Yanmar pleased with switch to red

Yanmar Compact Equipment (CE), a Japan-based construction and material handling equipment maker, with North American headquarters in Minnesota, says its decision in 2020 to leave behind its yellow machine paint scheme to the “striking premium red” it now uses ushered in a “bold new era” for the company.

“It’s a very visible symbol of our new-found confidence and customer centricity," says Elsie de Nys, global director of brand development at Yanmar CE.

The company calls the move “a calculated risk,” but says now that red machines are finding their way onto the market in large numbers, it is paying dividends, “capturing the attention and approval of customers, dealers and employees alike.”

“Our ambition is to become both a truly global company and a leader in compact equipment,” de Nys says. “It’s more than a new coat of paint—it’s even more than having good products. We need to rethink almost every area of our business. This transformation is encompassing not only branding but also engineering, procurement—the entire value chain, in fact.”

Beyond the paint scheme, De Nys says a focus on customers is a crucial priority for Yanmar CE. “Unless we put the customer at the center of everything we do, we’re not going to do the right things in the market of the future," she says. "That’s why we have embarked on a journey to infuse customer-centricity into our DNA, boosting collaboration, empathy and trust across every touchpoint. Together with our dealers we are developing the tools to provide customers with a top-notch brand experience.”

Yanmar says the new paint scheme, though, has injected added self-assurance into a renowned global brand with a strong Japanese legacy.

"There is a new sense of pride and purpose among employees, rallying them around a common vision of customer success," de Nys says. "Internally, people are buying into this new, braver Yanmar CE, this new-found confidence, even resulting in a slightly more forceful approach in the marketplace. The internal buy-in is proving instrumental in fostering the cultural shift necessary for sustained growth and innovation.”