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The origins of Renner brand
History of the group
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From the Baltic to Brazil
a world full of colors
It was 1922 when Arthur Koepke dropped his suitcase on the Mauá pier in Porto Alegre. A journey to the other side of the world for Koepke, his wife and daughters. A family from Pomerania, a Baltic region between Germany and Poland.
A sailor by profession and chemistry enthusiast, Koepke had decided to change his life. Destination: the southernmost state of Brazil. To make a fresh start. As happened to thousands of migrants right after the Great War.
Settled in the Navegantes quarter, an area with a strong presence of German immigrants, Arthur quickly integrated partly due to his innate curiosity and extraordinary creative leverage.
One of the first label of a stain created by Koepke
Renner and Koepke, the meeting
Twelve months after his arrival, the European found work at Frederico Engel Cia textile company. It was then that he met Antonio Jacob Renner, director of the company and grandson of German emigrants. Renner, born in 1884, had inherited the entrepreneurial spirit from his father Jacob, owner of several mills. The meeting between Koepke and Renner was the turning point that would change the course of this story.
One of the first label of a stain created by Koepke
Chemistry as a hobby
In his spare time, Arthur Koepke devoted himself to chemistry, mixing natural pigments found in the quarter. He thus perfected a waterproofing compound for wool that earned him the admiration of Felipe Leopoldo Renner, Antonio’s brother. The two decided to set up a dyes factory.
In 1927, with an investment of thirty million Brazilian réis, Felipe Leopoldo and Arthur founded Renner Koepke Cia. Already in that early understanding was manifested what would later turn out to be a historical constant of Renner Group. That is, the fortunate meeting of industrial experience and creative impetus.
Reko (Renner Koepke Cia) takes its first steps
Renner brothers
The wardrobe, the Guaíba River
and the coatings
Renner Koepke Cia. began producing dyes, using domestic raw materials such as iron oxide and quartz. Koepke and his employees worked tirelessly to improve the formulas. Initial production was done manually, but soon advanced machinery was introduced.
One day Arthur, Felipe Leopold and his younger brother Waldemar decided to restore an old wooden wardrobe. To save money, the three bought a coating of a domestic brand instead of an imported one. They applied one, two, three coats of coating and waited two days. But the coating did not dry. The high humidity in the area near the Guaíba River certainly played a major role in the failure to dry, but the three friends saw in that failure a huge business opportunity. The Brazilian quality of coatings was poor. They were going to improve it. That episode became the catalyst for Renner Koepke Cia.’s mission, which turned strongly toward the production of technologically advanced coatings.
From Great Depression to the horse
In the 1930s, the world fell into the Great Depression and Brazil underwent economic and political transformations. Despite the difficulties, the coating company of Renner Koepke Cia. took advantage of the opportunities created by the crisis, diversifying and also launching into the production of packaging for various industries.
This expansion led to the establishment of Metalgráfica Renner, a spin-off that would become a national reference.
In 1941, a devastating flood hit Porto Alegre, submerging the coating factory. An extremely hard blow, which could have decreed the end of this story.
But the word “resignação” (resignation) never belonged to Renner lexicon. With Ernesto Luiz Herrmann joining the company, the new Renner Herrmann Cia Ltda found a new location and continued to grow.
It made it through World War II unscathed, and in the late 1940s the company moved to a new site with modern infrastructure.
The first Renner Herrmann factory in Navegantes quarter in Porto Alegre
Here, the company continued to invest in vertical integration of production, building an oil refinery and developing new products. In 1957, Renner name was reflected in the new logo of a white horse, a symbol of agility, strength and courage.
Conquering the Brazilian market
The Brazil of the early 1960s was plagued by very strong political tensions that caused a frightening economic crisis. As a consequence, from 1964 a military regime was established that would last 21 years.
On the eve of this difficult era, Renner Herrmann was already positioned as an iconic brand with high-quality products and efficient distribution.
