European aftermarket incorporates Latin rythm

Automechanika Frankfurt is the biggest event in the European aftermarket in 2018 – but this year it will have a different flavour. Adam Hill finds out about Mobilatina, a new initiative for South American engine remanufacturers.

Mobilatina, a new event aimed at the Latin American engine market, will be held during Automechanika Frankfurt. Its ambitious themes cover the state of the art for internal combustion engines today, with ideas for engine remanufacturers and rebuilders to be competitive in a changing market - and insight into how artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) will affect the world of reman in the next few years.

“It’s a very disruptive economy today,” explains explains Omar Ricardo Chehayeb of engine trade body Conarem. “The economy is changing very fast: 80% of all the data we have in the world now, we didn’t have in 2016 at the last Automechanika. We’re producing more information every day.”

Reman possibilities

Content at Mobilatina will be presented in Spanish and the two-hour presentation is open to the public. Organised by the Instituto de Estudos da Mobilidade, Mobilatina follows on from an event last April, Rectilatina, during Automec in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which was attended by rebuilders from countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. The institute was founded by Conarem Brazil at the start of 2018 to research new disruptive technologies that affect the engine trade, such as fuel cells, hybrid and electrical vehicles and 3D printing.

“The reman of engines is our business – but what would happen in a world with no engines?” Chehayeb asks. As some European countries have set out plans to eventually ban internal combustion engines, other possibilities in reman – such as electric vehicles - must be investigated. The idea of car ownership itself is even changing – with people, especially in urban areas, beginning to think about whether they need to own an asset which is idle for the vast majority of the time.

Opening minds

“I believe that visitors [to Mobilatina] can expect to get insights on considerations they might have never thought about before,” Chehayeb continues. “Business is never going to be as it used to be. And the main thing is that the Spanish-speaking audience will have for the first time an event, done in the heart of Germany but spoken in their own language. It is exciting, the idea of having Messe Frankfurt as the stage for a presentation tailored to South American audiences.”

Conarem wants to establish a regional network of engine rebuilders under its umbrella. “All the economies of Latin America are weak today,” insists Chehayeb. “Argentina, Brazil and Mexico all faced severe devaluation of their currency. We’ve been losing power of purchase. Business is becoming each day more difficult. We are going to a different level and if we’re not aware of what’s happening we’re going to be in trouble soon.” Chehayeb’s final message to potential visitors? “Come and see what’s happening because what’s happening will change their business and their life,” he concludes. “Try to open your mind to new possibilities.”

Mobilatina: Wednesday 12 September, 14.00 at Facette in Hall 3 Via West