AbitibiBowater, Montreal, Que., Canada, this week announced that it will change its name to Resolute Forest Products, beginning November 7. The company identity change follows an initiative, launched this past April, in which employees were invited to suggest a new name for the company. An internal selection committee and the Executive Team chose Resolute Forest Products from among approximately 1,400 employee submissions.
"We are changing our name to Resolute Forest Products to better reflect the fundamental characteristics of the company we are today, including our determination, strength, and resolve to be a profitable, sustainable organization," said Richard Garneau, president and CEO. "With our competitive cost structure, diversified revenue base, and strong balance sheet, we are well-positioned for the long term."
On November 7, the company will begin using Resolute Forest Products and related visual identity on its marketing materials, website, signage, and other communications. When communicating in French, the company will use the name Produits forestiers Resolu. Prior to the November launch, the company will continue to be referred to as AbitibiBowater.
While the company will be doing business as Resolute Forest Products as of November 7, AbitibiBowater Inc. and its subsidiaries will not change their legal entity names until the company obtains shareholder approval as required by law. The company will seek formal shareholder approval at its 2012 annual general meeting.
For customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders with whom the company interacts, little will change beyond how the company will refer to itself and its products. The company will operate "business as usual" with respect to invoicing, payments, contracts, company stocks, and stock market listings. AbitibiBowater says it will work to ensure the transition to the new identity is as smooth and seamless as possible for all of its stakeholders.
The company explains that "the Resolute Forest Products logo calls to mind the forest in which the company works, the paper and lumber products it manufactures, and the modern and dynamic nature of the organization. Paper products are reflected in the half-circle of the ‘R,' symbolizing a paper roll, as well as in the folds within the logo. The rectangular and triangular shapes, in the legs of the ‘R,' represent wood products and forestry. Through the use of green as a primary color, the design also depicts the company's determination to be a profitable business, committed to sustainability."
AbitibiBowater produces a range of products including newsprint, commercial printing papers, market pulp, and wood products. The company owns or operates 18 pulp and paper mills and 24 wood products facilities located in the U.S., Canada, and South Korea.
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