Leading automotive suppliers Calsonic Kansei and Magneti Marelli have announced that they are uniting under one worldwide brand – Marelli. The move to a single brand name is an important step in the integration of the two companies and positions Marelli to compete even more effectively on a global scale.

Marelli operates 170 facilities and R&D centres across Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific. As Marelli, the unified company is even better positioned to serve customers around the world, by building and diversifying its proposition. By coming together under one global brand, the company will be able to better leverage its unique skills to boost competitiveness through an ongoing focus on innovation, upon which Magneti Marelli has built its reputation, and ‘Monozukuri’ – the excellence in product, process and quality which Calsonic Kansei is known for.

Commenting on the development, Beda Bolzenius, CEO, Marelli, said: “This is a pivotal time in the evolution of our company. The new brand is built on the idea of ‘Powering Progress Together’ that reflects our focus on helping our customers confidently navigate and succeed in an unprecedentedly changing industry. Our goal is to build on the exceptionally strong heritage that each company has so successfully become known for, to create a world-leading automotive supplier, which our people and our customers can be proud of. Creating one brand that is known across the world is an important step in pooling our combined resources and amplifying our global impact.

“We selected Marelli after a great deal of analysis. Though Calsonic Kansei has a strong presence in Asia and Japan, when we looked at total brand value and awareness among customers around the world, the Magneti Marelli brand is more widespread. It is important to hold onto the existing brand equity that comes from Magneti Marelli, but do it in a way that is fresh, recognisable to global customers, represents the same high quality and innovation for which we are known, as well as creating a sense of unity through a single brand name with a new image.

“For our 62,000 global employees, coming together as Marelli unites us all as one team, with one common identity, and takes us a step closer to creating a leading player, which will generate the best career opportunities for our people over the long-term.

“Our priority now is to ensure operational continuity for the benefit of all of our customers, and make sure all stakeholders feel part of the transition so they can maximise the opportunities that will arise as a result of these changes.”