AAAA’s Stuart Charity, MEMA’s Ben Brucato among Automechanika Frankfurt Innovation Awards jurors

Submissions for Automechanika Frankfurt’s Innovation Awards clearly illustrate the aftermarket’s trend towards smart digital solutions. A 14-member international panel – for the first time including experts from Australia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK and the USA – met July 21 to determine which of the 133 submissions from 99 companies were most deserving. 

The independent panel has now selected the best products and assigned them to three award classes: “Nominee” for innovative products and solutions, “Finalist” for outstanding technological innovations, and “Winner” for the top product in each category. 

The panel ended up selecting 96 “Nominees” and 35 “Finalists.” The companies chosen as the winners of the coveted Innovation Awards will not be announced until the awards ceremony at Automechanika, which is taking place on 13 September 13 at 5 p.m. in “Harmonie” hall in the Congress Center. 

Experts discussed the submitted innovations when the panel met. 

“The sheer scope of this year’s submissions is impressive, ranging from rescue systems for vehicles with battery fires and radar-supported turning assistance systems for trucks all the way to highly complex laser scanners able to measure entire vehicles in a matter of minutes. The digitalization trend has also continued to accelerate, with approx. one third of submissions coming from this area. Forward-looking topics like new mobility, alternative drive systems and sustainability were also prominent in the submissions received,” according to Dr. Gerhard Angerer, an expert assessor who helped evaluate the submissions. 

Companies from the automotive aftermarket were able to submit their innovations in the following categories: Electromobility, Data & Connectivity, Workshop & Service Solutions, Parts & Technology Solutions, Body & Paint, Car Wash & Care, Accessories & Customizing, and Commercial Vehicles. We can also look forward to hearing the winner of the Green Award. Dr. Angerer has recommended five of the finalists as candidates for this sustainability award, which will also be presented during the awards ceremony at Automechanika Frankfurt. 

This year marked the first time that the panel of representatives from associations, industry, retailers, academia and the media has been expanded to include international aftermarket experts. The products submitted were evaluated based on the following criteria: degree of innovation and excellence of the solution, cost effectiveness, user benefit, functionality and user-friendliness, market potential and relevance to the aftermarket, quality, durability and safety, as well as their contributions to sustainability, energy efficiency, climate protection, environmental protection and resource conservation.

Aftermarket Intel Editor Mark Phillips will be attending Automechanika Frankfurt 2022. To schedule a booth visit so we can learn about your company’s newest products or services, reach him at mark@lpnewmedia.com.

The jury is comprised of the following industry experts: 

•Hartmut Abeln, Managing Director, TÜV Nord

•Okan Altan, Motoring Journalist, Automotive Informatics

•Ben Brucato, Vice President of Engagement, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA)

•Stuart Charity, CEO, Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA)

•Dr. Axel Glanz, Managing Director, Innovationen Institut

•Edwin Grabowski, Publisher, Car Wash Info

•Detlef Peter Grün, Vice President, Zentralverband Deutsches Kraftfahrzeuggewerbe (ZDK)

•Wolfgang Michel, Editor-in-Chief, kfz-betrieb

•Jason Moseley, CEO, International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS)

•Jakkie Olivier, CEO, Retail Motor Industry Association (RMI)

•Prof. Dr. Stefan Reindl, Institute Director, Institut für Automobilwirtschaft (IfA)

•Burkhard Riering, Editor-in-Chief, Automobilwoche

•Frank Schlehuber, Senior Consultant Market Affairs, European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA)

•Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Schumacher, Chair of the Institute for the Optimization of Mechanical Structures, Bergische Universität Wuppertal

Automechanika Frankfurt Innovation Awards finalists

Category: Electromobility

SAS VIGNAL GROUP
SESA Tunes Advanced AVAS and Multi-Function Audible Solution Audible warning system for electric cars.

Autel Europe
Maxicharger DC Wallbox
The Maxicharger DC Wallbox from Autel is a direct current (DC) fast charging station for battery electric vehicles. It has a maximum output power of 240 kW.

AVL DiTEST
AVL DiTEST HV SAT
AVL DiTEST HV SAT is a universal solution for battery testing following workshop repairs. The HV SAT can be used for a wide range of purposes including end-of-service tests, demonstrating that repairs have been performed successfully, displaying the status of stored batteries, and for safety tests when transporting or disposing of batteries.

CTEK
Njord Go EVSE
The all-in-one NJORD GO EVSE charger is suitable for charging electric vehicles at home, work or while on holiday. The lightweight and cost-effective device boasts a type 2 plug with a maximum output power of 11 kW and is fully compatible with three-phase CEE sockets.

