Worldwide cement is called Holcim
Holderbank, the cement giant with operations on every continent, is unveiling a new logo
March 21 the new logo.
The old name is ill-suited for global use, as Holderbank is misunderstood out in the wide world as the label of a financial institution. As Roland Walker, head of communications for the cement group, explains, the search for a name was very broad and many suggestions were examined. It quickly became clear that none of the artificial terms dominated by the letter X made the cut.
"Also because of the shareholders, we didn't want to change the initial letters," explains major shareholder Thomas Schmidheiny, "so that when they check the stock price, they can look in the same column of letters as before."
After careful final selection, the abbreviation Holcim was chosen, the first syllable of which echoes Holderbank and integrates the French-language term for cement in the second.
Three years of groundwork for strength, performance and passion
The unveiling of the new logo marks the culmination of a three-year phase of preparation. In collaboration with the New York-based consulting firm Enterprise IG, a specialist in strategic branding, management took an in-depth look at the future positioning of the Group. This also involved differentiating the company from its competitors.
"Market analyses and internal workshops confirmed that customers particularly demand quality products including customized services," explains Thomas Schmidheiny, "but this is no longer sufficient in most markets." The new strategic positioning therefore puts people at the center. "We talk about technology," says the Group's head of communications, "but we always do it in connection with people." The cement giant's new motto, then, is "Strenght. Performance. Passion."
The Annual General Meeting on May 18 formally approves the modified strategy and the global brand. Holcim does not reinvent the company's values, but they are reprioritized and communicated in a globally consistent manner.
Holderbank is an entity that has grown over decades, with dozens of local cement companies with their own label and corporate identity (see box).
From Latin America to Australia, each market is carefully analyzed. The extent to which the image is to be adapted within the framework of the chosen brand architecture is then determined. Well-established and popular brands, such as "Morning Star" in Vietnam, will not disappear but will be supplemented by the words "a member of the Holcim Group.
In Switzerland and neighboring countries, as well as in Eastern Europe, the new logo will appear on cement bags, trucks and silos as soon as possible. "Our subsidiaries' own brands will continue to be used after careful clarification," confirms Roland Walker. "However, all subsidiaries will benefit from the upcoming international image campaign for the Global Brand."
Takes some getting used to
Fire
The term Holcim reminded some augurs of a medicine, others complained that the red bow with the two bars resembled the Eurosignet (see also interview with the graphic designer). Experience shows that when familiar logos disappear, a period of familiarization is necessary, which is why the Group wants to use the global campaign to ensure that the new logo quickly establishes itself internationally.
20 million Swiss francs have been invested by Holderbank in the rebranding process so far. The manuals, the homepage and many other internal and external tools have been redesigned and are ready for launch after the Annual General Meeting. Silos, cement trucks, helmets, letterheads and many other utensils, also in dozens of subsidiaries, have to be provided with the new logo, which will entail a multiple of costs.
From Holderbank to Holcim
With the Holcim logo used worldwide, Holderbank's globalization is also becoming a reality in the Group's corporate identity.
"Holderbank" - with leading and trailing signs - is the label of what is now the world's second-largest cement manufacturer. The company's history began in 1912 in the Aargau village of Holderbank, where raw material deposits led to the construction of a cement factory with the awkward name of Aargauische Portlandcement-Fabrik Holderbank-Wildegg. As early as the 1920s, investments were made in European cement companies. The company, owned by the Schmidheiny family - and today controlled by Thomas Schmidheiny - expanded into the Middle East and South Africa before the war, followed later by the establishment of a further network of holdings in North and Latin America and also in the Asia-Pacific region. The entrepreneurial family then merged the individual companies into a holding company, Holderbank Financière Glarus AG. In 1970, Holderbank Management und Beratung AG was founded.
Today, Holcim has a network of Group and associated companies in 70 countries with 45,000 employees, making it the most global of all cement manufacturers. An internationally applicable logo and a consistent corporate identity were therefore the obvious choice.
