< PreviousAUTOMOTIVE AFTERMARKET IN THE SPOTLIGHT AUTOMECHANIKA REVIEW 20 PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 2023PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.com AUTOMECHANIKA DUBAI HIGHLIGHTED THE FUTURE OF THE SEGMENT OVER THREE DAYS AUTOMECHANIKA REVIEW 20 PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 2023AUTOMECHANIKA REVIEW 21 PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 2023PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.com AUTOMECHANIKA REVIEW 21 PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 202361% OF MIDDLE EAST SURVEY RESPONDENTS ARE READY TO FACE CHANGES; 68% PREDICT SECTOR GROWTH OR NEW TECH OPPORTUNITIES T he Middle East’s automotive aftermarket industry is bracing for change over the next fi ve years, according to the latest Automechanika Dubai Market Outlook 2022 – the fourth in the annual survey series conducted by GRS Explori. Commissioned by Messe Frankfurt Middle East, organiser of Automechanika Dubai, the Middle East’s largest international automotive MAJOR CHANGES AHEAD FOR MIDDLE EAST AUTOMOTIVE AFTERMARKET INDUSTRY aftermarket industry trade exhibition, which opens tomorrow (22 November) at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the report refl ects fi ndings from a survey of over 1,100 sector players globally. Some 68% of Middle East players surveyed said they anticipate major (48%) or minor (20%) changes in their sector over the next fi ve years, with the key drivers being technology advancement, economic shifts and altered consumer behaviour. “It is encouraging to see that business forecasts are positive. Sector players are anticipating signifi cant changes over the next fi ve years as technology keeps advancing at a rapid pace, electric vehicles are becoming more accessible, and customer demands become more intricate. The fact that 68% of Middle East respondents say they are ready to face the changes puts the regional industry in AUTOMECHANIKA REVIEW 22 PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 2023a great position for growth and innovation,” commented Mahmut Gazi Bilikozen, Automechanika Dubai’s Show Director. “It is also encouraging that an overwhelming 98% are, in some capacity, business ready to tackle these changes and are starting to adapt business strategies to get ahead of the curve. Over three-quarters of Middle East respondents identify electric, hybrid and solar-powered vehicles as a technology that is already being accepted and will only accelerate in adoption over the next fi ve years, with pricing and government policies being change catalysts. “Outside of adoption, 80% of our respondents this year have identifi ed both electric and hybrid as the biggest technology to challenge petrol and diesel, with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and solar also being mentioned. This is a clear indication that industry adoption is truly underway as the fi nancial barrier to entry for customers keeps getting lower due to technological innovation,” added Bilikozen. New sector breakthroughs will be unveiled at Automechanika Dubai 2022’s dedicated Innovation Zone where manufacturers and brands will showcase innovative technology, digital solutions, autonomous vehicles, EV charging stations and components to support the sector’s ongoing transformation. Industry professionals will also be able to meet and network with experts and thought leaders at the Automechanika Academy to explore the latest trends, innovations and changing dynamics in the automotive aftermarket sector. Speaking ahead of the event tomorrow, Peter Cross, General Manager at Davanti Tyres, says Automechanika Dubai has been pivotal to the establishment and growth of the Davanti brand in the Middle East, Asia and Europe as they look to achieve a world fi rst in climate positive production; “We understand the urgent climate crisis that the world is currently facing, and we have recognized that we need to play our part in trying to combat the worsening situation. In recent months, we have taken the fi rst steps towards becoming the world’s fi rst climate-positive tyre wholesaler under our parent company Oak Tyres.” AUTOMECHANIKA REVIEW 23 PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 2023FLOOR SPACE AT THREE-DAY SHOW INCREASED BY 79%, WHILE THE NUMBER OF EXHIBITORS ROSE BY 98% A utomechanika Dubai, the Middle East’s largest international trade exhibition for the automotive aftermarket industry, took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre with a vast showcase of present and future products, services, technologies and insights from industry experts. Exhibiting the latest technology and innovation from both across the region and beyond, the 19th edition, organised by Messe Frankfurt Middle East, boasts