The group had to change the retail rules. The market, in fact, had until then provided for a distribution limited to one retail shop per town. In individual communities, these large hardware shops exercised a veritable monopoly regime. The decision to disrupt this custom by opening new shops was not an easy one.
The old merchants got on the side, so much so that Tintas Renner lost the leadership in some locations. In most cities, however, the decision turned out to be a happy one and started a new business model.
The solvent-based coating production department in Porto Alegre (1950s)
To support the growth of Rio Grande do Sul market, Renner also adopted an innovative direct delivery system with its own truck drivers.
In this context, Renner also initiated a system that was pioneering at the time, called ‘retira de pronta entrega’, in which the retailer could pick up individual items in bulk. A process that eased the burden on retailers’ warehouses, who could use the on-demand system for emergencies and low-turnover colours.
The dealer could place the order in the morning and come by the warehouse an hour later to pick it up!
A highly efficient tailor-made service that sculpted the entrepreneurial character of Renner Group.
So much so that even today, everywhere in the world, flexibility and speed are distinctive traits of the people working for the horse.
The Brazilian Miracle
In the late 1960s, thanks to economic stability and foreign investment, new opportunities opened up. Renner Herrmann went public in 1966, preparing for strategic operations.
Notable acquisitions included Industria de Tintas Louçalin in 1968, which consolidated Renner Herrmann’s presence in the market.
In those years Renner Herrmann got a series of advertising campaigns right. The slogan “Renner Extra enamel has everything but the scent of rose” became a veritable refrain.
Two advertisements in the 1960s
Reforestation and automotive
In 1970 Renner Herrmann diversified its activities by investing in Flosul, a reforestation and timber processing actor. A government-backed project aimed at combating deforestation and promoting reforestation in sparsely forested areas. A vocation, the green one, that has never failed the horse brand.
The acquisition of Ideal in 1975 marked an important turning point. With the support of the Brazilian Development Bank, Renner Herrmann consolidated itself in the decorative and industrial coatings market and also entered the automotive coatings sector.
Hugo, Thomas and Marcos
There is a common thread that holds the centuries-old history of the Renner Herrmann Group together. And it consists of men with visions out of the ordinary. If Hugo Herrmann is credited with crossing the Brazilian Miracle, his sons Thomas and Marcos will project the organization into the future.
Hugo believed that the training of company executives should include a transition through all areas, leading them to positions by merit and not by descent. It was a philosophy that involved his sons Thomas and Marcos, who debuted in operational roles and then, after the physiological apprenticeship, revived the company’s growth in the following decades.
The Lost Decade
In the 1980s, remembered as the “Lost Decade,” stagnation and hyperinflation dominated the Brazilian economy. The world order was turning toward globalization of the economy. Brazilian regimes were not.
Thomas and Marcos, with Hugo’s strong leadership, managed to overcome those years of severe recession. The watchword: invest in technology. Another hallmark of the little horse.
Renner expanded its factory 22 kilometers from Porto Alegre. The wall coatings division was relocated to Gravataí. Production capacity increased to two million liters per month thanks to automated mixing. A futuristic laboratory was also created that became an international reference. Students from the best universities were recruited and trained by the most experienced chemical engineers.
The Italian man
In 1980 Renner Herrmann partnered with Sayerlack Industria Brasileira de Vernizes, based in Cajamar, São Paulo. Alexandre Cenacchi had founded the company specializing in furniture coatings in 1968. But who is Alexandre Cenacchi? A Brazilian of Emilian descent, Alexandre began his career at the age of 18 as an Olivetti manager in Brasilia. He soon realized, however, that his path was a different one. He therefore took to working with his father, a specialist in furniture for commercial spaces.
Hello, Alexandre
One day in the late 1960s, Alexandre picked up the telephone receiver. On the other end was the general manager of Olivetti in Brazil. An Italian, with whom he had worked the previous year. «Hello, Alexandre? The son of the president of the Italian Senate is coming to Brazil. Can you host him? ».
