Vale Managing Multiple Rebrandings

The Situation

Brazilian mining giant, Vale, acquired Vale Inco, creating the world’s second largest nickel producer, Vale Inco. The company was subsequently rebranded Vale, consistent with their Brazilian parent company.

The Challenge

The acquisition of Inco by Vale coincided with the creation and roll out of a new visual identity of the parent company out of Brazil. As a result, Vale Inco required a centralized Project Management Office (PMO) for the project that could liaise effectively with the Brazilian PMO, ensuring brand compliance across a broad range of assets, reporting on budget and progress completion. Furthermore, when the project was launched, it was unclear if and when Vale Inco might convert to the Vale brand. This possibility had to be accounted for in the process developed to ensure costs were controlled, should the company be subsequently rebranded.

I needed to know that the budget was under control at all times. When it came time to do the final budget reconciliation for the launch, we were right on target. Furthermore, upholding brand standards in a global project is a daunting task. The global network and exacting attention to detail brought to bear on the project ensured that the brand was rolled out with precision.

— Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Vale Base Metals

The Solution

BrandActive provided Vale with a turnkey solution and established, managed and staffed the PMO for all aspects of the brand change including budgeting, implementation strategy development, vendor selection, procurement, manufacturing, and installation oversight. The BrandActive PMO served as the central point of contact for the organization on all aspects of the brand transition, and was responsible for reporting to the Executive team locally and in Brazil. A key component of the implementation strategy was to choose materials and production processes that wherever possible, would lend themselves to the cost-effective introduction of the Vale brand on Vale Inco branded assets, and to align the timing of the conversion of more costly branded assets with decision points regarding the change from Vale Inco to Vale.

The Results

From the rebranding of business cards to locomotives, the PMO successfully oversaw the conversion of all branded assets first to Vale Inco, and subsequently, to the Vale brand. The “smart solutions” recommended by BrandActive to address the challenges of planning for the possibility of a second rebranding produced considerable savings for the company, ensuring costs remained under control while safeguarding quality in all applications, globally.