FreightCar America is a long-established rail car company that had undergone numerous name changes and leadership changes over its century of existence. It had no identity, and morale had slumped throughout the enterprise from the headquarters to the factory. It was facing increasing competition, as well as product quality and delivery challenges. The company’s brand was losing strength and relevance despite its century-long track record.

LABOV implemented its proprietary Brand Re-Engineering process, beginning with an assessment of company leadership, employees, the sales team and customers. In addition to the assessment, LABOV’s Technical Immersion team took a deep dive into FreightCar’s processes and products, taking plant tours and meeting with product and sales specialists. The results helped identify FreightCar’s core differentiators and values, as well as drove the development of inspired brand messaging.

Armed with the learnings from the assessment and the messaging, LABOV set out to re-invigorate the brand and entire enterprise. We uncovered the powerful advantages that FreightCar America had and showcased them in all communications, internally and externally. We designed a new logo that tells the story of the U.S.-based company. Proud, relevant marketing materials, including a website, brand video, ads and sales materials, were created, showcasing a strength of the brand—its people. The brand was launched from the inside out, first engaging over 1000 employees nationwide, then revealing it to customers and the industry. We also branded the company’s one-mile production facility in Shoals, Alabama, naming it the Toughest Mile, and developing a video and ads to promote it.