The Challenge
When a division of a Dutch industrial conglomerate is carved out by a private equity fund, almost everything has to be rebuilt, including the brand. That was the situation facing what would become XMEK.
ERIKS Seals & Plastics had operated as a division of ERIKS, a Netherlands-based industrial distribution company, for years. When Luther King Capital acquired the business in a carveout, the new standalone entity needed a completely independent identity (name, visual brand, messaging, and market positioning) ready to launch by early 2024.
The stakes were high. The business operated in a commoditized market where sealing and bearing solutions providers are difficult to differentiate. Leadership had a clear ambition: not just to replace what had been lost in the carve-out, but to build something better. XMEK wanted to establish itself as a trusted, value-added distribution partner, one with genuine technical expertise and the credibility to win customers, attract talent, and support an acquisitive growth strategy. The brand had to do all of that from Day 1.
The Solution
CSBG partnered with XMEK’s leadership team from concept through launch, serving as the single turnkey brand partner for the full engagement.
We began with research and stakeholder alignment: understanding the competitive landscape, how customers experienced the legacy business, and what the leadership team believed made the company genuinely different. That foundation shaped every subsequent decision.
The name came first. XMEK was developed to be bold, modern, and industry-agnostic, a name capable of carrying the brand through future acquisitions and category expansion without becoming limiting. It signals technical precision without anchoring the business to any single product or geography.
From there, we built the full brand platform: a visual identity designed around balance and innovation, mirroring elements in the mark that reflect the precision engineering at the core of the business, and a messaging framework that positioned XMEK not as a product supplier, but as an extension of the customer’s own team. The brand story articulated what value-added distribution actually looks like in practice: deep expertise, tailored solutions, and the kind of partnership that makes customers more capable.
Communication assets, website, and collateral brought the identity to life across the touchpoints that matter most in industrial distribution, giving the sales team the tools to show up credibly from day one of operations as a standalone company.
What We Delivered
Foundation
Landscape audits
Stakeholder interviews
Competitive review
Carveout brand assessment
Identity
Name exploration
Logo development
Visual identity system
Brand architecture
Messaging framework
Tagline
Style guide
Launch roadmap
Launch
Website
Branded collateral set
Communication assets
Brand intro deck
Result
XMEK launched on time, in early 2024, with a complete brand identity built for where the business was going, not just where it had been.
The new brand gave leadership a differentiated story to tell in a commoditized market, credible positioning to attract new customers and employees, and a platform flexible enough to absorb future acquisitions without losing coherence. The carveout that could have left the business with nothing to stand on instead launched with a foundation built for growth.
CSBG continues to support XMEK as the business evolves.
Photography and Videography
“The team at CSBG helped craft a powerful story, captivating design, and unified brand identity that will serve as a strong foundation for our future. A brand is more than just a name; it's a comprehensive ecosystem that includes visual elements, tone, messaging, and strategic leveraging to support meaningful growth. CSBG's expertise and dedication were essential in shaping and establishing the XMEK brand.”
Stuart Lowndes
CEO, XMEK