The Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI) has played a definitive role in the motoring industry of South Africa ever since its inception in 1908 and has a proud heritage, representing almost 8 000 members nationally. The RMI brand is locally and internationally recognised for the key role it plays in ensuring its members deliver top class service to motoring customers.
“As we head into the ‘20s we are now excited to be shifting gear and looking to the future as part of our New Thinking Model (NTM),” says Jakkie Olivier, CEO of RMI. Olivier says the organisation has embarked on an evolution, not only of what the brand stands for, but how it is represented.
On 1 December, the RMI officially launched its new RMI logo as well as a new look for each of its 8 Constituent Associations.
Olivier explains that this was not a change, purely for change sake. The primary objective of the design brief was to unify a group of 13 different Constituent Association’s logos that have developed at different times and in different ways. “Our aim,” says Olivier, “was to consolidate and unify all logos as a family that could live together in a group well into the future under the RMI umbrella, without the confusion of the previous logos. It was also the ideal time to look at new identities as many of our Associations have merged in line with our new business model. Earlier in the year we took the decision to consolidate some of our Associations into stronger, more aligned businesses.”
Olivier says the Organisation has effectively moved from having 13 different Associations to 8 strong Associations all falling under the strong RMI brand.
- TEPA – Tyre, Equipment, Parts Association. The Motor Parts and Equipment Association (MPEA), the Motor Industry Manufacturers’ Association (MIMA) and the Tyre Dealers‘ and Fitment Association (TDAFA), have consolidated under the new TEPA brand.
- ARA – Automotive Remanufacturers’ Association. The three specialist fields within the remanufacturers’ trade sector of the Motor Industry – ERA (Engine Remanufacturers’ Association – automotive engineers), SADFIA (South African Diesel Fuel Injection Association – injectors and fuel pumps), and ACRA (Automotive Components Remanufacturers’ Association – various components) have all consolidated under one strong new brand.
- NADA – National Automobile Dealers‘ Association. NADA now incorporates the Motorcycle Dealers’ Association (MDA).
Complementing these three new entities are the balance of the Associations including:
- SAMBRA – South African Motor Body Repairers’ Association.
- MIWA – Motor Industry Workshop Association.
- SAVABA – South African Vehicle and Bodybuilders’ Association.
- SAPRA – South African Petroleum Retailers’ Association.
- VTA – Vehicle Testing Association.
All the logos have been specially designed using a common custom-made font and a limited palate of colours to further unify the RMI family. Careful attention has been paid to ensure the logos are strong and impactful to work at various sizes and across multiple platforms. The unifying mark – Proud Association of RMI – unites and pulls all the various logos together to present a united and professional front.
“The RMI and its Associations have a very strong heritage and legacy and we were careful in the redesign to freshen and modernise our identity without losing any of our rich history which is so important to all our members and key stakeholders,” says Olivier.
The result is a dynamic family of modernised and unified logos all working well under one umbrella group. They are unique from each other and separate from the strong RMI brand.
All of the new logos will be rolled out over the next couple of months so consumers can look forward to some exciting changes. “We are paving the way for RMI to be established and registered as a Professional Body for Automotive designations. Once implemented this will professionalise jobs in the automotive industry. Our new identity reflects our transforming modern organisation,” concludes Olivier.
ENDS