At the largest exhibition stand of the entire aftermarket trade show AutoZum, namely that of the Austrian specialist for automotive parts and accessories Birner, the German parts wholesale cooperation Carat presented itself at the end of January 2025 in the Salzburg exhibition halls. The Mannheim wholesalers' association used the show, which featured around 160 exhibitors, as a platform to familiarize the predominantly Austrian trade audience with its brands Corexx and Men@Work. A special highlight, however, was the market launch of the workshop appointment scheduling tool Drivemotive, which was introduced in Germany in 2018 and is now also being launched in Austria in partnership with Birner, about which we recently reported.
Great Interest in the New Booking Tool
Thus, the current date of the biennial trade fair served not only as a showcase for a selection of quality replacement parts and workshop equipment items, but also to highlight the close collaboration with Birner. And the presentation of Drivemotive as an additional component in the high-quality portfolio, according to the related press release, has indeed been very well received by the professionals.
The cooperation of the independent aftermarket (IAM) explicitly acting for the SME sector of the automotive parts industry demonstrated to the trade visitors a range of products covering everything from spare parts and starter batteries to chemical products. The Mannheim-based company noted approval not only from existing contacts. With great satisfaction, it was also able to engage new business customers. As stated in the press release:
“It became clear that the brand not only convinces existing customers but also offers great potential for acquiring new customers – a significant added value for Birner.”
In the field of workshop equipment, Carat impressed with products from the Men@Work brand. On stage, the mobile 1-column car lift SPL 1.25 M, capable of lifting up to 2.5 tons, and the tire mounting machine TCH 728 ZH Pro even made an interactive appearance. The latter is supposed to enable almost contactless tire dismounting and mounting – which means, in addition to reducing physical effort, the solution also decreases damage to rims and tires, as reported. The positive feedback is now prompting the company to show itself publicly more often with its partners. Carat Managing Director Christian Gabler summarizes:
“AutoZum 2025 was a great platform for us to present our products and partnerships to a wide audience.”
A similar sentiment comes from the Vienna-based provider of automotive parts and workshop equipment, Birner, which according to its own account is the market leader for auto spare parts and accessories, with a network of over 25 branches spanning all of Austria. Managing Director Franz Lettner is equally impressed by the trade fair response:
“The collaboration with Carat and our joint appearance at this year’s AutoZum underscore the strategic partnership that connects us. We are keen to further expand this cooperation to offer our customers a strong product range. The success at the fair shows that we are on the right path.”
Carat is based in Mannheim and unites as one of the large German parts cooperatives of independent automotive parts wholesalers in the Independent Aftermarket (IAM) over 120 affiliated partners. By being connected to ADI (Autodistribution International), which is represented in 41 countries worldwide, the company is part of one of the larger cooperatives of this kind in Europe. In addition to the wholesale of passenger car and commercial vehicle parts, the portfolio also includes franchise concepts and other services.
