www.automobil.co.za
September 2023
eDItOr’S Letter
DrIVer’S SeAt
For information on the RMI and its workings, visit www.rmi.org.za or call 011 886 6300
hat a whirlwind the past two weeks have been! The RMi just fin-
ished exhibiting at the Festival of Motoring at Kyalami, which was
a great success. It is always so important to showcase our brand
to our customers and give them the peace of mind in knowing that by using
an RMI accredited member their vehicle will be tended to according to the
highest quality standards.
In a couple of days we head off for Johannesburg Expo Centre for the 8th
edition of Automechanika Johannesburg, the largest business platform for
the automotive aftermarket on the African continent. It is the ideal meeting
place for all stakeholders to gather, connect, and network, bringing together
suppliers and buyers and showcasing rapidly changing technologies and
processes. The event will play host to multiple sector-related conferences
making it a must-attend event for those involved in the automotive
aftermarket sector. Of course, the RMI and its constituent
Associations will be there in force – building momentum
together with the team from Automechanika. We greatly
value the partnership with Messe Frankfurt and welcome the
opportunity to showcase our values, services and products to
other owners and product suppliers.
We will once again have a large stand at the show
supported by each of our eight Associations. We’ve got
some exciting activities planned including the debut of
our new corporate video.
In addition to our stand, we will also be
hosting a number of executive meetings and
conferences. In celebration of women’s month
in August we will be hosting our Women Driving
change event with a theme: Enough strength for
the journey. It promises to be another exciting celebration of our heritage,
diversity and inclusion.
On the labour and training front, we are hosting an RMI Labour and Skills
conference that will look at labour law and skills in the automotive aftermarket
– particularly regarding who’s pushing and who’s pulling. The demand and
supply of skills and labour are crucial in improving competitiveness and
allowing the industry to contribute even more significantly to the country’s
GDP so this will be a critical conference to attend.
Equally there will be a strong focus on compliance with TEPA hosting an
impressive line-up of expert speakers for their one day ‘Blow the Whistle’
conference on 7 September. The session will focus on the very important
issue of industry compliance and the need to set up an Industry Compliance
Forum. Their powerful slogan of #seeitsayit should resonate with delegates.
MIWA will co-host a conference unpacking and reviewing where we
are two years on with the Guidelines for Competition in South Africa. The
conference entitled ‘The Guidelines – Making it work for YOU!’ will also
include a good global view from the CEO of the Australian Automotive
Aftermarket Association (AAAA).
Finally, the VTA will be hosting a conference that promises to be an
exciting and vibrant information-sharing and networking event for all vehicle
testing industry stakeholders. Topics that will be covered include testing of
electric vehicles and corruption in the vehicle testing industry.
As you can see the stage is set for an informative and vibrant couple of
days with jam-packed activities and networking opportunities. It really is the
one event in the year you don’t want to miss so we encourage all members
to really make an effort to attend.
Jakkie Olivier, RMI Chief Executive Officer
It is show time
s we put this issue of Automobil
to bed in between the Festival of
Motoring at Kyalami and the up-
coming Automechanika it got me think-
ing about the importance of these types
of trade shows.
Trade shows are a great opportunity
for exhibitors and visitors alike to ex-
pand their horizons. For exhibitors they
are an important part of their marketing
strategy and an opportunity to directly
engage with customers, clients or part-
ners in a way that is different to any oth-
er type of marketing.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed
the way we do business, interact and
shop. Virtual meetings are now the
norm and online shopping the preferred
way of acquiring raw materials, parts
and other goods needed to keep your
business running.
However, this method very often sees
people stick to what they know. With no
opportunity to touch and feel people are
inclined to keep buying the brands and
products they know and doing business
with the people that they have existing
relationships with.
Trade shows offer the opportunity to
discover new and exciting products and
chat to the people behind them. You
never know, you might be missing out on
something innovative. These events are
also a great opportunity to meet people
face to face, shake their hand and estab-
lish new relationships or cement existing
ones. The networking opportunities at
such an event are unrivalled.
Ahead of Automechanika I would like
to recommend that business owners
and suppliers set some time aside, get
out from behind their computers and
out of their offices and go shake hands
at Automechanika. It could very well
benefit your business in the long run.
Automechanika Johannesburg runs
from 5-7 September at the Nasrec Expo
Centre.
reuben van Niekerk,
reuben@automobil.org.za
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