AATF 2002: A to Z
AATF 2002
The 26th Australian Automotive Trade Fair took place at Olympic Park Homebush again this year. Paint & Panel was there to report on the latest products and services showcased at the annual event.
A is for
Air & Allied Sales Australia -- Air & Allied's Greg Mitchell was at his company's stand demonstrating the innovative AirVANTAGE random orbital sanders including a 3" spot repair sander. Also being demonstrated at the stand was the new System One single polish product using AirVANTAGE sanders.
Enquiries, tel: (07) 3272 7999, www.air-allied.com.au.
Amek Australia -- Adelaide-based Amek Australia is the sole importer of a range of high quality European collision repair equipment including brands such as Globaljig, Technolift, Pei Point and USI. Managing director Charlie Scalzi was at the stand with Globaljig general manager Alberto Bigini, who had flown into Sydney from Italy for the show. While the Amek stand was full of innovative product, the star of the stand was the Globaljig Super Rotax, and on display in Australia for the first time was the Traxo; a fully hydraulic, robotic pulling arm. The Traxo does away with the need for chains and clamps by using a series of jaws to hold sheet metal panels and chassis rails.
Enquiries, tel: (08) 8331 9424, website: www.amek.com.au.
B is for
BOC Gases -- BOC was showing a range of abrasives, hand tools and spray gun equipment at its stand as well as air compressors and welding products.
Enquiries, Owen Knight, tel: (02) 8874 4400, website: www.boc.com.au.
C is for
Car-O-Liner Australia -- Managing director Julie Thomas was presiding over another impressive Car-O-Liner showing at the fair, with the new Mark 6 Mobile Bench System and the EC Design consultancy tool taking pride of place. The Car-O-Liner EC Design allows bodyshop design to be undertaken within a three-dimensional computer program. Also on the stand was Richard Goldgrabe, the managing director of Elektron Germany, a leader in welding technology.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 4271 6287, website: www.car-o-liner.com.au.
Car-O-Liner Sweden -- Bangkok-based area sales director Russ Coad was on hand to demonstrate the benefits of the Car-O-Liner system to fair visitors. Coad was able to show Car-O-Liner's innovative training programs on computer, designed for some of the many OEMs the company works closely with. "We do more than just push bits of metal," said Coad. "We add value to our welding and measuring and alignment systems through training and education." On the stand was a range of high pressure spot welders with innovative heads able to be repositioned or changed quickly and easily.
Car-O-Liner Sweden is actively seeking distributors for its welding equipment in New South Wales and Victoria.
Enquiries, tel: +66 294 12025, email: russcoad@car-o-liner.se, website:www.car-o-liner.se.
CMC Services -- Providing an authentic Greek cafe experience, complete with coffee and lollies, the HB Body stand within CMC Services' extensive show area was one of the highlights of the fair. HB Body managing director Ilias Vassiliadis, area sales manager Nikolas Smagas and CMC managing director Spiros Stouraitis were at the stand showcasing a range of new HB Body products, not least of which was a coloured primer which eliminates the need for sanding and cuts back on the amount of translucent paint needed to cover a panel. Also on the CMC stand was the Spanesi range of spray booths, alignment systems, welders and infra red products. New to Australia was the Multipark; cost-effective and hassle-free multi-level parking equipment.
Enquiries, tel: (03) 9482 9222, website: www.cmc-services.com.au.
D is for
DNS -- Directors Dylan de Silva and Steve O'Brien were busy demonstrating the benefits of estimating system QuotePlus and electronic parts ordering system SmashLink. Melbourne-based DNS Technology again had an impressive stand equipped with state-of-the-art computer systems. Also on the stand was WA QuotePlus representative Cameron Wallis of Amcap.
Enquiries, tel: (03) 9548 7400, website: www.dnstech.com.au.
E is for
ERS -- Australia's leading solvent recycler ERS was showing a range of degreasers, spray gun washers, oil absorbants and cleaning systems. The company's Turbowash aqueous parts washers are market leaders in Australia.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 9832 8766, website: www.environmentalrecovery.com.
F is for
Fan Welding -- Director Gary Locke was on hand to show visitors his range of Austrian-made Fan Proton water-cooled spot welders as well as dent repair systems, spot weld removers, hoists, panel bonding kits and polyester gap fillers.
