The Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI) welcomed the recent destruction of non-conforming automotive friction materials at the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) in Midrand.

Vishal Premlall, national director of the South African Petroleum Retailers Association, a proud association of the RMI, was a guest at the event at which about R80 million worth of illicit products were destroyed.

The automotive products destroyed included brake pads, brake shoes, headlamps, globes, foam tyre cleaners and infant car seats.

“We are pleased to see progress and for the first time in many years, a public display of non-conforming product destruction. Now we need a database of the conforming products as a starting reference for the consumer because the continued trade in inferior products impacts the safety of road users,” Premlall said.

Premlall added that collaboration between the RMI and the Automotive Friction Material Industry to regulate brake friction materials had been ongoing over an extended period, but often with frustrating results for the parties involved.

The project seemed to lack momentum by the regulatory and compliance bodies, despite the fact that the growth of brands of friction material over the past two decades had been exponential.

Most concerning, Premlall said, was there had been no means to confirm the quality and validity of these products in the local marketplace.

“The illegal trade is evolving daily. Careful tracking is essential. Accordingly, the RMI will partner efforts with all relevant stakeholders to bring guilty perpetrators to account.”

To further this agenda, the RMI would take discussions to heightened levels at the NRCS and ensure that products entering the automotive market were safe and of acceptable manufacturing standards.

“RMI member workshops pride themselves in only dealing with reputable parts suppliers with trusted products that meet the regulatory standards. We must stand together to rid the industry of unscrupulous traders.”