an impressive 79% increase in fl oor space this year, to accommodate a total of 1,145 exhibitors – a 98% increase on 2021. Representation of exhibitors this year came from more than 53 countries with 20 country pavilions on show, including Türkiye, Germany, Italy, India, Korea, Malaysia AUTOMECHANIKA DUBAI ALMOST DOUBLES IN SIZE and China. Spread across eleven halls at DWTC, Automechanika Dubai featured six product sectors: Parts & Components, Electronics & Systems, Accessories & Customizing, Tires & Batteries, Repair & Maintenance, and Car Wash, Care & Reconditioning. Hong Kong Auto Parts Industry Association has, for the fi rst time, launched an offi cial country pavilion at Automechanika Dubai, comprising of exhibitors from across the full automotive aftermarket sector. Speaking at the offi cial opening ceremony, Norman WH Ng, president of pavilion organiser Hong Kong Auto Parts Industry Association, said the participation at Automechanika Dubai has been two years in the making. AUTOMECHANIKA REVIEW 24 PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 2023“We are so excited to fi nally be here – this is a great moment for us, our partners and our association,” said Ng. “We have participated in other Automechanikas across the world, but this is our fi rst time in Dubai, and we are looking forward to engaging with the industry and forging new partnerships over the next three days.” Day One also saw a dual partnership signed between Minerals Circles Bearings (MCB), one of the region’s leading bearing distributors, and leading international automotive spare part suppliers Corteco (Germany) and GMB (United States). The partnership will allow Minerals Circles Bearings greater access to international markets, specifi cally opening supplier networks for its growing electric car bearings division. Commenting on both partnerships, Hassanein Alwan, Managing Director, Mineral Circles Bearings, said: “With the introduction of electric cars in recent years, Mineral Circles Bearings rises to meet the latest industry demands through a partnership with GMB and Corteco. With the South Korean electric car market expansion at a CAGR of about 33.8% in the forecast period of 2023-2028, these partnerships strategically position us to deliver superior electric water pumps and much more.” Returning this year is the Automechanika Academy, which took place across all three days of the show and includes speakers and panellists such as Kyle Weber, Customer Journey & Innovation Manager at CEER Motors, the region’s fi rst electric vehicle manufacturer, and Aasif Khan, Industry Advisor - Discrete Industries at SAP. Subharshee Ramarathnam, Principal Consultant - Mobility Practice, Frost & Sullivan, presented an overview of the vehicle aftermarket both regionally and globally on Day One. Discussing the number of light vehicles in operation across the GCC, Ramarathnam revealed there are 17.4m currently on the road, with more than 8.5m in Saudi Arabia and 4.1m in the UAE. A three% compound annual growth rate will see the number of light vehicles rise to 19.1m by 2025. The opening day’s sessions also included a panel discussion focused on evolving leaderships amid market disruption and newer challenges facing the automotive sector. Touching on the growth of a subscription for service model such as that of Uber and Careem, online-to-offl ine purchasing journeys, potential hydrogen- powered vehicles, and the proliferation of electric scooters, the panel painted an image of a changing industry. “The automotive sector has been the same for the past 50-60 years, but it will not be the same in 10 years,” said Tony Abouzolof, co-founder and managing director at Syncron. “There are so many disruptions and changes happening all at the same time. I think in 10 years, we won’t even talk about the automotive sector – we will talk instead about ‘mobility’.” AUTOMECHANIKA REVIEW 25 PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 2023COVER STORY PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 2023 26Words: Angitha Pradeep FULL POWER FOR HEAVY MACHINERY IN THE NEXT 5 TO 10 YEARS, ELECTRIC- AND HYDROGEN-POWERED HEAVY MACHINERY WILL COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER AND BECOME THE NORM, AS SUPPLY INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVES, AND GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE FUNDING INCREASES, FOR A TRULY ZERO- EMISSION END-PRODUCT COVER STORY 27 PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 2023M uch has been talked about heavy vehicle on-road transportation, including the immediate future of electrifi ed long-haul transport demonstrating signifi cant progress towards series production. Even better is the long-haul trucking industry’s interest in hydrogen-powered fuel and