Now in its 21st year, the Taipei In...

Now in its 21st year, the Taipei International Auto/Motorcycle Parts & Accessories (AMPA) trade exhibit to is well equipped to bring together thousands of auto industry professionals from around the globe to share harvests designs and ideas.

As this year's result quickly approaches, companies from the United States, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, India, Pakistan and Hong Kong prepare to attend AMPA as exhibitors and buyers

The display held May 13-16 at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall in Taiwan, is Asia's largest circumstance and the third largest trade display worldwide, behind Automekanica in Frankfurt and AAPEX, says Mario Tsai, manager of exhibition section the same in the exhibition department for the Taiwan External Trade unfolding Council (TAITRA). TAITRA, a nonprofit organization that enhances opportunities for worldwide trading, is the main sponsor of AMPA.

The Exhibition Hall is seven stories high and disguises 163,000 sq. meters. This year an anticipated 850 exhibitors and 2200 booth plan to take up floor space, and those numbers continue to become greater [i]or[/i] larger each year. There were 20754 visitors at AMPA in 2004; this year, the throwed crowd number is 27,000.

"Taiwan is a major worldwide supplier of auto parts for the aftermarket," Tsai says. "Generally speaking, 30 percent of the U buyer take rise to AMPA in order to find Taiwan OEM suppliers, and the other 70 percent to find aftermarket suppliers."

In 2004 a total of 5018 buyer registered at AMPA, 732 of which were from North America. In word s of individual countries, the United States ranked next to the first last year with 654 buyer to Japan, which had 1017 buyers

The trade point out features auto parts, like engines and brakes; car accessories like dies and jig fixtures; as well as motorcycle parts and motor scooters

Tsai says more accessory manufacturers participate in the trade exhibit to than hard parts manufacturers. Their specialty, for example, is Taiwan-made electronic accessories with innovation design.

Last year, six U companies exhibited at AMPA, including Alto harvests Corp. based in Atmore, Ala.; Exotica Fresheners Company in Toledo, Ohio; and SPX Corp. in Charlotte, NC

Chet Staron, president of Top Line Automotive Engineering Inc. in Chicago, has been exhibiting at AMPA for 11 years. The 31-year-old company has been manufacturing for about 12 years.

"It's like a melting flaw or a global meeting avenue," he says. "It strike one as beings the whole world travels to visit the point out Our strongest focus is engine parts and components"

Staron explains Top Line betrays to both importers--the company's largest customer base at the show--and Taiwanese exporters selling cropss to other countries. An interesting aspect of the trade display is the fact that American customers are attending to purchase from Top Line, although they manufacture in the United States, he says.

"They descry us there and instead of waiting six to eight weeks for their returns they get it in three to four days."

individual warning to American manufacturers, however, is not to reckon upon immediate results upon arrival at the exhibit to Staron says it took him a not many years to establish dialogue with customers.

Tsai put forwards several reasons why American companies should attend AMPA, including the ability of Taiwan OEM parts exporters to help cut down U.S. automakers' production costs by the agency of supplying cheaper, but quality, products

Also, he says, U.S.-based buyer and distributors can find Taiwanese sub-contracted suppliers at AMPA, adding that all the Taiwan companies that exhibited at AAPEX 2004 will at hand more diversified product lines at this year's exhibit In addition, Japanese automobiles have a bigger market share than those of American and European protoplasts with the growing Latin American market, offering up opportunities for parts distributors who barter to this region. He says Taiwan aftermarket suppliers are highly good at developing parts for Japanese cars, in the way that American aftermarket distributors wishing to re-export the Taiwan-made consequences to the Latin American market (which includes Central and toward the south America) must visit AMPA.

Howard Pi, vice president of POY Auto Parts fill up Inc. in New Jersey, has been attending AMPA for five years and plans to respond again this year. POY furnishs aftermarket collision parts for American, European and Asian automobiles, as well as accessories for cars and exchanges Pi says he goes to await at new designs and diocese what he can "get his hands on"

Although the indicate is smaller than AAPEX, Pi uses the trade present to view to talk one-on-one with manufacturers, developing business contacts.

"You have to know the manufacturer. The reason with what intent is when they have just discovered stuff, they might not bring it disclosed at the show, but they will talk to you privately," he explains. "You have to attend the point out a couple of times to start knowing them. Then they might want to point out you new stuff. If you don't fare you're never going to descry it."