BASF muscle strengthens Wolman expansion plans
12 January 2014German timber preservatives manufacturer Dr Wolman has undergone a major rebrand as well as manufacturing and logistics improvements as it seeks to further strengthen its business.
The company is dropping the "Dr" from its name and is leveraging in the muscle of parent company BASF, the world's largest chemicals group, to be known as BASF Wolman GmbH in the future. The company's new image features dedicated red livery, and yellow stripes in the shape of the Wolman "shield".
BASF Wolman's head of marketing, Alexander Prager, said the moves were designed to more clearly communicate the company's message and demonstrate its commitment to the wood preservation industry.
"There's quite a travail going on in the wood treatments industry, with changes of ownership among several major preservatives manufacturers, so we did some homework and part of this is we are rethinking our brand and communications policy."
Changes at the German production and logistics facilities mean Wolman can handle a much higher product volume with an improved delivery service.
Mr Prager said further improvement of the company's delivery service, which would strengthen its business, particularly in the UK, would not have been possible with the existing facilities. So a new warehouse has been built, with new storage tanks.
Mr Prager said Wolman had increased its sales in recent years, through a combination of increased market share and entry into new world markets. "The market has been very difficult in the last few years but Wolman has grown."
While Wolman has held a strong market position within Europe, Mr Prager said it was under-represented in the UK, though with a growing market share.
He said Wolman was fully committed to the UK and expects to further strengthen its market position in the years to come.
The company held its annual UK customer conference at the BRE last October, focusing on how to bring confidence back to the treated wood sector.
During the event the company presented its findings on incising of spruce with the correct treatment loading, while the Swedish Environmental Research Institute showed how correctly pressure-treated wood posts (to a 30-year specification) had the best life cycle assessment performance compared to untreated durable timbers and wood plastic composites.