Enquiries, tel: 1800 010 540.
G is for
GnG Sales -- Possibly the most popular stand in the whole show once it was revealed that an airbrush artist would be painting one of the promotions girls at the show, the GnG Sales stand was bulging with products for the modern collision repairer including the full range of Star spray guns and Workquip air tools. Sales director Garry Benson was there to direct operations.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 9838 1299, website: www.workquip.com.au.
H is for
HW Imports -- General manager Tim Searson headed up the HW Imports contingent from Malaga in WA. A huge range of collision repair equipment from fillers to dry sanding systems, infra-red systems to spray gun washers was evident on the stand. New to the show was the NAS infra-red lights available in medium or short wave and the Meguro seam sealer tape now available in 6, 8, 10, 15 and 20mm sizes.
Enquiries, tel: (08) 9248 1153, website: www.hwimports.com.au.
I is for
Inhab Australia -- Inhab was showing for the first time an Australian-designed and built infra-red curing arch and a representative for the Queensland-based company said the response from the trade to the new arch had been "very encouraging".
Enquiries, tel: (07) 5571 5788, www.inhab.com.au.
J is for
Jackson Collision Repair Equipment -- Steve Jackson was at the Jacksons stand showing a large range of equipment including Australian-made spot welders, a new paintless dent repair system imported from the US, plastic repair systems and hand tools.
Enquiries, tel: 1800 810 782.
K is for
Karcher Australia -- The German cleaning systems company was at the show with a range of car wash systems, spray gun cleaners, solvent reclaimers and wet and dry vacuums.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 9756 4664, website: www.karcher.com.au.
L is for
Loctite -- The Teroson range of sealants was on display at the Loctite stand, including the Terostat 9100 adhesive sealant for all jobs involving sealing, bonding and fast paint over, the 9200 for bonding of performance accessories such as spoilers and trims and the 9320 'Factory Finish' sprayable seam sealant.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 9525 8366, website: www.loctite.com.au.
Lumley Technology -- Showcasing the VQS Windows-based estimating and bodyshop management system were Lumley product manager Arthur de Lima and training and support consultant Mary Boutcher. Although some uninformed visitors were more interested in the flat screen television on the Lumley stand, de Lima and Boutcher reported a good response from the trade for their company's innovative systems.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 9248 1391, website: www.lumleytechnology.com.au.
M is for
Meguiars -- A couple of beautiful show cars on the Meguiars stand were testament to the success of the brand and its exclusive import, House of Kolor. The full range of Meguiars car care products was on display as well as a selection of House of Kolor custom vehicle paints, all overseen by general manager Ray Morrison.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 9737 9422, website: www.meguiars.com.au.
N is for
Norton Abrasives -- Sydney-based national accounts manager Ken Gorsevsky and Queensland-based technical account manager Andrew Krosch manned the Norton stand which was showcasing the company's unique Blue Sheeting, Rotolo foam rolls, dry sanding systems and abrasives.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 8784 9100, website: www.nortonco.com.au.
O is for
OH&S Seminars -- On the Sunday, a free seminar, sponsored by Motor Equipment News took place, hosted by risk management strategist Paul Shrubb. The seminar outlined important obligations under OH&S legislation which might ultimately safeguard not only your staff, but your business itself.
P is for
Permatex -- A wide range of cleaning and car care equipment was on hand at the Permatex stand -- literally. The Parr Painter's Clean hand cleaner is especially useful for the busy paint shop. It is a waterless hand cleaner which contains no volatile petroleum solvents or paint thinners and so is kinder to your skin. According to technical sales rep Ryan Counihan, other Permatex products useful to the collision repairer include thread retainers, adhesives, fillers, windshield repair kits and rearview mirror adhesives.
Enquiries, tel: (03) 9523 5073, website: www.timken.com.
Plastex -- Paul Mallows was at the Plastex stand demonstrating his company's plastic repair system, available in kit form. The Melbourne-based company has been growing fast as more and more repairers enter the potentially lucrative plastic repair niche.
Enquiries, tel: (03) 9844 0611, website: www.plastex.net.au.
Q is for
QuotePlus -- The benefits of the Windows-based estimating and bodyshop management system from DNS Technologies was demonstrated at the show on the DNS stand.
