BMW at Automechanika 2012: Show stand focuses on sustainability at dealers and workshops.

Munich. The BMW Group is shining the spotlight on the issue of sustainability at this year’s Automechanika fair, which takes place in Frankfurt from 11 – 16 September 2012. The company’s Building and Equipment Consulting department is using the BMW stand to showcase the potential and benefits of a sustainable approach within the dealer organisation. Added to which, the BMW experts will bring visitors up to speed on the latest trends and developments in workshop equipment – with the focus on tyre balancing, tyre assembly and wheel alignment systems. The BMW Group will also be inviting its partners to the stand for discussions on a range of subjects.

BMW Group running a generously sized stand in Hall 9.0

Attracting some 4,500 exhibitors from around the world and more than 150,000 visitors, Automechanika is the automotive world’s largest aftermarket show. The international industry gathering takes place every other year, occupying Frankfurt’s exhibition centre alternately with the International Motor Show (IAA). Automechanika features a wide spread of products and subject areas – from car parts, workshop and filling station equipment, IT and management, to car cleaning, accessories and tuning.

This year the BMW Group is represented by a two-storey stand covering an area of 438 square metres (4,715 sq. ft.) in Hall 9.0 at Location C42. The highlights are two spectacular cars: the new BMW 335i with ultra-dynamic M Sport package holding court on one side of the stand, and the BMW M3 DTM turning heads on the other.

Sustainability is a pivotal theme for the BMW Group supply chain

Playing the role of host for the BMW Group at Automechanika 2012 is the Building and Equipment Consulting department, which places the issue of sustainability at the heart of the company’s stand. The BMW Group is every inch the automotive pacesetter when it comes to sustainability; indeed, the annual Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes have ranked the BMW Group as the industry leader every year since they were launched seven years ago. Sustainability plays a central role for the BMW Group not only in development and production, but also in its sales activities and through the service life and maintenance history of its vehicles – all the way up to end-of-life recycling.

A separate and impressively large area of the stand is therefore given over to the subject of sustainability. In the Green Building section visitors can find out more about the forms sustainability takes within the BMW Group and the company’s dealer organisation, and the benefits it can bring. In addition, an architectural model of a dealership demonstrates the rich and varied potential for sustainable design. Green building consultants are on hand at the BMW Group stand to provide expert answers to visitors’ questions and shed further light on the environmental and economic rewards of a rigorously applied sustainability strategy at dealers and workshops.

Current developments in repairs and servicing

The workshop section of the BMW Group stand will introduce visitors to the latest trends and innovations in repairs and servicing. Among the areas highlighted are the demands on workplaces and equipment when it comes to axle alignment. Other focal points include tyre technology (e.g. balancing and assembly), bodywork repairs and the systematic storage of special tools.

Daily discussions between experts on a wide range of subjects

Rounding off the attractions at the BMW Group’s Automechanika 2012 stand is a daily programme of six half-hour discussions between experts, dealing with subjects as varied as the sustainable planning, construction, design and management of dealerships, the selection and use of machinery for tyre assembly, and tyre balancing using a special tool to eliminate fluctuating lateral forces. Also on the agenda are the technical and economic aspects of the universal body measuring system, the maintenance requirements of wheel alignment systems and the equipment available for adjusting headlights to provide dazzle-free main beam light.