David Moneo: ‘Motortec tries to boost the profitability of companies, showing trends in innovation and management’

David Moneo, director of Motortec, gives us this interview with just over a week to go before the long-awaited edition of the Madrid trade fair, after three years of changes as a result of the COVID pandemic. Now that this stage has been overcome, Motortec returns, from 23 to 26 April, with greater strength and with an offer ‘in which one or two days’ visit is very short’. Lea esta entrevista en castellano.

Interview published in AutoRevista 2.400.

AutoRevista.-  What can we anticipate about the return of Motortec after an atypical three-year period?

David Moneo.- We sense a great desire to exhibit and visit Motortec. We have grown, compared to 2019, by almost 10% in terms of surface area, with almost 100 more exhibitors, and we are doubling the number of exhibitors from the previous edition, in 2022. We are close to 700 exhibitors, compared to 590 in 2019 and 450 in 2022. We have increased our offer in all sectors: spare parts, commercial vehicles, washing, service stations, garage equipment... For example, we will have representation from the European garage equipment association, GEA (Garage Equipment Association).

AR.- What are the objectives of this edition?

D.M.- Motortec focuses on the prospect of companies generating much more profitable business. It also seeks to contribute to making the evolution of the sector visible in the coming months, through the dissemination of trends and innovations that help, for example, workshops to adapt to electrification, digitalisation... The aftermarket is generating much more activity in recent months, but sometimes not along the lines of profitability that is expected. Motortec tries to boost the profitability of companies, showing the trends in innovation and management that will mark the evolution over the next two years, until the next Motortec.

The aftermarket is generating much more activity in recent months, but sometimes not along the lines of profitability that is expected. Motortec tries to boost the profitability of companies

AR.- What are your expectations regarding the big companies?

D.M.- We have brought back many of them, although it is true that some of them will be absent, which we blame on the fact that the original equipment business is not doing as well as the aftermarket and that influences their decision to participate. However, Bosch, Brembo, Mann+Hummel will still be there and will have large stands and major displays. 

Bosch is organising the Truck Challenge, aimed at professionals involved in the workshop, repair and maintenance of commercial vehicles. Its aim is to promote technical professionalism in this field.  Each day, the contestant who demonstrates the greatest knowledge and speed in the practical tests will receive an Apple Watch Series 10. On 23 April, the competition will focus on students and future professionals with the help of Comforp and Afupro, where we are expecting around 1,000 students. With this initiative, Motortec reaffirms its commitment to training and promoting new generations in the mobility sector.

For its part, ZF will be setting up a physical demonstration of what the workshop of the future, the digital workshop, will be like. Motortec will therefore become a showcase for trends for the coming months and years, just like a fashion catwalk until the next Motortec in 2027. Sustainability in the workshop, tyres, hybrid engines, electric vehicle management in the workshop and many other topics of great interest to the sector will be discussed.

AR.- One sector that is experiencing very substantial growth is the industrial vehicle sector.

D.M.- The industrial vehicle is going to play a fundamental role.  We have grown a lot in terms of exhibition space, around 20%, specifically for commercial vehicle companies, a sector with which we have worked hand in hand, thanks also to the work of the company specialising in commercial vehicle after-sales, as well as strengthening relations with AERVI (Spanish Commercial Vehicle After-Sales Association) and Faconauto V. I. We will be hosting the 4th Congress of Commercial Vehicle Workshops, which will address the challenges and impact of the aftermarket on transport efficiency and will begin with the presentation of an unpublished report on ‘Transport fleets and their impact on the after-sales of commercial vehicles today. Goods and passengers. Fleets and the self-employed’, prepared by the V.I. After Sales Club.

The industrial vehicle is going to play a fundamental role.  We have grown a lot in terms of exhibition space, around 20%, specifically for commercial vehicle companies

In addition, we are going to set up 120 square metres for industrial vehicle supplier SMEs; and we have opened the doors to large industrial vehicle fleets for both goods and passenger vehicles in the case of buses. We are going to invite the main associations of these sectors, Confebus, Direbus, CTEM, ASTIC... We are going to recognise the fleets with the Best Responsible and Predictive Maintenance in their management, as this is a factor that results in more sustainable, safe and efficient vehicles by optimising their use. Our intention is also to open up to commercial vehicle dealer networks through Faconauto V.I. These are dealers who, although they work in the after-sales sector at an official level, find opportunities for independent after-sales in the case of used vehicles.