Category: Data & Connectivity

Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH
ContiConnect 2.0
Modern digital tire management system for fleet operators that makes it easier to monitor the condition of the tyres on their vehicles: Pressure and temperature are recorded by sensors inside the tyres and transferred in real time to a Continental cloud, where they are continuously analysed.

WESP
Parts Performance Dashboard
The Parts Performance Dashboard offers workshops a tool with which they can use quantitative methods to objectively measure their operational performance, compare their results to their competitors (benchmarking), and identify weaknesses.

Herth+Buss Car Parts
Herth + Buss Product Detector
The Herth+Buss Product Detector app makes it possible to quickly and easily identify the spare part being sought. With this app, the desired item can simply be scanned into the app and then found – eliminating time-consuming searching through print and online catalogues. The app’s image-recognition capability saves workshops time and money – it is even possible to order parts directly through the app.

Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH
Fast Track AI
FastTrackAI® is a new software solution for analysing vehicle damage based on digital pictures. Damage to vehicle parts and components is linked with precise vehicle data so that a comparison can be performed and the repair costs calculated immediately.

AVL-DiTEST
VClone
The AVL DiTEST app is a simple and convenient solution for configuring VCIs (Vehicle Communication Interfaces) in the workshop and conducting maintenance. This platform-independent mobile application brings innovations from smart homes and IoT into workshops.

Category: Workshop & Service Solutions

MAHLE Aftermarket GmbH
Battery Diagnostics Feature for Diagnostic Tool TechPRO® from MAHLE
The E-Scan diagnostics software is able to read out the most important parameters of the high-voltage vehicle battery from electronic control units in the vehicle network via the OBD diagnostics socket and to determine its service-life-relevant condition. The capacity, voltage, internal resistance and temperature are determined at the individual cell and block level.

Beissbarth GmbH
Q.DAS: Modular Digital Driver Assistance Systems (FAS) Calibration
This innovative calibration system makes it possible to adjust the sensors in driver assistance systems (FAS) in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications. Q.mAPP is Android-based software for a tablet that guides the workshop in the calibration process, supplying the correct positions of the panels and the radar reflectors.

GelKoh GmbH
LiBaRescue
This innovative recovery system for electric vehicles is heat-resistant up to 1,500 °C and works in much the same way as a fire blanket. In a fire incident or as a preventive measure, the damaged vehicle is pushed on top of the recovery system, after which the recovery system is wrapped around the vehicle. Although the recovery system is not able to prevent chemical reactions in the battery itself, it makes it difficult for a hot battery to set other flammable substances in the vehicle alight by limiting the supply of oxygen, allowing it to prevent the total write-off of a vehicle.

Oxyhydrogen Technologies S.L.
OXHYTECH DPF PLUS
An innovative machine for cleaning the particle filters of diesel- and petrol-driven engines after they have been removed from the vehicle. The machine is controlled via a digital device connected via WiFi. The app supplied with the device leads the workshop technician through the cleaning procedure.

TEXA
TEXA ET CHECK
A compact, portable workshop device to test the seal of a battery housing that is equipped with a compressor and a vacuum pump. As a result, it is not reliant on a workshop’s compressed air system.

MAROLOTEST
MAROLO E-lift and E-Motofixe
With a load-bearing capacity of 400 kg and a maximum lifting height of 1.2 m, this safe lifting platform is ideal for working on all motorcycles safely.

ZF Friedrichshafen AG
WABCO Modular ABS Sensors
With the new WABCO ABS sensors from ZF, it is possible to service a growing number of vehicles without being forced to stock a wide range of spare parts. The innovative modular design allows workshops to create hundreds of variants of replacement ABS sensors from just a few products.

AVL DiTEST
AVL DiTEST noLEAK
The easy-to-operate portable leak tester can test the tightness of a HV battery housing, a battery cooling system, and of many other components, helping to make electric vehicles safer.

Robert Bosch GmbH
Bosch ADAS ONE Solution Software
The new software solution for calibrating driver assistance systems simplifies and accelerates the precise positioning of the calibration device according to manufacturer’s specifications with the help of visualizations on a workshop computer.

Category: Parts & Technology Solutions

ams OSRAM GmbH
NIGHT BREAKER LED H4
A replacement bulb for halogen headlights utilising LED technology that makes it possible to retrofit used cars with contemporary LED lighting technology. The bulb is significantly brighter than the legal minimum, offers a long-range beam, and supplies a bright white light similar to daylight. It even offers a service life that is five times that of halogen bulbs while using only half as much electricity.