The man arriving from Rome explained over lunch that he owned a wood coatings company – Sayerlack Mexico. He had received a letter from one of the directors of the Admiral TV factory, from Rio Grande do Sul. He said he was impressed with Sayerlack Mexico’s finishes.
The Italian man understood that Brazil represented an opportunity, but he needed people on the ground for that new adventure.
So at the end of lunch, sipping coffee, he asked Cenacchi: «Look Alexandre, do you want to go into business with me?».
The Mexico-Brazil-Italy Triangle
In October 1968, during the Olympics, Alexandre traveled to Mexico to see the company for himself. In December of that year, he founded Sayerlack Brasil in São Paulo, with a 30% equity stake. The company prospered to the point that early Sayerlack Mexico failed to meet the needs of the subsidiary. «They were essentially supplying polyester coatings and had no other products that would allow entry into other segments», Alexandre says. The impasse convinced Cenacchi to fly to Italy in search of new technological synergies to tackle expansion in Brazil. Faced with disinterest from the Mexicans, Sayerlack Brasil’s capital became fully Brazilian and began its gallop, bolstered by its partnership with Italy.
A laboratory of Renner Sayerlack
The union between Renner Hermann and Sayerlack Brasil
At that point, however, Alexandre needed to build a new plant. He identified the area in Cajamar, which is just outside São Paulo. The initial goal was a production capacity of one million liters of coatings per month and 300 thousand kilos of resin. To support the investment, however, it was necessary to find a partner. So it was that Renner Herrmann ended up acquiring 60 percent of Sayerlack Brasil’s shares. The company was capitalized, ensuring future development with a wide range of products.
Hello, Alexandre - part 2
«One day I received a phone call from Antonio Prestefilippe Neto – Alexandre Cenacchi remembers today. He asked if it was true that I was trying to sell the company. I replied that no, I was looking for a partner. “Can we talk?”, argued Prestefilippe. We went to lunch and exchanged information. Later we received a visit from Thomas Herrmann, then head of acquisitions. He came to evaluate the company. After some negotiations, between June and July 1980, Antonio called me, and together with Hugo Herrmann, a fair person who was concerned about settling the matter well, we reached a partnership agreement. Hugo helped me a lot and I am very grateful to him. I personally kept the commercial and industrial side. We have been partners for almost half a century.
There’s no denying it. The telephone is certainly Alexandre Cenacchi’s best friend. He would be again 23 years later, when he would hear Lindo Aldrovandi’s voice from the other side of the Atlantic. «Hello, Alexandre? I would like to establish Renner Italia…».
Internationalization
Strengthened by its union with Sayerlack Brasil, Renner Herrmann began the process of internationalization, starting with Latin America. In 1982, he acquired Sinpla (Sintéticos del Plata) in Uruguay. The following year, it established Lusol-Renner in Buenos Aires to serve the automotive market. In 1984, Renner Herrmann acquired Oxford Tintas e Vernizes of São Bernardo do Campo. In the same year, Tintas Renner was born. The company consolidated the fourfold field of action aimed at wood, automotive, industrial and wall coatings. And in 1986, by taking over Lorilleux do Brasil, it entered the world of printing inks.
The transformation of the 1990s
In 1989, the company decided to unify the various brands under Renner name. This rebranding process was successfully completed and increased brand awareness.
With the arrival of the 1990s, Brazil faced an economic and political transformation. At the beginning of the decade, Thomas Herrmann assumed the presidency of Tintas Renner, leading the rationalization and reorganization of the company’s activities to adapt to the new global market reality.
A new era that in 2004, ten thousand kilometers away, would give life in the heart of the Po Valley to Renner Italia.
The 1995 Libertadores Cup, just won by its Gremio, with the main sponsor Renner on the jerseys.