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ID crisis brings two food equipment firms under one umbrella

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Patrons of the fictional bar “Cheers” were known to go “where everybody knows your name.” In business, having everyone know your name is valuable, too, but mergers and acquisitions can complicate the matter.

At Strafford-based American Products LLC, the sales staff serving its two legacy food-production divisions was struggling with an identity crisis trying to market themselves to national food manufacturers. Strafford’s A-One Manufacturing became a sister company of Palmyra, N.J.-based Bridge Machine Co. LLC about five years ago through an acquisition by American Products. While both companies manufacture stainless steel food-processing equipment, there was a 1,100-mile divide between the shared sales staff.

Business was going well in the years following: Combined revenue roughly tripled in five years and employment doubled to 75 between the two companies.

But there was a recurring problem.

“We were facing tremendous growth with our sales, and it was getting very confusing to our customers who was A-One and who was Bridge,” said Brian Diggett, sales director for the two companies. “Our salesmen were covering the same territory, so it was very difficult.”

When dealing with such clients as Kraft-Heinz Co., Kelloggs Co. and Tyson Foods Inc., clarity and precision are key to retaining business.

“We wanted to portray one face to our customers and eliminate confusion in representing multiple companies,” Diggett said. “We were all making decisions without a vision statement, and that’s kind of difficult.”

The solution came with help from Springfield-based marketing and branding firm Brandigm LLC. Seeking a single brand to shop to clients, the new EnSight Solutions LLC brand launched in late February.

Brandigm partner John Mack said it took nine months to meet the needs of the American Products’ food-manufacturing divisions. The marketing strategists helped establish the shared name, as well as a tagline, website, mission statement, logo and corporate strategy.

“Part of their strategy was to make sure their own people know who they are and who they work for,” said Eugenia Alcocer, Brandigm’s creative director and partner, noting sales employees weren’t always certain how to answer the phone.

What’s in a name?
The process included an analysis of the companies’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, employee surveys and industry research to understand what set the companies apart.

A-One manufactures conveyors, tanks, carts, racks, loaders, tumblers and custom equipment. Bridge Machine produces patty formers, meatball formers, strip cutters, meat tubs and tenderizers.

The first step was creating a unified name.

Mack said about a dozen ideas were discussed before officials settled on EnSight Solutions, so named to emphasize the firm’s custom engineering solutions.

The EnSight brand kickoff party included a catered lunch, banners, company shirts and hats. But the work wasn’t designed to be a quick fix.

“Brand strategy works over time,” Alcocer said.

The rebranding, which Diggett said came at a cost of nearly $50,000, helps chart a course forward. Both A-One and Bridge – companies around 60 years old each – have updated logos and can work independently, maintaining their separate histories, but he said clients will see them as divisions within EnSight Solutions.

“Bringing two companies together is sometimes a chore with different cultures,” Diggett said, “which is another reason to go back to why we wanted to create a single unit.”

Brand value
It seems brand strategy means more with millennials, who continue to grow their presence in the workforce.

In a 2014 survey by NewsCred, 62 percent of the 501 millennials responding said online content drives their loyalty to a brand, while 69 percent value brand recognition and trust in purchasing decisions. By 2020, NewsCred expects millennials to represent $1.4 trillion in spending power.

American Products is no stranger to rebranding. Another division, Interactive Dynamics, rebranded after App Pros LLC merged in June with DustShield LLC and Phoenix Kiosk Inc.

Mack said Brandigm’s branding projects typically are less comprehensive than EnSight’s work, ranging between $6,000 and $15,000.

While EnSight Solutions is American Products’  only food-manufacturing division, Diggett said the rebranding also leaves room for like-minded acquisitions, which could roll into the EnSight Solutions name.

“Sometimes with growth comes confusion,” he said. “If we were to acquire another company, which we are always kind of looking to do, it would just add that much more confusion if we hadn’t created this umbrella brand.”

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