--- title: "Why the Material Handling Industry Rebranded Itself" id: "15361" type: "post" slug: "why-the-material-handling-industry-rebranded-itself" published_at: "2013-01-15T20:33:56+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T19:04:50+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/01/15/why-the-material-handling-industry-rebranded-itself/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/01/15/why-the-material-handling-industry-rebranded-itself.md" excerpt: "The Material Handling Industry rebrands to MHI with a new logo and website for its members." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AI" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "C-suite" - "pet industry" - "rebranding" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Why the Material Handling Industry Rebranded Itself The Material Handling Industry, an association of supply-chain and manufacturing professionals, [will soon unveil (opens in a new tab)](http://www.controleng.com/single-article/mhi-is-the-new-face-of-material-handling-trade-group/e58cbad48d436d175ac67ea90acb3e1b.html) a new name and logo. The move is a strategic one for the association, whose new name will be “MHI” with the motto: “The industry that makes the supply chain work.” > We saw the need to evolve our association to reflect what’s happening in today’s supply chain. The new MHI will be more relevant to professionals in manufacturing and the supply chain as well as offer solutions and content to meet their needs. In an interview with *[Control Engineering (opens in a new tab)](http://www.controleng.com/single-article/mhi-is-the-new-face-of-material-handling-trade-group/e58cbad48d436d175ac67ea90acb3e1b.html)*, MHI chief executive George Prest cited the changing nature of the association’s members and the industry as the key basis for the rebrand. It’s a common reason that associations and businesses rebrand, as shifting technology and new member demographics come into play. “People in our industry, both members and end users, have an expanded role beond material handling to the overall supply chain,” Prest explains. “As these roles changed, we saw the need to evolve our association to reflect what’s happening in today’s supply chain. The new MHI will be more relevant to professionals in manufacturing and the supply chain as well as offer solutions and content to meet their needs.” By widening the association’s focus beyond “the four walls of a facility,” Prest and his board of governors are aiming to make MHI more inclusive, paving the way for more members in related fields and more events. MHI also plans to debut a new, branded website, which will be more solutions-focused—a [trend (opens in a new tab)](http://www.forbes.com/sites/ilyapozin/2012/03/27/top-7-web-design-mistakes-small-businesses-make/) associations have picked up on to better serve member needs. MHI will also offer a new service called MHI Solutions, providing resources including a print publication, e-newsletters, and news updates to keep members abreast of industry happenings. The new brand is set to be revealed next week at the ProMat, a high-profile event for members, guaranteeing buzz and high visibility. Though every association does it differently, the rebranding process can start simply, according to this [blog post (opens in a new tab)](http://www.smallbusinessforum.com.au/10-tips-for-rebranding/) from Small Business Forum. Three key steps: 1. **Ask why** you are you doing it. 2. **Allow plenty of opportunity** for people in the business to express their concerns about a rebranding strategy. (We’ve seen what happens [when people don’t](http://associationsnow.com/2012/12/rebranding-lessons-from-the-university-of-california/) .) 3. **Ensure high engagement** from the executive level and everyone else affected to carry through with the new message. Has your association ever tried rebranding to focus on a different aspect of your industry? What worked for you? (iStockphoto/Thinkstock) [Chloe Thompson](https://associationsnow.com/author/chloe-thompson/) Chloe Thompson is a contributing writer to Associations Now. 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