Enquiries, tel: (03) 9548 7400, website: www.dnstech.com.au.
R is for
Rupes Power Tools Australia -- Rupes was actively marketing its range of dust extraction and sanding systems at the show under general manager Ami Hochenberg. Promotions including digital camera giveaways were available at the show.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 9966 4200, website: www.rupes.com.au.
S is for
SAPE -- With one of the largest stands at the fair, Sydney Automotive Paints & Equipment had a huge range of equipment on show. Sales manager Andy Miller was busy directing his sales team across the large multi-brand showspace. New at SAPE was the Celette range of measuring and alignment systems and the Car System -- a range of abrasives, fillers, spot repair and bonding products made in Germany.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 9568 2233, website: www.sape.com.au.
S & S Industries -- General manager Tony Siroen was exhibiting for the first time at the show. His WA-based company is marketing a range of Canadian-made BECCA waste solvent recycling and paint gun cleaning systems including the all-in-one BECCA Combo system. S & S Industries also manufactures the well-known range of Zodiac spray booths, ovens and prep bays.
Enquiries, tel: (08) 9274 6566, website: www.ssindustries.com.au.
Sika Australia -- Industry manager Joanne Mannion was overseeing the busy Sika stand which showcased everything from adhesives to paints, sealants to tapes and windscreen repair systems.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 9725 1700, website: www.sika.com.au.
Suttons Parts -- Another huge stand, the Suttons display covered everything from adhesives to welders, dry sanding to spray guns. Rob Madden was on hand to showcase the company's 'one-stop-shop' which also includes HSV and HRT merchandise.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 9648 3688, website: www.suttons.com.au.
System One -- Exclusively represented in Australia by Peter Doolan and Greg Morris, System One is a one-polish system which does everything from cutting to fine hand polishing. It is a low paint removal system so the paint's protective properties stay intact. The polish contains no silicone and no filler so it doesn't hide swirl marks -- it removes them. It removes scratches down to 1200 D.A and is able to polish most surfaces including fibreglass and plastic. System One was being demonstrated at the show using the AirVANTAGE range of random orbital sanders from Air & Allied Sales.
Enquiries, tel: 0407 891 113, www.systemone.com.au.
T is for
Trimfix -- Plastic welding kits including heat gun, welding rods, weld lugs, ABS cement, instruction manual and video were being shown at the Trimfix stand.
Enquiries, tel: (03) 5428 3988.
U is for
Unic International -- UK-based Unic director Geoff Croft was on local distributor HW Imports' stand demonstrating his latest solvent recycling and spray gun cleaner Kombi unit. Dirty solvent is pumped automatically from the spray gun cleaning tank and recycled while the technician continues to use the cleaner.
Enquiries, HW Imports, tel: (08) 9248 1153, website: www.hwimports.com.au.
V is for
Visitors -- the lack of a formal registration process meant no visitor numbers were available from the fair organisers, who said they were focussing however, on "quality, not quantity".
W is for
Windscreen removal demonstrations -- Equalizer Industries was at the show demonstrating its range of patented auto glass removal tools and techniques. The Texas-based company is currently seeking Australian distributors.
Enquiries, tel: (1) 512 388 7715, website: www.equalizer.com.
X is for
X-rated body painting -- well almost X-rated. The GnG Sales stand was the most popular in the show when Sonja (Miss Nude 2001) stripped down for air brush expert Tony Esder to showcase the ultra-fine properties of the company's range of Star spray guns and air brushes.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 9838 1299, website: www.star.com.au.
Y is for
York Street -- which is where you will find the offices of the German-Australian Chamber of Industry & Commerce. The Chamber represents Messe Frankfurt, the organisers of Automechanika. Trade fair manager Doris Schnyder was running the Automechanika stand at the AATF, encouraging people to sign up for the next Frankfurt show on 17-22 September, 2002.
Enquiries, tel: (02) 8296 0455, website: www.automechanika.com.
Z is for
Zughans -- At the show was a new stand-based dent puller system from Switzerland called Zughans, distributed in NSW and Qld by Fan Welding. Translated into English it means 'Pull Hans' after the inventor whose first name is Hans. Suction cups tension the panel while the pulling mechanism attaches to the lugs welded onto the dent.
Enquiries, tel: 1800 010 540.