South African design duo share their back story, bold designs and big plans for the Suzuki Jimny

Introduction

When I first came across MOD Equipment, I was instantly drawn to their clean design and clever thinking. As someone who also designs for the Suzuki Jimny community, I have a deep respect for brands that take the time to get things right.

MOD Equipment is run by two people, Donnet and Stan – and what they’ve achieved from a workshop in Cape Town is nothing short of inspiring. In this interview, we dive into their origin story, design process, and what it’s like building gear that’s trusted by Jimny owners around the world.

Let’s dive in and find out more…

How did MOD Equipment get started and can you introduce the team? What was the inspiration or need that led to the brand’s creation?

Hi! So the entire MOD team consists of just two people – Stan and myself, Donnet.

We bought our Jimny, Jim-Burr, in 2018 and immediately started kitting him out. But very soon ran into a few issues; everything on the market at that stage was either too big or too heavy for a Jimny. We wanted to create a compact, light-weight set up that was nimble enough to fit into our life in town as well as enabling us to hit the road for a couple months at a time.

While preparing for one of these longer trips – we were going on a 2-month long trip through Namibia – we simply made a few items that we couldn’t find and that we thought were obvious improvements to our camping set up. We bought some fabric, cut the patterns ourselves and took them to local street tailors to sew them up.

While we were on that trip we found ourselves jotting down all these adaptations we wanted to make to the gear we already owned. But it was only when we got back from the trip, after the dust settled, that we knew we wanted to develop some of our ideas into products of our own.

What drew you specifically to focus on the Suzuki Jimny? Was it personal experience, a gap in the market, or something else?

The simple answer is that we owned and loved our Jimny and wanted to make products for this amazing little car. There was a dwindling amount of anything being made for the older Jimny 3, but Suzuki had made this model for over 20 years. There are still loads of them on the road today. And we thought, why should they be left out of the accessories market?

Initially we didn’t even have any products for the newer Jimny 4. But that’s all changed now. We were having so many requests from Jimny 4 owners that saw the products we were making for the Jimny 3 that they wanted the same things for their cars. So it would have been a very bad business decision for us to not include the new Jimny.

Can you tell us about the meaning behind the name MOD Equipment? Does it stand for something in particular other than the obvious?

We wanted a name that wasn’t Jimny specific, that could expand and evolve with us if we wanted it to. And yes, despite the obvious meaning in the automotive industry, we like that it’s ambiguous. Modular, modify, modern.

When designing our logo we also looked at how the letters interacted with one another, and how an ‘M’ could look like a mountain; and an ‘O’ like a wheel, or the sun; and a ‘D’ like a crashing wave.

Your products are clearly made with a lot of thought. What’s your approach to designing gear for the Suzuki Jimny? Do you start with a problem to solve or a concept to improve?

We have quite a strict design and making policy. We don’t want to make frivolous accessories, we want to make products that work. And we apply this across many aspects of our life.

For MOD we initially started out with thinking about how we could adapt things we’d seen on the market to make work for the Jimny. But we soon realised that many cars out there don’t have the same challenges that a Jimny has. We all know one of these major challenges is the Jimny’s size. But this just makes the design process more invigorating. We think of it like designing for a tiny home.

You know, we spend many months a year living out of our car. And we’ve always thought why should the accessories that we make for our adventures be given any less consideration than the furniture in our home? So we make products that are practical but look really good too – considered.

So, we go from this Bauhaus principle of form following function, with function playing the lead role. And then we choose all the base materials which need to work for the function of each of the products. Because in the end we want to make a product that lasts as long as your car does and that makes your adventure life simple.

How do you test your gear in real-world conditions? Are you big on overlanding, trail testing, or customer feedback loops?

We started off doing rigorous testing ourselves. We did about a year’s worth of R&D and testing on our Jim before launching. We covered more than 15,000km on a number of trips in various terrains all for the sake of ‘testing’ – it was really for the adventure though 😉.

