Story in brief:
Paris-based Alstom is a 14-billion (Euro) competitor of GE and ABB in power generation, high-speed trains and the like.

Formed just 9 years ago, the joint venture GEC Alsthom was deemed to have achieved critical mass in size and profits and was taken public by its 50/50 owners, Britain's General Electric Co. (no relation to America's GE) and France's Alcatel Alsthom. (The name Alsthom, in turn, traced back seventy years to a 1928 combination of Alsacienne and Thomson.)

The overarching goal for CEO Bilger was to create a freestanding, self-driven and more global identity, a new brand strong enough to replace all other inherited and acquired names.

Credits:
C.E.O. - Pierre Bilger
Identity counsel, naming, design - CB'A (Paris)

First Impressions:
Good job. The "O" symbol (reminiscent of Nortel's 1995 O-globe) evokes the driving motion common to generators and railroad wheels. Dropping the 'h' from Alsthom helps makes it new, a clean start.

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