Axalta’s Rebrand
October 2013 www.coatingsworld.com Coatings World | 47
CW: DuPont is such an iconic brand, were there concerns
that the new name and identity would be detrimental to the
company?
Crickenberger: In one respect, there was a challenge. We wanted to take the best of the people and products that were part
of our past – an identity that our customers in 130 countries
know well – and carry them over to a completely new corporate brand. But many of our customers associate more with
our individual products such as our Spies Hecker and Standox
refinish brands. As well, Axalta’s history dates back well before DuPont with the creation of the Spies Hecker brand by
Herberts in 1866. As we launched our new identity we’ve embraced our entire corporate heritage plus the strong identity of
individual brands. That’s the foundation on which we’re now
taking our business to the next level and bring added value to
all of our stakeholders.
CW: How has the new corporate identity been received by your
customers?
Crickenberger: Customer feedback has been terrific. They have
high standards in their businesses and they appreciate the quality of the approach we’ve taken to rebrand ours. They also
know ‘it’s all about the customer.’ We expect all our customers
to continue to hold us to exacting standards in the months and
years ahead. More importantly, we know we can’t rest on our
laurels.
CW: What are Axalta’s plans for the future?
Crickenberger: We’re committed to grow in order to meet customer expectations and stay on top of emerging trends. For
example, in May – only 100 days after becoming an independent company – we announced a $50 million investment to expand our manufacturing capacity in China to supply the growth
of OEMs in China. We started up a $5 million expansion of
our U.S. R&D that will accelerate new product development
and bring new formulations to market faster. We’re always
implementing commercial strategies to grow market share organically. For example, we just established a relationship with
Service King Collision Repair Centers, one of the fastest growing body shop franchises in the U.S., to supply them with our
Spies Hecker line of refinish products. And we’re always examining opportunities to make strategic investments. This is the
momentum that will enable Axalta to grow.
CW: What are some important issues to consider when deciding
to rebrand a company?
Crickenberger: The biggest issue that we identified was the need
to communicate and to keep communications a two way street.
You’ve got to listen to your stakeholders both inside the company, or employees, and outside – our customers. Don’t make
assumptions is another way to look at this. You don’t know
what you don’t know. You’ve got to ask questions all the time
and get fresh perspectives along the way. The only way to solve
for this is to listen to others. Second, communicate with those
same stakeholders early and often. Inform employees about
progress – they’re certainly Axalta’s greatest resource – and the
more they know and understand, the better. Finally, it’s critical to inform customers about the process. Our customers run
their own businesses – large and small – and understand change.
They don’t expect change to occur overnight. They do expect to
know what the general path forward and what’s coming next so
they can manage their business accordingly.
CW: Any final thoughts on the rebranding process?
Crickenberger: We learned that coming up with a new Axalta
brand was a chance to do so much more than create a new name
and logo. Axalta’s rebrand created the opportunity to engage
in new ways with our employees, customers and others. Every
aspect of the business – manufacturing, products, sales, service
and more - is tied into the rebranding process. The Axalta identity becomes part of each of these activities whether it’s visible,
such as a logo on a product label, or in the way the people of
Axalta embrace the values of the company when they work with
a customer. CW
“We learned that coming up with a new Axalta brand was a
chance to do much more than create a new name and logo.
Axalta’s rebrand created the opportunity to engage in new ways
with our employess, customers and others. “