S, and in received a second patent for its exclusive infusion method, which allows its chemicals to penetrate the surface and protect it from degradation. But that was just the beginning — and for the next three decades, the innovations kept rolling out. With the development of a strong line of products, Armor All further simplified the process of protecting your entire car. By combining the protection and shine of our sprays with the convenience of a wipe, we made it easier to keep your car beautiful and protected even during the busiest times.
Long-lasting shine, rich and luxurious looking leather, and most importantly, protection, can now all be applied in precise amounts and locations. Spectrum Brands sells the global auto care division to Energizer Holding, Inc. Headquartered in St. Energizer is also a leading designer and marketer of automotive fragrance and appearance products from recognized brands such as Refresh Your Car!
And that means innovating and testing new automotive care technologies, and working with industry experts. Because like you, we know that every last detail of your car needs to look perfect — not just the body, but the wheels, tires, seats, dash, and interior trim.
A car should look so good that nothing else matters. Some people might call that an obsession. For example, it began pitching its car wax to women by way of an easy-to-use paste wax packaged similarly to mousse-style hair care products.
Then, in , Armor All purchased Borden Co. That acquisition brought a broad line of waxes, polishes, and additives to Armor All's offerings. Unfortunately, profits failed to keep pace with revenue gains, evidencing underlying problems at Armor All. Indeed, after dominating much of the auto appearance products industry and posting successive sales and profit gains for nearly two decades, the company's performance was beginning to slip.
Armor All's problems going into the early s were multi-fold. Although Sherman had achieved notable successes with Armor All's overseas push and product line expansion, the efforts had failed to produce the expected profits and had cost the company dearly in development and marketing expenses.
Furthermore, Armor All's management team seemed unable to cope with the transition from a one-product company to a multi-line marketing corporation. At the same time, Armor All was facing aggressive new competition.
After years of buffeting more than would-be competitors to its protectant, Armor All failed to quash a product introduced in the late s by the STP division of First Brands Corp. Dubbed "Son of a Gun," the low-cost Armor All imitation product swept into the marketplace in the wake of a massive marketing campaign funded by First Brands.
By Son of a Gun had stolen ten percent of Armor All's market share. With Armor All's unblemished profit record at risk, Sherman resigned from the top post.
After a short interim, he was replaced in by Kenneth Evans. Evans quickly surmised that Armor All's operating strategy was obsolete given the rapidly shifting dynamics of the car care products industry.
Armor All was still depending on its core protectant product for nearly three-quarters of its sales. Because that market niche had matured, Armor All would inevitably face lower profit margins and lower growth rates. To overcome the company's dependence on its main product, Evans vowed in that within five years Armor All Products, Inc. To that end, Armor All launched a series of new products beginning in the early s. In , for example, the company introduced Armor All Tire Foam Protectant, which was designed specifically to clean car tires.
In addition to diversifying, moreover, Evans initiated an aggressive effort to chase foreign market share. Late in , for instance, Armor All agreed to have seasoned exporter S. Johnson handle its sales in foreign markets. Evans also began cutting costs as part of an effort to help Armor All compete in an increasingly competitive market segment. Interestingly, he convinced Armor All's founder, Alan Rypinski, to rejoin the company in as chairman emeritus.
Evans hoped that Rypinski would be able to help him identify new markets and opportunities. To that end, in the mids Armor All branched out into the growing home care products arena with the purchase of E-Z Deck Wash brand name and business. By , earlier than expected, Armor All had achieved its corporate goal of reducing the portion of revenues contributed by Armor All Protectant to less than 25 percent.
The result of that and other accomplishments was a surge in sales and a timely profit boost. For the remainder of the decade, Armor All planned to ply the Armor All brand name to sustain international growth and add new products.
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