So yes, you could say we are big into overlanding!

We believe our own standards of quality are really high. Having purchased many products that were just sub-par we wanted to make something better. That being said, since the beginning we’ve also been really open to feedback from our customers. When something goes wrong, we work at fixing it. This is easier to do because it’s just the two of us. We’re much more adaptable than any of the larger companies out there. We can fine tune because we work on a smaller scale.

On top of that, we have worked very closely with a customer who lives in Cape Town who has been extremely helpful in testing all our Jimny 4 prototypes – she’s been instrumental in getting it just right in a car that we don’t own. Thanks Sarah!

Which product has been the hardest to develop so far and why?

Probably the Rear Door Mount for the Jimny 3.

Because the older Suzuki Jimny doesn’t have the same external hinge as in the newer models, and its hinges are known to be a little more susceptible to sagging we had to come up with a way of carrying weight close to the hinges to counteract the levering effect of carrying weight further away from it.

Stan had long been eyeing the area between the spare wheel and the hinges for carrying our gas bottle. It was one of the first products we developed, and I think we really cut our teeth on this, learning what tensile strengths certain steels had; weighing up the weight differences vs strength between aluminium and steel; and then to top it off wanting the product to be able to withstand all the environmental factors as well.

We also learnt a lot about the bending capabilities of all the materials and how and when we could push those limits. The trickiest bend on all of our products exists here as a hem bend made from 3CR12 stainless steel. Trying to measure the exact bend angle so that it would fit just around the door, while not interfering with the rear light fitting was really hard.

We don’t have a LiDAR scanner. Additionally Stan was just learning how to use a 3D drawing software to generate all our technical drawings. Basically there were a lot of firsts!

Do you manufacture everything in South Africa? What does your workshop setup look like behind the scenes?

Yes, everything is manufactured here in Cape Town! And this is something we’re really proud of.

You know it’s pretty easy nowadays to give up after hitting delays and difficulties. But we believe that South Africa could have a robust manufacturing industry, and our country needs small businesses to keep pushing industries to more exacting standards.

It hasn’t been easy. But we are committed to keeping all manufacturing local. So we work with two factories, one for all our metal work and another for our textile products. There are certain products that get made up to a point and then Stan does all the assembling himself. In our garage ‘workshop’ – which is actually just an 8m2 storeroom in the basement of our apartment building! We’ve kept everything very paired down, with hardly any overheads.

It’s the only way we’ve been able to keep at this funding it all ourselves. There’s no big investors behind the scenes or anything like that. We are doing this because we want to make it all work.

What’s the Suzuki Jimny scene like in South Africa? Are there big meet-ups, trail days, active culture around these compact 4x4s?

When we first bought our Jim in 2018 there were only a few Facebook groups. But now it’s grown to be massive! There are clubs in most major cities that organise meet-ups, and trips away together and even 4×4 courses designed specifically for Jimny drivers. There are more Facebook groups and Whatsapp groups than you can count. The Jimny has done really well in South Africa, and the culture around the car has ignited a social aspect we’ve never seen with any other car.

The biggest event is coming up in September, the Jimny Gathering – it’s attended by Jimny owners from across the country. In 2023 there were close to 1000 Suzuki Jimny’s that came together for the festival. I think it might be the biggest gathering of Jimnys in the world. So we think it’s safe to say the Jimny culture is alive and kicking here.

Have you noticed different modding styles or needs between Gen 3 and Gen 4 Suzuki Jimny’s? How do you approach designing for both?

There’s a huge difference between the two models. Firstly, the Jimny 3 remained virtually unchanged for 20 years. So from 1998 the interior had stayed almost the same. A lot of plastic moulds, and in our opinion the interior is designed to be a town car that can go anywhere. No mess, no fuss.

By 2018 the Suzuki designers had been keeping their ears on the ground, so the newer Jimny 4 came out with interior modifications at the forefront of its design. This can be seen in all the existing mounting holes (which are mostly all threaded) all for easy add-ons. It makes designing products for the newer model a little easier. But at the core both models need the same things – accessories that are Jimny-sized that make the little space you have as practical as possible.

