The Swedish family-owned Thomas Concrete Group has established a major presence in the concrete market in Northern Europe and the US East Coast. Under common branding and a new logo, the Group is now planning to expand when construction work accelerates further in Europe and the United States.
It all began in Karlstad, Sweden, in 1955. Over the ensuing 60 years, the Thomas Concrete Group has launched a series of new plants, while also acquiring other facilities in Sweden, Germany, Poland and the United States. Today, the group operates a total of 122 plants and is the largest independent supplier of ready-mixed concrete in its markets. The group’s extensive network of plants means it has local operations close to its customers and their construction sites, which results in short transportation distances and a greater regard for the environment.
The company, headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, is now rebranding all its subsidiaries and establishments in various countries under a single name: Thomas. The former, more loosely organized group will now work in a more integrated way, particularly in the fields of technology and development, where there will be enhanced liaison between its various experts and specialists. Cooperation in marketing activities will also be intensified. The goal is to establish Thomas as the best in its industry for the local supply of ready-mixed concrete.
The group celebrates its 60 anniversary this year, which is an apt moment in its history to launch a new brand image. Starting this spring, all 122 plants will be rebranded and its fleet of 750 heavy-duty concrete trucks will be painted in uniform colors. All activities will take place under the name Thomas, in recognition of its founder Martin Thomas, who ran the company for many years. The word “concrete” will also be integrated into the new brand in various languages, connecting the company’s product and its local presence.
The group’s new logo has been designed to resonate both with the entrepreneurial heritage of its founder and the group’s customer offering. Nothing symbolizes concrete more clearly than a truck-mounted mixer with its concrete drum spinning, so the new logo is a stylized representation of a concrete drum in the colors blue, red, grey and black – echoing associations with water, the environment, commitment, concrete and solidity.
"While our new logo symbolizes change on the outside, there are also great changes taking place inside of the group,” says Hans Karlander, Thomas Concrete Group’s President and CEO. “We are building a stronger, more cohesive organization, bound together by a committed team who will learn from and help each other while retaining local connections. The group’s employees and its business units will work more closely together, and our processes will be streamlined to improve sales, administration, production and logistics. By extensively leveraging the group’s collective expertise, we can give our customers in the construction industry even better service. We are therefore well placed to meet the expected increase in demand for high quality ready-mixed concrete materials by ensuring dependable delivery and a high level of service.”
