Mechan
A new brand has helped to put Mechan in good shape to win business overseas.
Background
Mechan is the world leader in the design and manufacture of mechanical handling equipment for the rail industry. Founded 35 years ago and based in Chapeltown, Sheffield, the business is split into two parts. Mechan Ltd produces jib cranes for steel processing, power generation, and for use in petrochemical and marine environments, and also mechanical handling equipment for the rail industry. Mechan Technology, formed in 1998, designs and develops a patented railcar lifting jack control system, Micro Link. This division has enjoyed rapid growth and extended its products to include railway depot protection systems.
Problem
Mechan has a solid reputation for quality, safety and reliability, plus many long-term customers. Although best known for its work in the rail industry it was keen to find new markets and also build export business. But by 2005 its image was looking dated. Faced with a static UK market and growing overseas competition, it needed to make an impact.
Response
Through Business Link South Yorkshire, Mechan signed up for Designing Demand’s Generate service, linking up with Design Associate Evan Kitsell. ‘I think Mechan was attracted to the programme because it wanted to understand how design could be used as a business tool but lacked the confidence and experience to select designers or ensure it was getting value for money,’ says Kitsell.
At around the same time, Richard Carr joined the company as business development director. ‘I’d known Mechan for about 20 years as a customer,’ he says. ‘They needed to be dragged out of the 1980s in terms of how they looked to the outside world and one of my first tasks was to identify our brand values and develop our image to reflect them.
‘Mechan has its own internal design department but their primary focus was product design and so the image got left behind,’ Carr says. ‘Our reputation for quality, reliability and for being market-leading simply wasn’t reflected in our identity.’
First, Carr and Kitsell set about identifying the brand’s strengths by talking to senior management, employees and customers.
‘We went through the process properly,’ says Carr. ‘I was very keen for it to be done the right way round. I didn’t want to get a pretty logo and then worry about everything else later. We looked at perceptions internally and externally, plus customer feedback and used all that to work on a brand image that reflects what the business is about.’
Kitsell adds: ‘We gathered intelligence to confirm what we already knew, but also to learn some new things. We talked to staff and existing customers. It was all very positive feedback – customers spoke well of the company and what it did, so the next step was to get an identity that matched people’s views.’
Having identifed Mechan’s strengths - quality, reliability, safety and innovation - the company looked for a design consultancy. Evan Kitsell says, ‘I wrote a briefing document to tell shortlisted agencies enough about the company and its challenges to be ready for a conversation with us.’
Richard Carr chose Sheffield-based Vivid Creative, which has a range of local, national and international clients. ‘I felt they would be proactive and were a tight knit team. It proved to be the right choice.’
Vivid and Mechan have forged an ongoing relationship where each understands how the other works and what Mechan needs to move ahead.
Vivid Creative Director Dan Lindley says: ‘Mechan had very strong brand values - product quality and product reliability plus innovation and forward thinking combined with an “everything is possible” attitude. It also has a strong heritage and a sense of pride, and it’s strong enough to compete yet small enough to care - that’s what we needed to work on.’
Vivid created an image that is clean and simple and symbolises the two parts of the business - Mechan Ltd and Mechan Technology – linked together.
Impact
Although it’s too soon to see an impact on sales, the main benefit is expected to be abroad, where the company has previously done business in an ad hoc way. Already more overseas inquiries are coming in via the new website, which gives Mechan greater reach and impact.
The company is now entering a new phase following a management buyout led by Carr, who has ambitious plans to expand the number of export agents and to focus on new product development.
‘The rebrand is all about projecting a high quality, professional image to the outside world. I believe it will give Mechan a higher profile in the UK and the international market and raise us above our competitors,’ says Carr.