Ingersoll Rand: A Respected Name in Air Compressors
Have you ever heard of Ingersoll Rand air compressors? Ingersoll Rand has been in the compressed air business for more than a century, and they currently hold forty to fifty percent of the market in portable air compressors. Company executives recently realized, however, that they have had a branding problem. While Ingersoll Rand air compressors may be relatively well-known to those interested in compressed air systems, most consumers are more familiar with brands such as Bobcat construction equipment and Schlage locks than they are with the Ingersoll Rand name, despite the fact that both businesses are part of the Ingersoll Rand corporation.
Ingersoll Rand executives realized that their lack of brand name visibility was causing them identity problems. Air compressors and other heavy industrial equipment made up only a third of the company's revenues, yet air compressors are what investors think of when they invest in Ingersoll Rand. As a result of this image problem, branding experts decided to create five sectors for the company consisting of the different technologies Ingersoll Rand is involved in developing and manufacturing. Dividing the company into sectors allowed businesses, such as Bobcat, which already have brand name appeal, to retain their identity, while still remaining under the larger umbrella name of Ingersoll Rand in the Compact Vehicles sector. The other sectors are Climate Control Technologies, Construction Technologies, Industrial Technologies, and Security Technologies. In addition to the new sectors, Ingersoll Rand also has a new brand promise, four brand attributes-driven, genuine, inventive, and collaborative-and a set of core values, such as teamwork and innovation.
Ingersoll Rand air compressors became part of the Industrial Technologies sector, and the company pretty much sells every imaginable product and solution you can think of involving compressed air systems. They sell the compressors themselves--small reciprocating, rotary screw, and centrifugal in addition to portable and fixed. They also refurbish old compressors and sell them used. They market air treatment tools to keep their compressors running smoothly, such as filters, regulators, and lubricators. Businesses can purchase air system controls to regulate their compressors in order to save energy or fix problems with the compressors. In addition, Ingersoll Rand of course carries every imaginable tool that can be used with an air compressor. Finally, if you need your old compressor rebuilt, your new compressor installed, or your current compressed air system evaluated for efficiency, Ingersoll Rand will do it for you. Considering that compressed air systems have permeated industries as far-ranging as the automotive and textiles industries, Ingersoll Rand air compressors will most likely be around for a while.