AR.- The presence of the service station sector will also be intensified.

D.M.- The programme ‘Service Stations, horizon 2030’, organised by MADIC Group on 24 April at 10:30 a.m. in Hall 8 of IFEMA MADRID, will continue to bring together key voices from the sector. On this occasion, the meeting expands its content, addressing one of the great challenges of the energy sector: the future of electric recharging infrastructures in Spain. We are going to give visibility to a disruptive change in terms of the incorporation of electric recharging not only in the service stations themselves, but also in how it can help workshops and dealerships to incorporate the issue of recharging. If anything is going to change, it is going to be the service stations, and we are going to see these new technologies at Motortec.

AR.- Another key point in the new consolidation of the fair is internationalisation.

D.M.- We have doubled the exhibition space for companies not based in Spain, from China, Poland, Turkey, Mexico, Morocco, through interaction with associations from all these countries. We have complemented this with a very powerful programme for buyers from Europe, Latin America, North Africa and Central Africa, which will take the form of B2B conferences with exhibitors, not forgetting the accreditation of almost 30 international media. 

We are going to organise, on 24 April, the Iberian Aftermarket Forum, to see synergies and business opportunities between the Spanish and Portuguese sectors

As specific actions, we are going to organise, on 24 April, the Iberian Aftermarket Forum, to see synergies and business opportunities between the Spanish and Portuguese sectors, with the participation of the associations ANECRA, ARAN and ACAP from Portugal, and CETRAA, CONEPA and ANCERA from Spain. 

On the other hand, I would highlight the participation of Morocco in Motortec 2025, through the Moroccan Agency for the Development of Foreign Trade, AMDIE, and the Moroccan Association for the Automotive Industry and Trade, AMICA. Their participation not only opens up new opportunities for collaboration between Spain and Morocco, but also highlights the country's importance as an emerging hub in the global automotive industry.

I would highlight the participation of Morocco in Motortec 2025, through the Moroccan Agency for the Development of Foreign Trade, AMDIE, and the Moroccan Association for the Automotive Industry and Trade, AMICA

We will have the valuable collaboration of the Moroccan Automotive Interprofessional Group, GIPAM, which brings together manufacturers, importers, distributors and suppliers of maintenance services and spare parts for all types of vehicles. GIPAM will be present with a large delegation of Moroccan buyers, importers and distributors, which will be a key opportunity to boost business and encourage the creation of strategic alliances in the sector.

AR.- How are you going to promote attendance by the general public?

D.M.- Motortec is a professional event, but we are reinforcing it with complementary activities with a more recreational aspect. We want to achieve a 360º event and for this we will have an exhibition of six Formula 1 single-seaters provided by the Recalvi Foundation, as well as three MotoGP motorbikes and a representation of original racing suits, helmets and gloves, in almost 900 m2 that will delight fans of racing, motor racing and F1, in a nod to the MADRING Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2026. 

Motortec is a professional event, but we are reinforcing it with complementary activities with a nod to the MADRING Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2026

On the other hand, through the IFEMA MADRID fair, Retromóvil, we will set up a space of 400 m2 for 25 classic cars to reach not only motor enthusiasts, but also classic car after-sales specialists. In this way, we are adding competition and classic cars to Motortec.

AutoRevista: How are you approaching a new edition of the Innovation Gallery?

David Moneo.-  We have doubled the number of products submitted in the six categories to 45, compared to 22 in the 2022 edition and 25 in the 2019 edition.  The winners will be unveiled at a gala on 23 April, on the first day of Motortec, at 18:00, with the likely presence of the Secretary General for Innovation of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism. SERNAUTO has made a great contribution through the ‘Choose Quality, Choose Confidence’ area, with its Innovation and Development area, with a highly qualified jury.