The sixth Reifen China show took place at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre Nov. 14-16, with two neighboring halls housing RubberTech China 2012 simultaneously on an exhibition area of 11,500 square meters in total.
Representing an increased number of nations, exhibitor stands included large displays near the entrance for leading Chinese manufacturers such as Double Coin, Shandong Linglong, Techking, Hangzhou Zhongce and Cooper Chengshan, while less familiar and almost brand new names mingled with visiting stands from India (Apollo) and Europe (Deldo, Interstate and Profil) in the rest of the hall.
Joint organizers Messe Essen – responsible for Germany’s market-leading Reifen show – and the China United Rubber Corp. welcomed visitors on the first day; the latter’s general manager Ma Junhua said that Reifen China’s "six years of previous success" was "inseparable" from the support of visitors and exhibitors. Overall, 112 exhibitors from 15 nations – newly including Poland and Russia – were present at Reifen China showing tires, wheels and garage equipment.
Chairman and CEO of Messe Essen Frank Thorwirth said the increasing support for the show from Europe is a sign of its "growing internationality,” though Tyres & Accessories noted the high proportion of domestic visitors, while the vast majority of exhibitors T&A spoke to suggested the primacy of Asian market interest.
The conjoined shows of Reifen China and RubberTech China attracted a total of 12,000 visitors from 64 nations over its three days, with around 11% of the total number of visitors from abroad (including Hong Kong and Taiwan). While that figure represents an increase of around 7% on the number of visitors in 2011, it also shows that the number of nations represented by those visitors has dropped by 13 from last year.
T&A asked Messe Essen’s project manager at the event, Xiang Zhi, what he thought of the internationality of the event, he said that the organizer “would still like to grow” the number of international stands, which numbered 20 in 2012. Exemplifying potential growth markets for this show’s visitors, Zhi mentioned Australasia, due to proximity, while visitors from Africa and the Middle East could potentially provide an increase in footfall, given their markets’ general “preference for cheaper products.”
As Thorwirth noted, Reifen China takes place "in the middle of one of the most attractive markets in the tire sector,” and – as a visitor to the show from a major U.K. wholesaler put it – interest in upcoming Chinese factories’ developments in Europe has been further piqued by the surprising label ratings claimed by some very new players in the sector.
Tire labels appeared on a number of stands, including more established export brands such as Jinyu’s Evergreen, the tires presented by trading company Best Choice International and relative newcomer Tire Technology Alliance’s Primax and Arcron brands.
However, given that the introduction period for European tire labeling had been completed two weeks before the start of the show, it was also notable that many exhibitors were not displaying labeling results, including some of China’s most prominent exporters to Europe. Putting the many vagaries of implementing tire labeling legislation to one side, the sight of some tire brands that come to the U.K. without the label generally gave the impression that some exhibitors were not necessarily pitching to European visitors.
The parallel RubberTech China fair continued to offer “an outstanding synergetic effect,” according to Messe Essen. Xiang Zhi told T&A that part of the idea of continuing to hold the Shanghai show annually was due to its links with the longer-standing RubberTech – this year was the 12th edition of the twin show. Another two reasons he gave were the continued improvement it offers to “the Reifen brand” and the speed of development in the Chinese industry. Potential future initiatives could include the increased presence of garage machinery, such as tire changers and wheel balancers.
In conclusion, the organizers of Reifen Essen’s subsidiary event said the exhibiting companies were “pleased about well-visited booths, excellent networking possibilities and numerous business deals.” (Tyres & Accessories)