hydrogen combustion due to its faster refuelling, greater range, and lower weight compared to batteries. However, another transportation sector under pressure to decarbonise is off -road vehicles, equipment, and machinery used in construction, mining, agriculture, and ports. According to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), in the US, non-road vehicles – mainly agriculture and construction equipment – account for almost three-quarters of the fi ne particulate matter (PM2.5) and one-quarter of the nitrogen oxides (NOX) emitted from mobile sources. In Europe, non-road vehicles contribute approximately one-quarter of the PM2.5 and more than 15% of the NOx emitted from mobile sources. Moreover, emissions from construction machinery represent the third largest share of a building’s lifetime greenhouse gas emissions and are reportedly responsible for 50,000 annual deaths due to air pollution, prompting countries worldwide to take more severe action. This lack of responsibility is mainly because the emission-control strategy for off -road vehicles, including tailpipe emission standards and in-use compliance, lags years behind that of on-road heavy-duty vehicles, due to less targeted legislation in the sector, even though the vehicles share many similarities in the design of diesel engines and exhaust emission control technologies, according to the ICCT. But, with global initiatives such as net-zero by 2050 and reduction in carbon emissions taking up priority, industry veterans and originals equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are being forced to fi nd ways to lessen diesel’s carbon impact. Moreover, while diesel has powered heavy vehicles and machinery for decades, other alternative forms of power are slowly becoming popular, although many have not yet reached their full potential, nor have they developed the infrastructure for a 100% transition. FUEL FLEXIBILITY According to the US Department of Energy, more than a dozen alternative fuels are in production or under development for use JCB’s 20 tonne 220X excavator powered by hydrogen fuel cell. Liebherr’s battery-powered crawler crane, LR 1250.1 unplugged COVER STORY PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 2023 28in alternative fuel vehicles and advanced technology vehicles. Of these, the most popular types of alternative fuels include natural gases, ethanol, propane, hydrogen fuel cells, and electric vehicles. Use cases of propane and natural gas include power pavers due to its eff ectiveness at heating asphalt and usage in trucks, respectively, while liquefi ed petroleum gas- powered rollers, which burn cleaner, are proposed for use in job sites where emissions are critical. Natural gas is also considerably cheaper than diesel and gasoline when measured on a gallon equivalent basis and has saved funds for operators of dumpster trucks and commercial vehicles, which run on compressed natural gas. Similarly, an alternative fuel used in all diesel-powered Volvo Construction Equipment is hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a biodiesel that uses hydrogen – not methanol – as a catalyst, which results in propane production. An added benefi t of HVO is that switching to it is an easier solution than other alternative fuels since it uses the same type of tanks and pumps. Nonetheless, while biodiesel is considered a cleaner and greener alternative, it is not as fuel-effi cient as petroleum diesel, which may hinder its usage among users. Electric is in no way left behind, and options are certainly growing. Early last year, Volvo, for instance, began selling its electric compact excavators and wheel loaders in North America and expanded its offerings to include five machines. Meanwhile, in a ground-breaking step for the company, it announced the 22 tonne EC230 electric excavator, which is being designed and built at its facilities in South Korea to suit a broader Asian customer base. While this is not yet available in the market, it is the first time the company has electrified a larger excavator as a customer pilot; one which is expected to achieve 60-70% reduction in energy running costs compared to the diesel- powered EC220. In 2020, Liebherr unveiled the world’s fi rst battery-powered crawler crane – the LR 1250.1 unplugged – which can be connected to an unconventional electric supply or without a cable, which the company claims have made no compromise to its performance or availability. Hydrogen is another vastly explored alternative to fuels. Currently, construction equipment prototypes use hydrogen as a fuel cell that charges a battery-electric machine or to fuel an internal combustion engine, COVER STORY 29 PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLESwww.plantmachineryvehicles.comJANUARY 2023Next >