EnerSys (EH Europe GmbH)
ODYSSEY Battery
The world’s first AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) TPPL (Thin Plate Pure Lead) 12 V starter battery in compliance with the DIN C-1500 standard with an integrated sensor digitally networked via Bluetooth. The integrated sensor monitors the battery’s voltage, state of charge and internal temperature in real time, revolutionising battery management. With its cold-start performance of 1,250 A, this patented high-end battery system has been designed with commercial trucks in mind.

Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH
Braking Torque Reduction System
Brake pad friction is also a source of fine particulate air pollution. The ACR system restricts the emission of fine particulates to the times when the brakes are actually being used. As a result, ACR brake systems do not produce any fine particulates during normal driving.

Schaeffler
LuK GearBOX hoch e
The LuK GearBOX allows workshops to perform professional repairs on technically complex electric vehicles. All the necessary components can be replaced in a single repair process.

Brembo
Greenance Concept

Category: Body & Paint

Celette France SAS
Eagle – Electronic Car Body Measurement System
Laser-assisted electronic measurement system to ascertain the distortion of chassis, for example following collisions. The results are then compared with the CAD coordinates supplied by the vehicle’s manufacturer, and the system is able to reliably detect deviations of ± 1.5 mm. An entire vehicle can be measured in no more than ten minutes.

Multichem Sp. z.o.o.
Profix Refinish Systems – All Colours of Innovation
A system for determining and mixing the correct paint colour that consists of three components: a hand-held spectrophotometer that is placed on the surface of the vehicle’s paintwork in order to determine the paint colour; a cloud-based expert database that calculates the paint formula based on the spectrophotometric data; and the high-precision dosing machine MCMIX, which is able to blend and mix the paint within just two minutes.

KMWE Michael Köberlein
CLAIR 5000 MULTI
A mobile extraction and air cleaning system for smaller paintwork jobs (spot repairs) in workshops without their own painting booth. The extraction system is moved right next to the vehicle to be repaired so that it can extract the paint mist that is created by spraying.

Carbon GmbH
CBR Carbon Body Repair System
Carbon’s Body Repair System is an innovative alignment system for chassis bodywork exterior repairs. The pulling tools made from lightweight carbon and carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics are ideal for more efficient and sustainable repairs.

Herrmann Innovations
IONSTAR
Thanks to turbine generator technology, the first ionising gun with fibre-optic technology runs entirely without batteries or power cables. This rugged and ergonomic device weighs just 240 g.

Category: Car Wash & Care

Lederzentrum GmbH
ColourScannerPRO – Scanner incl. Formula Database
The ColourScannerPRO is a novel new type of mobile digital tool that is able to quickly and affordably determine the colour of leather for leather repairs. The colour scanner is connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth using the COLOURLOCK app.

Lake Country Manufacturing
UDOS 51E
A patented professional orbital stroke polisher that allows you to switch between five polishing orbits: Rotary, Sanding, 12-mm Dual Action Orbital, 15-mm Dual Action Orbital, and 21-mm Dual Action Orbital.

Category: Accessories & Customizing

CTEK Sweden AB
CTEK CS ONE fully automatic battery charger and maintainer with APTO™ technology
Automatic battery charging device for 12 V lead and lithium batteries that utilises patented APTO™ adaptive charging technology. Not only is this smart charger able to automatically recognise the polarity (plus or minus) of the clamps connected to the device, but also the battery’s chemical system (lead or lithium).

Dropracks AS
Dropracks – Elevating Roof Racks
Innovative roof rack system for cars in which the loading surface (i.e. the rack) is not permanently attached to the base rack on the vehicle’s roof. Instead, a clever kinematic mechanism makes it possible to pull out the rack and lower it to chest level. The result: bulky items like bicycles, kayaks and ladders can be loaded and secured easily.

Category: Commercial Vehicles

Hunter Engineering Company
Quick Check® Commercial Autonomous Vehicle Inspection
Hunter’s Quick Check System is a fully automatic alignment and tyre tread inspection system for commercial vehicles. As the vehicle is driven through the system, the system is able to conduct a measurement of the alignment and tyre condition digitally, without the driver having to halt or exit the vehicle.

ZF Friedrichshafen AG
ZF Aftermarket Turning Assistance System CV Retrofit Solution
A novel new turning and lane change assistant that rises above other systems thanks to the fact that its sensor system combines radar with optical sensors. In poor weather conditions, such as heavy rain, fog or snow when the camera is unable to supply reliable information, the radar is supplemented by a second sensor system.

SAF-Holland Group
SAF TRAKr electric axle for regenerative braking
An innovative idea for transforming the kinetic braking and deceleration energy in conventional semi-trailers – energy that would otherwise be lost in the form of heat – into an exploitable resource.

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