Kemira harmonized the names of 600 products on September 1, 2012. The company has also adopted consistent product name practices and strengthened its brand and operating methods.
Kemira’s product names have become inconsistent as a result of acquisitions, with some products being available under several different names. The purpose of the harmonization project is to assign consistent names to all products. In the first stage, the harmonization will mainly concern paper industry chemicals. About 1,000 customers and 90 production plants will be affected.
At Kemira, the project is headed by Arja Vanhanen, Director, Product Marketing. “An efficient global company cannot afford to have several local or sector-specific names for a single product. The new names were adopted at the beginning of September. We understand that this will cause inconvience to our customers, as they will have to learn the new names and adjust their order systems accordingly,” she says.
In the chemical industry, product name changes are never uncomplicated. Each product is required to have a product data safety sheet— without one, the product is not allowed to be sold.
Kemira began informing its customers about the changes in June. Within the company, the project was launched two years ago. In 2010, Kemira established new rules to ensure consistent product names. The company will increasingly use product names beginning with Fenno, Kem and Kemira. “Some of our products will be sold under their chemical composition names. These products will have English names,” says Vanhanen.
Changes in product names present risks, because the market is familiar with certain names. For this reason, the changes must be strongly supported by marketing communications. Vanhanen believes that the project will eventually improve Kemira’s visibility.
The sales organization will play an important role in introducing the new names. “Our sales representatives will discuss any issues with each customer and make sure that the changes can be implemented within the agreed time frame,” says Nichlas Kavander, Vice President, Sales EMEA, Paper.
The changes will also bring benefits. “The changes require a great deal of work right now. In the future, however, consistent product names will make things easier for us and our customers. Order processing and product portfolio management will be smoother. In addition, product registrations will require less work than they do now. I strongly believe that the input will pay off as a result of reduced workload with time,” says Vanhanen.
The project continues, and all product names are targeted to be harmonized by the end of 2013.