Dive Brief:
- A.P. Moller – Maersk is unifying its acquired brands under one name in a move to further its end-to-end offerings, according to a customer advisory.
- Brands including Hamburg Süd, Sealand, Twill, LF Logistics and Senator International will eventually be known as just “Maersk.” Independent subsidiaries APM Terminals, Maersk Supply Services, Maersk Training, and Maersk Line Limited will not be affected.
- All changes and timelines are subject to an in-depth company review of each affected brand’s structure, services and geographic reach, the advisory said. Customers will be advised once timelines are finalized.
Dive Insight:
Maersk is undergoing a significant transformation as it adjusts its services to meet its vision of an integrated logistics company with end-to-end offerings.
Over the past few years, the company has largely grown its offerings through acquisition. Since 2016, the company has acquired more than a half a dozen companies including ocean liners like Hamburg Süd, air cargo carrier Senator International and Li & Fung’s freight management business unit, LF Logistics.
Up until now, each acquired brand had operated independently — a common decision taken by freight carriers to avoid customer confusion. But for Maersk, the strategy resulted in a sprawling collection of brands and business units over the years.
“Our multi-brand approach has served us well over the years and all our brands have been successful in meeting the needs of customers,” Maersk said in a customer FAQ. “However, we know that having multiple brands creates complexity for our customers.”
Now, Maersk is taking on some of that complexity as it moves to unify businesses.
According to the FAQ, the company may have to adjust emails, booking systems and product offerings. It will also have to ensure the company remains data compliant, and customer or supplier data used by one brand is not being transferred or accessible to another integrated brand.
Despite added complexity, the rebrand sets the company up to further adjust its services and offer more multimodal solutions.
“We see great value in offering our customers a more seamless experience with an integration of many offerings, united under one brand. Through this, we will be able to offer more dedicated and specialised products and services, easing your supply chain planning constraints markedly by gathering all your solutions under one roof,” Maersk said in its FAQ.
