Building a more powerful Perkins.

Over the last few months, you may have noticed that things have been changing at Perkins. A new brand look and feel to the company’s show stands at Middle East Energy and ConExpo, swiftly followed by visual changes to the global website and the launch of a series of impactful and engaging online and print adverts. Powernews tracked down Jaz Gill, Perkins Vice President Sales, Marketing, Service and Parts, and asked him about the exciting changes being made to the Perkins brand, the next stage of the brand rollout and most importantly, what the changes mean for its 800+ original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers based around the world. 

Q. Jaz, last year the Perkins brand celebrated its 90^th anniversary. The brand has a strong heritage and is known for its close collaboration with customers, so why did you and your team feel the need to change things?

A. Great question! For over 90 years, Perkins has challenged conventional wisdom to deliver smarter solutions to humanity’s biggest problems. Our founder Frank Perkins was filled with an adventurous spirit, curiosity and confidence that fuelled his drive to not only develop but continually push the bounds of the diesel engine. Perkins Engines was built on a foundation of passionate exploration, innovation, and problem-solving, and from the very first Wolf engine, our work has helped our customers to construct our world and the way of life we enjoy today.

Given this background, now is absolutely the right time to refresh the Perkins brand. Over the past decade, the world has changed dramatically, including the challenges and needs of our customers. In a rapidly changing world, the world’s most powerful brands remain relevant by routinely recalibrating what they do and say to align with the shifting needs of customers.

In spite of the significant investments we have made in operational changes and new technologies, what we haven’t really evolved is the Perkins brand and the way we communicate. So now, amidst the world’s historic energy transition to a lower-carbon future, our delivery of smarter solutions to advance sustainable power and helping our customers drive progress, there has never been a better time to reenergise the Perkins brand.
 

Q. Can you tell us more about what you are doing to reenergise the Perkins brand?

We are investing significant time, energy and resources to accelerate transformational changes within Perkins that are benefiting our customers. Around the world, these changes are spanning operations, research and development, product and service offerings including aftermarket support, and the many ways customers interact with and experience Perkins before and after a sale.

Combined, these changes are helping Perkins protect its hard-earned reputation as a market leader by showing how we are building on our past success to rapidly transform from just a manufacturer of diesel engines for OEMs to a future-forward problem solver serving an array of customers seeking a wide range of advanced power solutions.

I’m hoping many Powernews readers will have already started to experience some of the changes we’re implementing, in some shape or form, and that it’s already starting to make a positive difference to how you feel about your relationship with Perkins.
 

Q. It’s a key question when we talk about brand. So, Jaz, can you tell us what ‘brand’ means to you?

A. For some, it can be tempting to think of a ‘brand’ as just another word for ‘product.’ Or, as simply a name and logo. But these simple definitions only scratch the surface. A brand combines many ingredients to communicate what makes a product or organisation unique, valuable and ultimately worth buying. For me, a brand is a living business asset that continuously grows in value as you deliver on promises of its unique benefits.

In the case of Perkins, I believe the brand becomes more powerful through action. This means everything we promise, every word we say and everything we do. Because when promises made equal promises kept, everyone wins.

I see Perkins as a knowing, expert leader who is never reckless. It’s a brand that is always searching for new and better ways to serve customers who trust and rely on Perkins to help solve ever-evolving challenges.
 

Q. You’re making some significant changes to the brand in terms of what it’s known for and how you communicate but we notice the logo remains the same. Is there a reason for that?

A. We’re very proud of the fact that the Perkins logo is one of the most recognised logos in the industry, so there was never any intent to change it.

However, what some of you may notice is that we have now dropped our previous strapline of ‘The Heart of Every Great Machine’. As I mentioned earlier, Perkins is exploring and producing products and services that now go well beyond producing engines that are famously known as ‘the heart of every great machine’.

The next chapter in the more than nine decade-old story of Perkins is all about collaborating to deliver smarter solutions that advance sustainable power, so you’ll start to see us using a more motivating tagline; ‘Together we Power Ahead’ in our materials. This neatly captures the continued importance of collaboration with our customers, across thousands of different applications as we explore new ideas that will shape the future.
 

Q. In five words, what are the key takeaways of the new Perkins brand promise that customers need to know?

A. Wow, okay, just five words. You’re making me think. Off the top of my head I’d say, ‘proud’, ‘reliable’, ‘problem solvers’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘future-focused’ – and I know I’ve maybe gone beyond the five words you gave me, but I’m just so passionate about the brand and how it serves its customers.
 

Q. Okay, only allowing you five words was a little mean. Do you want to expand on some of these points a little?

A. I really do! My first choice was proud as I know my team and I are proud of and energised by our brand’s purpose, achievements, and history of invention and impact. I also said reliable as the Perkins brand has long been known for producing reliable, high-quality diesel engines, industrial power solutions, and parts in the widest power range available in the market.

We’re also passionate problem solvers who collaborate with each other and our customers, so that was the reason for my third choice. And of course, an important element of our Perkins brand promise is sustainability as we are committed to helping our customers navigate the world’s historic transition to a lower-carbon future. Finally, my fifth choice was future-focused and by that I mean we are evolving our products, services and strategy to shape the future of advanced, sustainable power.
 

Q. Lastly Jaz, what about the new reenergised Perkins brand excites you most?

A. We are always searching for better ways of helping customers achieve their goals and solving their problems, to enable their continued success. By working together with our customers, we create better power solutions for all. It’s this that really excites me; knowing that our products and solutions really make a difference to human progress.