'An identity trapped in the 1980s': how Mechan got its brand back on track
Railway engineering may not appear to be a business that would obviously benefit from brand design, but in a fast-moving world where image is key to staying ahead of the competition, even traditional industries are taking a fresh look at their presentation.
Sheffield-based engineering firm Mechan is a world leader in the design and manufacture of mechanical handling equipment. Mechan Ltd produces jib cranes for use in steel processing, petrochemical and marine environments, and railway depot handling equipment. Mechan Technology produces railway depot protection systems and a railcar-lifting jack control system called Micro Link, and has recently branched out into interlocking solutions for industrial applications.
Operating for over 35 years, Mechan has developed a solid reputation for quality, safety and reliability. But the company’s image had begun to look dated and, faced with a static UK market and growing competition from abroad, Mechan needed to sharpen up. So, with the help of a strategic design consultancy, a new brand identity was developed.
Through contacts at South Yorkshire Business Link, Mechan became involved in the Design Council’s Designing Demand programme. Design associate Evan Kitsell was allocated to the project as a mentor and advisor.
“Mechan wanted to understand how design could be used as a business tool,” says Kitsell, “but they lacked the confidence to select designers or to ensure they were getting value for money.”
I didn’t want to get a pretty logo and worry about everything else later Richard Carr, Mechan
At the same time, Richard Carr joined the company as business development director. He saw straight away that a new identity was required. “I’d known Mechan for 20 years as a customer,” he says. “Its reputation for quality and reliability wasn’t reflected in the identity. It was trapped in the 1980s.”
One of the first tasks was to identify Mechan’s brand values and develop its image to reflect them. Carr and Kitsell talked to senior management, employees and customers. “I was keen for the process to be done the right way round,” says Carr. “I didn’t want to get a pretty logo and worry about everything else later.” The company then set about finding a design consultancy. Out of seven short-listed agencies, Carr selected Sheffield-based Vivid Creative. “I felt they were a tight-knit team and would be more proactive,” he says.
Dan Lindley, creative director of Vivid, says: “Mechan had strong brand values – product quality and reliability, innovation and forward thinking, plus an ‘everything is possible’ attitude. It also has a strong heritage and a sense of pride. Mechan is strong enough to compete, yet small enough to care. That’s what we needed to work on.”
Vivid created a clean, simple image symbolising the two parts of the business, Mechan Technology and Mechan Ltd, linked together. Though convincing everyone had its challenges, the new identity has been well received both by customers and staff.
With Innotrans 2006 – the world’s leading transport technology fair – looming, time was against Vivid. In the event it took them just three months to deliver the new identity, which was then applied to stationery and used on the exhibition stand. “It was a step-change from where we were,” says Carr. “Customers said we were about quality – not the cheapest but good value for money. We ended up with an identity that clearly reflects that.”
The identity has been rolled out onto a new website, also designed by Vivid. “It’s early days, but if the rebranding has worked we should see increased export sales,” Carr says. Mechan is expecting to reap most rewards overseas. Carr and the team have just completed a management buy-out of the company and there are ambitious plans to expand the business. With the focus on new products, he plans to use more export agents and has appointed distributors for Spain and Morocco.
“The rebrand is all about projecting a professional image to the outside world. It will give Mechan a higher profile both in the UK and internationally and raise us above our competitors,” says Carr.
Article first published in Design Council Magazine, Issue 3, Winter 2007