The origins: Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A.

The ear of wheat crossing the central letter Q in the logotype clearly indicated the company's orientation towards agriculture and in particular towards extensive crops, such as wheat, oat and barley.

The company's most important product was sodium nitrate, which competed with commodities. There was no market for more sophisticated products, as they were targeted towards smaller producers, who focused on achieving high production outputs at low cost, rather than offering products with an important added value.

But the company's goal was clear in its logotype. The ear of wheat was born at the bottom of the letter Q, from where it grew beyond its contours, thus dominating the entire logotype. The perfect metaphor for the mission of the Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile: expanding business in agriculture, to produce better fruits and to harvest success.

During the eighties a real metamorphosis took place: the company started investing in the production of potassium nitrate, a natural fertilizer that was rapidly and successfully positioned in the market, and later on embarked upon the production of iodine. Thus, SQM expanded its target market, in which the main competitor -the commodities- remained present but with a systematically decreasing market share.

The nineties: Soquimich



Soquimich's growth accelerated, product lines were expanded, new production processes were discovered and applied, and the plants were modernised. Thus a new era of expansion was born, during which Soquimich no longer only focused on agriculture but also started integrating industrial products that were successfully commercialised and significantly contributed to the sales figure.

Soquimich thus rapidly acquired an important market share, which led the foundations for the development and establishment of the four business areas, which are still: fertilizers, iodine, lithium and industrial chemicals.

This period, characterised by a constant drive to produce at low cost and to improve the production processes, reached its peak at the end of the nineties. Soquimich had then increased its product range on so many levels, that it became necessary to focus on a new task: to differentiate, to create added value and to communicate its competitive advantages to its consumers.

Today: SQM, The Worldwide Business Formula

The actual SQM logotype personifies everything the company stands for today: it was deliberately designed with many curved elements to suggest movement. It reflects the company's evolution towards a new goal, where the focus is no longer on the product, but on the customer needs.

Its curved lines point upwards as a graphical metaphor for the accelerated growth of the company, which, being confronted with the vigorous growth of the world economy and its new challenges, started to refurbish its structure and position which finally led to a new corporate definition in 2004.

The colour green remained: it could not be other than green because SQM stands for nature, life and movement. But today that green is more intense, more organic, more contemporary.

A new slogan was launched: "The Worldwide Business Formula", which exactly reflects what SQM stands for:



This business formula, which is based upon the high quality products and services that SQM provides and which is targeted at meeting the needs of every customer among the 350.000 customers worldwide, is powered by its new warranty seal: "The Element Q".



Therefore, from now on, SQM stands for: The Worldwide Business Formula.
Therefore, from now on, we are all Powered by The Element Q.