Global Growth for Manufacturers: Marketing & Technical Translation

Global Growth for Manufacturers: Marketing & Technical Translation Success

For manufacturers seeking a translation services provider to help them scale like Armstrong International, global expansion is a strategic necessity. With operations in over 100 countries, Armstrong’s leadership team knew that choosing a translation company that would help them streamline translation processes was critical to growth, maintaining global compliance, and strengthening brand trust worldwide.

The Challenge of Global Expansion for Manufacturing Leaders

Company expansion isn’t just about selling products in new markets. It’s about building relationships and consistent, reliable communications.

Armstrong’s Chief Marketing Officer, Jeff Nowicki, faced a significant challenge:

“We didn’t have a global process to support multiple languages. We were looking to consolidate with a single source, and to implement systematic localization of content on a more routine basis.”, states Nowicki.

How could he ensure that every piece of Armstrong’s marketing, technical documentation, and eLearning content was accurate, culturally relevant, and brand-consistent in multiple languages?

He needed a translation partner who understood Armstrong’s business inside and out, and not just another vendor.

15 years ago, he found the answer – Interpro Translation Solutions.

Over the past 15 years, Interpro has become more than a language service provider; they have become an extension of Armstrong’s marketing and technical teams. This article explores why that partnership works, the unique challenges of technical translation in manufacturing, and how Interpro helps Armstrong maintain brand consistency across global markets.

Why a Manufacturing CMO Needs a True Translation Partner, Not Just a Vendor

At Armstrong, the company doesn’t just sell thermal utility solutions – it sells reliability. Customers trust Armstrong to provide precise, technically sound, and highly specialized solutions for their steam, air, and hot water systems. Any miscommunication in technical materials – for employees or customers – could lead to inefficiencies, safety hazards, or compliance issues. And of course, there’s the challenge of maintaining a consistent and culturally relevant brand in 100 countries.

This is where many translation services fall short. A generic translation provider may be able to convert words from one language to another, but without deep industry knowledge and workflows to keep terminology consistent across all materials, the results can be disastrous.

What Armstrong needed was a translation partner that could:

• Understand the industry’s technical language and translate complex engineering terms with absolute accuracy.
• Ensure brand consistency across marketing, technical documentation, and training materials.
• Scale with Armstrong as it expanded its presence in multiple international markets.
• Integrate seamlessly into Armstrong’s workflow, working alongside the marketing and engineering teams.

Interpro checked every box.

A Strategic and Consultative Partnership with Interpro

The journey with Interpro began in 2010, when it recognized that a fragmented translation approach wasn’t sustainable. The company was working with different language service providers in various regions, leading to inconsistent terminology, formatting issues, and translation inefficiencies.

From the very first project together, Interpro’s commitment to accuracy and efficiency was clear. Interpro doesn’t just translate materials. The Interpro team did extensive scope discovery, understanding Armstrong’s unique problems. Interpro then developed a systematic localization strategy and streamlined workflow to support Armstrong’s global communication needs.

Key early initiatives included:

• Building a comprehensive Translation Memory (TM) to ensure consistent use of technical terms across all languages.
• Glossary development for French, German, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish: This eliminated inconsistencies across materials.
• Migrating marketing materials from QuarkXPress to Adobe InDesign and ensuring multilingual content was production-ready across all markets.

Since then, Interpro has translated and localized nearly 800 projects for Armstrong, including:

• Armstrong University eLearning course library
• Installation guide and technical manual translation
• Global marketing and sales materials
• Multilingual website localization
• Video translation with voiceover and captions

Each project has reinforced Armstrong’s trust in Interpro’s ability to handle technical complexity while maintaining brand consistency.

“The relationship between Interpro and Armstrong is likely unlike other client relationships, from the standpoint of Interpro becoming fully integrated with our global marketing team, including attending the in-person summit, and quarterly team meetings,” says Nowicki.

The Unique Challenges of Technical Translation in Manufacturing (And How Interpro Solves Them)

Ensuring Absolute Accuracy in Technical Documentation

In manufacturing, the slightest mistranslation in a technical manual or product specification can lead to critical errors. Customers rely on these materials to properly install, operate, and maintain complex equipment.

How Interpro Helps:

• Industry-Specific Linguists: Interpro assigns translators with manufacturing and engineering backgrounds to ensure precise terminology usage.
• Multi-Step Quality Assurance (QA): Armstrong’s process includes multiple review stages, including in-country review (ICR) by native-speaking subject matter experts.
• Glossary and Style Guide Maintenance: Ensures consistency across all documents, regardless of the language.

Result: Armstrong’s technical manuals are accurate, reliable, and compliant in every market.

Maintaining Brand Consistency Across Global Markets

Brand voice and messaging should be consistent, no matter the language. Many manufacturers struggle with maintaining the same level of clarity, authority, and professionalism across translated materials.

How Interpro Helps:

• Centralized Translation Memory & Glossaries: Ensures key brand messages and technical terms are consistently translated.
• Cultural Adaptation (Not Just Translation): Their linguists localize content for different regions, adapting phrasing while keeping the brand’s tone intact.
• Integration with Marketing Teams: Interpro regularly attends Armstrong’s global marketing meetings and summits, ensuring alignment with brand goals.

Result: Armstrong’s messaging is unified and effective across all global campaigns.

Scaling Translation for Growth While Maintaining Quality

Armstrong International operates in over 100 countries and serves clients in industries such as food & beverage, healthcare, automotive, and education. As the company grows, the demand for translated content continues to expand.

How Interpro Helps:

• Scalable Team of Experts: They quickly ramp up resources for large-scale projects.
• Technology-Driven Workflow: Their translation management system (TMS) streamlines projects, reducing turnaround times without sacrificing quality.
• Ongoing Collaboration & Consultation: Regular check-ins ensure that Armstrong’s evolving business needs are met.

Result: Armstrong can confidently expand into new markets with a trusted translation partner by its side.

The Impact: How Interpro Has Transformed Armstrong’s Global Communications

Armstrong’s CMO, Nowicki, says it best:

“We’ve seen increased engagement, increase in form submissions, improved search engine optimization, and brand positioning because we serve comprehensive content in multiple languages. And there has been increased engagement with the team at Armstrong China because the content has been localized.”

The numbers speak for themselves:

• 6,000,000 words translated
• 800+ translation projects completed
• 74 eLearning courses localized
• 8+ languages supported across Armstrong’s global website

Resulting in:

• Increased engagement in international markets (especially in China)
• Higher SEO performance due to localized web content.
• Seamless integration with Armstrong’s global marketing team.
• A fully accessible website for global customers, improving engagement and trust.
• The marketing and sales teams can confidently communicate in local languages, enhancing relationships with international clients.
• Employees worldwide benefit from translated eLearning courses, ensuring consistency in training and operational knowledge.

Why Every Manufacturing CMO Needs a Translation Strategy

Leadership has learned that global success requires more than just great products. It requires clear, consistent, and culturally relevant communication.

Choosing a translation partner isn’t just about cost. It’s about choosing a translation team that prioritizes quality, reliability, and strategic alignment – and engineers your translation workflow to make it work for you. Armstrong’s partnership with Interpro has been a game-changer because they provide:

✅ Technical translation expertise
✅ A commitment to brand consistency
✅ Scalable solutions for global growth
✅ True integration with Armstrong’s team

For manufacturing leaders looking to streamline translation, ensure compliance, and strengthen global brand presence, Interpro Translation Solutions is the gold standard.

Ready to elevate your global strategy?

Contact Interpro today to discuss how expert translation can drive your international success.