CLEPA will be present at the Automechanika, the world’s leading trade fair for the automotive industry, which opens its doors in Frankfurt on Tuesday, 11 September 2012. The concept of this year’s stand is focused on “Reman” – promoting the advantages of remanufacturing mechanical and electronic automotive products. The CLEPA booth is located in Halle 3 VIA, Booth number: FOY 01, sponsored by participating member companies.

Reman – also known as “exchange” – has been longstanding in the automotive aftermarket and is a future core business in many fields. In the past, the concerned product groups have been mainly mechanical products like starters, alternators, clutches, engines and gearboxes etc. Today, Reman is not only the solution for used mechanical products but also for electronic components like ECUs, hybrid and electric parts. CLEPA estimates that the European automotive remanufacturing business is worth approximately 8 to 10 billion Euros (retail sales).

“Reman is one of the main growth drivers in the European aftermarket which is with the US the largest worldwide” said Mr Jean Marc Gales, CLEPA CEO.

Together with other Reman Associations CLEPA worked on a common definition which describes the requirements and the process. The current progress in this area is the result of a joint effort from APRA (Automotive Parts Remanufacturer Association, USA and Europe), CLEPA (European Association of Automotive Suppliers), FIRM (International Federation of Engine Remanufacturers and Rebuilders, Europe), MERA (Motor and Equipment Remanufacturers Association, USA) and RIC (Remanufacturing Industries Council, USA).

The advantages of Reman derive from the fact that Reman products fulfill a similar function to and are warranted as the original product. Therefore they have to be differentiated from reused, repaired or recycled products. Reman has not only an overall positive impact on safety, employment and the economy, it is also an important factor of the sustainability strategy of the automotive supplier industry: according to an Ecofys study commissioned by CLEPA, remanufactured products can help saving up to 400kt CO². This is comparable to the emission of 200.000 vehicles per year or the absorption of 30.000 hectares forest (more than the size of Frankfurt).

Together with JAPIA (Japan Auto Parts Industries Association), MEMA (The

Motor&Equipment Manufacturers Association), TecCOM, VDA (Verband der Automobilindustrie) and VREI (Verein Freier Ersatzteilemarkt e.V.), CLEPA also participates in the common booth “Messe Frankfurt Against Copying” which is situated in the FOYER, Hall 4.1. This initiative aims to ensure that exhibitors and visitors are fully informed about the registration and assertion of intellectual property rights.

Note to Editors 

CLEPA is the European Association of Automotive Suppliers.

93 of the world's most prominent suppliers for car parts, systems and modules and 25 National trade associations and European sector associations are members of CLEPA, representing more than 3 thousand companies, employing more than

5 million people and covering all products and services within the automotive supply chain. Based in Brussels, Belgium, CLEPA is recognized as the natural discussion partner by the European Institutions, United Nations and fellow associations

(ACEA, JAMA, MEMA, etc).

For more information, please contact: Isadora Forcén Vasquez, Policy Officer CLEPA Aftermarket i.forcen@clepa.be

Tel.: +32 2 743 91 27 and consult: www.clepa.eu