and ACMA who came to the IZB were very positive about the concept of the trade fair and proposed to further intensify existing trade relations.
The Indian-German Automotive Congress which accompanied the IZB and was attended by high-ranking experts was also designed to accommodate the interest in the Indian automotive market. The congress was fully booked before it started. The programme of events which was offered during the IZB was also well received. Around 1,500 visitors came to listen to the presentations delivered at the Mobility Forum as well as enjoy other technical presentations.
Yesterday, on Thursday, more than 1,000 students and young talents took the opportunity to visit the IZB in order to discuss their career plans and opportunities with the exhibitors. 200 of them took advantage of the free application document check which was offered by the Wolfsburg AG. From now on, excitement and anticipation will grow steadily until the next International Suppliers Fair in 2010 with the USA as partner country of the IZB.

Source: izb-online.de