At Automechanika Frankfurt 2026, the bilstein group highlighted its expanding aftermarket portfolio, global sourcing strategy and growing commitment to India, with senior executives outlining opportunities across sales, procurement, distribution and emerging vehicle segments.
For the bilstein group, Automechanika Frankfurt continues to serve as one of the most important meeting points for the global aftermarket industry. At the 2026 edition, the company used the platform to showcase its expanding portfolio, strengthen relationships with customers and suppliers, and communicate a clear message about its ambitions in emerging markets – particularly India.
Mr. Philipp Hess, Global Sales Director, Group Sales Automotive, Ferdinand Bilstein GmbH & Co. KG, said the company’s key message at Frankfurt centred on its “All Around the Wheel” campaign, underlining the breadth of its offering across the wheel-end and chassis ecosystem. With around 28,000 articles covering wheel hubs, braking, suspension, steering and axles, the company is positioning itself as a comprehensive single-source supplier.
“We have 28,000 articles really all around the wheel. Whether it’s the wheel hub, the braking system, the suspension system, the steering system or the axle, everything comes out of one hand from one supplier to our customers,” Philipp said.
The campaign also reflects the company’s focus on quality and OE specifications, backed by its long heritage as a family-owned business. At the same time, the bilstein group is expanding its wear-and-tear programme for emerging Chinese vehicle brands, which Philipp sees becoming increasingly relevant not only in India but also across Africa, Latin America and Europe.
Frankfurt remains the company’s home turf, although Philipp pointed to the growing importance of other international exhibitions. Shanghai, in particular, has become strategically important, with the bilstein group planning to participate there every year. The company also continues to regard Dubai as a significant aftermarket platform.
For Philipp, however, the changing geopolitical environment is making long-term planning more complicated. The answer, he believes, lies in maintaining strong relationships while retaining the agility to adapt.
“At the end of the day, I think it’s still people in this business making the business, making connections and then working trustfully together. We are hopefully always able to bridge everything and still maintain this global footprint and also this global view,” he said.
India emerges as a sourcing and market opportunity
The India opportunity is being viewed from multiple perspectives within the bilstein group. Mr. Andre Müller, Group Category & Procurement Director, Bilstein group, highlighted the importance of Automechanika as a platform for identifying new suppliers and developing business relationships.
For the procurement organisation, India is particularly interesting because of its manufacturing capabilities. Following the establishment of its Indian entity, the company has been visiting production plants and studying local capabilities and challenges, while preparing to expand its local team.
“We visited a lot of production plants and learned a lot about Indian possibilities and challenges. We are looking forward to really building up the business in the Indian future with our team, which, by the way, will also grow. We see a lot of business possibilities in India within the next years for us,” Andre said.
This focus on India as a sourcing base complements bilstein group’s broader strategy for the country. Philipp sees India not only as an emerging mobility market but also as an important manufacturing and sourcing base, giving the company a two-fold opportunity to strengthen both its supply chain and customer base.
From an Asia Pacific perspective, Mr. Suchirthan Ratnasingham, Regional Sales Director, Sales Asia Pacific, Group Sales Automotive, bilstein group, sees Frankfurt as an important launchpad for taking the company’s global campaign into other markets.
He noted that the “All Around the Wheel” concept being showcased in Frankfurt would also be carried forward to Automechanika Shanghai, allowing customers and partners in Asia Pacific to experience the same proposition.
“The footfall of Asia Pacific is great. Today is the second day and it’s very busy over here. And it’s really good because this is something, this concept, this campaign concept, we are going to transfer also to Automechanika Shanghai,” Suchirthan said.
India is an increasingly important component of this regional strategy. Following the opening of its subsidiary, bilstein group is concentrating on sales and distribution, expanding its portfolio, identifying distribution partners and strengthening relationships with existing partners.
Suchirthan said the company was “quite happy” with the progress being made in India, reflecting the growing momentum behind the market.
Building the India proposition
For Mr. Ramachandra Puttanna, Managing Director, Bilstein group India, the company’s India operation is now moving from establishing a presence to actively pursuing growth opportunities. Automechanika Frankfurt, he said, provides an important platform to connect and reconnect with customers and suppliers while also identifying future opportunities.
“For India in particular, I think that we are now putting fast baby steps, and we are now trying to also take up the pole position in most of the important business opportunities,” said Ram, as he is fondly known in the industry.
One immediate opportunity is the mining segment, particularly in India Ram highlighted the importance of quality, cost and delivery, supported by FEBI’s extensive range of more than 90,000 part numbers and its electronic cataloguing capabilities. The company is also preparing to establish its own warehouse in India, which he expects will improve delivery speed and strengthen the local proposition.
Ram believes the mining opportunity can provide a springboard for wider growth across passenger cars and commercial vehicles, with 2027 expected to be a significant year for the Indian operation.
“I must also thank my customers and my suppliers to have kept the faith in the brand FEBI.
The bilstein group is a seventh-generation, family-run group of companies founded in 1844, FEBI has had a history of success which has been ongoing for more than 180 years, which is being continued consistently. With 23 international subsidiaries and agencies in more than 170 countries, the bilstein group is one of the world’s leading players in the Independent Aftermarket.
The group opened the 23rd subsidiary in India, which means that we would like to be as close as possible to our customers,” he said.
With a combination of global scale, an expanding product portfolio, stronger sourcing capabilities and a growing local infrastructure, bilstein group is clearly positioning India as more than another regional market. The company’s strategy increasingly sees the country as an integral part of its global aftermarket and supply-chain ambitions.
