Fluorocarbon Opts for ‘Furon’ as Its New Name
In Cantonese it means “the seat of your pants”--not exactly the image a company wants to cultivate. But that did not discourage Fluorocarbon executives from choosing Furon for its new corporate name.
“We liked the ring of it,” company Chairman and Chief Executive Peter Churm said.
Furon was the product of a six-month, worldwide contest in which Fluorocarbon offered 100 shares of stock to the person who came up with the winning name for this manufacturer of seals and high-performance plastics for industry.
None of the 10,000 contestants actually suggested Furon, but a very similar name, Fluron, was suggested by eight people. The company liked Fluron, but rejected it when it was discovered that an East Coast competitor used a similar name for one of its products.
So the company dropped the L and will award the 100-share prize, worth about $1,300, to each of the eight people. Among the winners is Ron Birtcher, a partner in the Birtcher development firm in Laguna Niguel.
The new name officially takes effect Jan. 1, when it will begin to appear on Fluorocarbon signs and literature. However, those answering telephones at the Laguna Niguel headquarters will start using the new name Monday.
Fluorocarbon decided to change its name to disassociate itself from chlorofluorocarbons, the pollutants threatening the ozone layer which have nothing to do with the company’s business.
Among names given the heave-ho were Fluoroluralura, the Churminators Inc., Slick Parts Inc., So Far So Good Co., and Not Chlorofluorocarbon.
But once you get past the easy cuts, selecting a name from thousands of entries is no easy task, Churm said. Finding a name that would not be confused with another company or product was a major problem, for instance. “We probably settled on 15 different names that were already taken,” he said.
Fluorocarbon spokesman Ron Bissell said Furon cleared an international trademark and copyright search 10 days ago. Since then, he said, “Furon Company” has been registered in every nation in which the company does business.
A last step, Bissell said, was to make certain that furon was not recognized as anything obscene or derogatory in another language. Then, he said, came the discovery that it means “a stiff underskirt” in Greek, is close to a word meaning “carbuncle or boil” in French, and can be translated as “seat of pants” in a Chinese dialect.
Bissell said the Cantonese translation does not present a serious flaw. “Most people speak English in Hong Kong, where the prospects for business are greater for us than in the Canton province of Mainland China.”
Also, Fluorocarbon officials are pleased that the name contest not only generated interest and publicity around the world but saved the company some money. He said the entire cost of Fluorocarbon’s name change, including the printing of new letterheads and the awards, is about $25,000. By contrast, Bissell said, it would have cost the company $100,000 to $250,000 to hire the services of a consultant that specializes in creating new corporate names.
FURON The winners:
Ron Birtcher, San Juan Capistrano
Charles Alexandre, Bristol, R.I.
Michael S. Cholod, Bensalem, Penn.
Marvin Felman, Beachwood, Ohio
A.B. Golaski, Philadelphia
Kelli Griesch, New York
John Temple, Chicago
Dorothy E. Western, Lakewood, Colo.
Some near misses: Fluronix, Furcro, Fluoro, Flurbon and FluroCo.
Not-so-near misses: Flower Garden, S.T.E.W. (Supplying Teflon EveryWhere), Seals Are Us, Laguna Buna, Fluoroluralura, The Churminators Inc., Slick Parts Inc., So Far So Good Co., and Not Chlorofluorocarbon.
