Tarmac as a superbrand

Superbrands is the independent arbiter on branding. The organisation promotes the discipline of branding and pays tribute to exceptional brands. Superbrands programmes operate in over 33 countries. Superbrand status is awarded by an independent judging panels of experts.

(taken from Superbrands 2007 www.superbrands.uk.com)

Founded on the strength of a single patent and with a nominal capital of 25,000GBP, Tarmac has grown to become an international operation, involved in a wide range of activities, serving over 21,000 customers, employing more than 12,000 people with an annual turnover of more than 2 billion GBP.

Market
Tarmac is the leading supplier of building materials in the UK, providing solutions in all areas of everyday life, for everyone.  Indeed, Tarmac products have exceptionally wide ranging applications.They are used in the UK building industry from being required in the construction of homes and office buildings tofootball pitches and stadiums.  However,Tarmac products can also be found in everyday products such as toothpaste and paper.

Achievements
Tarmac understands that every one of itscustomers and their project requirements are different. It therefore draws upon its wide range market of resources and skills, depending on each customer's specific needs.
Tarmac's materials have been used, at some stage, in the construction of all Britain's main roads.  More recently Tarmac helped to create the new Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the M6 Toll Road, the Emirates Stadium, Ascot Racecourse and Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport. In addition, Tarmac has recently started supplying materials for the first stage of development for the London Olympics in 2012.

Caring for the environment is, and will remain, an important part of Tarmac's commitment to ensuring a sustainable future in the areas where it operates. Proof of its success is its achievement of ISO 14001 environmental certification at more than 73 per cent of its industrial sites, with an aim to achieve 100 per cent by the end of 2007.  Tarmac takes social responsibilities extremely seriously and makes employee safety its overriding concern. Indeed, it was awarded the industry Quarry Products Association annual health and safety award in 2005.  Tarmac also achieved, through a targeted campaign, an 83 per cent improvement in lost time injury frequency rate so that by 2005 over 92 per cent of units were lost time injury free (see Tarmac's Health and Safety statement).  This meant that during 2005, 92 per cent of Tarmac's units experienced no accidents that led to time off work.

Tarmac invests continually in operations and training to help meet its customers' needs, to give it the resources to provide market leading products and to deliver high quality, straightforward, reliable services.  Tarmac also aims to develop its business in a sustainable way to provide a safe, healthy environment for its employees, and to demonstrate environmental excellence in all its operations.

Product
Although well known as a supplier of asphalt, Tarmac also provides ready-mixed concrete, primary and recycled aggregates, asphalt, contracting services, mortar, blocks, pre-cast concrete, flooring and industrial products. It also works hard to help its customers to reach their environmental targets by providing recycled, as well as primary materials for their projects.  See our Products and Services.

Recent Developments
Tarmac operates with an eye to the future, focusing on providing sustainable building solutions that take into account the changing world and climate. TermoDeck - a heating, cooling and ventilation system - uses the thermal mass of concrete floors to cut energy use for heating and cooling buildings by up to 50 per cent. One of Tarmac's recent developments is its porous pavement system, which allows rainwater to permeate through the surface and be stored for other uses.This was developed in response to the increasing issues of flash flooding and the need to save water.  See all of Tarmac's Sustainability offering.

Promotion
Tarmac's corporate advertising focuses on creating awareness around the company's full product and service offering with individual product and sector promotional activities complimenting this work.  Tarmac's famous seven T's corporate identity, designed in 1964, was updated into its present form in 1996 and its application is now governed by stringent corporate guidelines.  These guidelines provide the company with a consistent corporate identity and ensure that Tarmac's brand is protected.  See Tarmac's history.

Brand Values
Tarmac aims to be the first choice for building materials that meet the essential needs for the development of the world in which we live.  To ensure that this objective is met,Tarmac follows its brand values of being Reliable, Responsive, Understanding and Straightforward.

Tarmac believes that this helps it to carry out its work, day in and day out, and guides it in its dealings with customers as well as in its internal communications.  Tarmac also aims to be ready, reliable and rock solid.

Tarmac's broader vision is 'to work together to build a better world and this is demonstrated in the way in which it manages the impact of its operations on the environment, local communities and employees (see Press Releases for more information, and the Quarryville website for schools).  Tarmac takes this role very seriously by consulting with the public, investing in restoration projects and listening to the needs of its customers  (see Report to Society 2006).

See the full article (pdf, 166kb)