How important is the global Suzuki Jimny community to you as a brand? Do you ship internationally or have gear travelling the world?

Most people in South Africa are surprised to find out that 50% of our sales are from international clients.

We don’t see ourselves being bound to only offer products to locals. The international community is really important for us and we’re still learning what each market values from our product range. Our second order was to America actually! Where the Suzuki Jimny isn’t even distributed. So right at the start we had to get up to speed with international shipping rates, duties and the dreaded volumetric weight calculations. But as a business we need our international clients.

When we sold our first Roof Rack internationally we were so proud! We’d have a bright yellow Roof Rack cruising around Sweden. It was an amazing feeling. Now there are few in Australia and the UK, a couple roaming southern Africa, and two that are about to be shipped to Spain and Germany. We always ask our customers for some pictures of our products out there adventuring. And it’s a pretty great feeling when we see how the MOD products are being used to make people’s Jimny adventuring life easier and simpler.

If someone new to MOD Equipment visited your site, which product would you tell them to check out first and why?

Everything! Hahaha. But seriously, the Cargo Hammock which we make for the Jimny 3, the Jimny 4, and the Jimny 4-XL (5-door). It’s a life changer no matter if you’re cruising in town or out camping.

What are some of the most unexpected ways customers have used your gear? Any surprising installs or locations they’ve travelled to?

A customer in Malta used our Rear Door Mount to collect a big pot plant from the nursery. That made for a pretty funny photo!

What’s next for MOD Equipment? Any new gear in development, plans to expand to other vehicles, or upcoming collabs?

We’re usually quite quiet about new products we’re working on because you never know how long things can take to develop. And we hate doing that ‘coming soon’ post or label that ends up being up for 6 months with no product to show for it. But… Jimny 4 owners keep your eyes open for the MOD Roof Rack.

Additionally, we’re looking into world domination. So any distributors that want in – you know where to find us!

If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting their Suzuki Jimny build, what would it be?

Live with your Jim for a bit. Figure out how you want to travel, what you personally need and go from there.

So many people start with what they think they need, ie: a ladder – spoiler alert, you probably don’t need one. And kitting out your Jimny can become very expensive – so think and plan before you start.

Also, if you’re coming from a bigger 4×4 forget what you thought you knew about 4x4s – you won’t be able to fit it ALL in. And if you’re coming from a town car – the Suzuki Jimny will take some getting used to. Enjoy the ride!

If we were better business people we’d probably be punting a load of MOD products here. But, we believe that everyone’s set up should be personal. And if you’ve got any questions about how MOD can make your Jimny life better, send us a mail or a DM on Instagram.

Where can people follow your journey and keep up with new releases?

We’re on all the usual socials. But most active on Instagram.

If you’re a real Jimny nerd, find some more in-depth chats we have around Jimnys in general on the /Jimny sub on Reddit.

@mod.equipment (Facebook – Instagram – YouTube)

What’s the most impractical mod you’ve ever made or seen on a Suzuki Jimny, but secretly loved anyway?

BIIIG tyres!

You’ve just won an all-expenses-paid expedition anywhere in the world… and you have to take your Suzuki Jimny. Where are you going and what MOD gear are you bringing?

Of course we’re taking Jim! And this one is easy – we’re driving to Japan! And we’re taking all our Suzuki Jimny 3 products. Because they’re all ready to go.

A huge thank you to Donnet and Stan for taking the time to share their story.

It’s clear that MOD Equipment isn’t just building products, they’re building better adventures.

If you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look, please consider supporting passionate independent manufacturers like MOD Equipment and others (myself included!) who put real care into creating gear that’s made to be used, not just sold.

Your kind words of encouragement and shares on social go a long way to help keep the fire burning for the entrepreneurs in our Jimny community and those same people are working hard to make your time out there all the more enjoyable.