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Business Research & Analytics Cases
Supporting Our Clients’ Strategic Decision Making and Knowledge Processes
Global corporations, emerging companies, and consulting firms in a wide range of industries turn to Boston Analytics for knowledge services and products that support their strategic decision making and day-to-day knowledge processes. Following are representative cases describing our business research and analytics work in several industries, including:
Automotive: Assessing Acquisition Opportunities in the U.S. Truck Bedliner Industry
Chemicals: A Comprehensive Chemical Capacity Knowledge Repository
Energy: Evaluating Global Energy Trends & the Impact of Technology
Healthcare: Analysis of Imaging Services for Clinical Drug Trial
High Technology: Analysis of Access Control Systems for Enterprise Use
Telecommunications: Analysis of Wireless Messaging Solutions
Automotive: Assessing Acquisition Opportunities in the U.S. Truck Bedliner Industry
A globally renowned advisory firm came to Boston Analytics for an overview of the U.S. truck bedliner industry in order to better understand the opportunities for acquisitions. Boston Analytics performed a broad-based industry structure analysis that included:
- An overview of the industry — primary uses of bedliners, key players in bedliner manufacturing, segmentation of the industry (spray-on vs. drop-in liners), and key growth drivers
- Evaluation of the competitive landscape
- Channel dynamics — the relative size of all retail outlets
- Penetration of bedliners among truck dealerships, including regional differences
- OEM participation
- The end-user market (both OEM and aftermarket), including identifying the typical end-user, determining the overall size of the end-user market, projecting expected growth in the end-user market (pickup truck sales), and identifying pickup truck market segmentation.
Boston Analytics derived an analysis of growth prospects that took into account the significance of bedliners in light truck accessory sales, the crossover possibilities for offering bedliners in the SUV market, and segmentation — the prospects of spray-on bedliner segments as compared to drop-in bedliner segments.
The client used our analysis to evaluate the industry from an investment opportunity perspective. The knowledge provided by Boston Analytics also formed the basis for further evaluation of specific companies within the industry.
Chemicals: A Comprehensive Chemical Capacity Knowledge Repository
A leading private investment firm turned to Boston Analytics for information on global production capacity changes for a large number of complex chemicals. Our solution was to develop a chemical capacity knowledge repository for the client. Within the chemical capacity repository:
- Existing capacity and planned expansion across the world are mapped for each of the chemicals.
- Information is searchable by multiple parameters designated by the user.
- Information in the database is comprehensively updated on a monthly basis.
This Boston Analytics solution has provided the client with an analytical framework for researching, monitoring, compiling, and forecasting global production capacity changes for a large number of complex chemicals. The result for our client: the knowledge to make more informed investment decisions.
Energy: Evaluating Global Energy Trends & the Impact of Technology
A leading player in the energy marketplace needed an accurate overview of global trends in the energy marketplace. The firm engaged Boston Analytics for a comprehensive demand-supply scenario, including assessing the energy sector’s impact on the global economy as well as modeling the potential impact of technological advancements on global energy trade.
Boston Analytics performed a detailed analysis of global trends in the energy sector by evaluating:
- Energy demand outlook — including energy intensity vs. gross domestic product per capita for the U.S. and worldwide, comparison of energy intensity for developed and developing nations, and growth trends.
- Current energy sources — including worldwide energy consumption by source (nuclear, coal, petroleum, hydro-electric, natural gas, etc.), hydrocarbon reserves, electricity generation costs, exploration and production activities, and CO2 and SO2 emissions.
- Alternative energy sources and options for improved efficiency, including improvement in standard equipment efficiency, energy consumption with improved efficiency, and net reduction in overall energy consumption in the U.S. with improvements in the standards of equipment efficiency.
Boston Analytics also analyzed the consequent impact of new technologies and alternative energy sources on the global energy trade by studying top-ten energy importing countries, energy imports as a percentage of GDP and trade balance, and trade balance vs. net energy balance.
The client used our analysis as a key tool for building energy policy frameworks in a developing economy. Various discussion forums also leveraged our analysis to inform debate on possible energy policy frameworks.
Healthcare: Analysis of Imaging Services for Clinical Drug Trials
A leading player in the healthcare industry retained Boston Analytics to assess the market potential of imaging services in clinical drug trials. Their goal was to determine the viability of providing imaging services in this niche arena. Boston Analytics assessed the process and key factors, evaluated the market, and quantified the possibilities to enable the client to make informed decisions regarding entry into the market. Our comprehensive assessment included:
- Stages involved in the drug development process
- Trends in outsourcing of drug development
- Use of imaging procedures in different therapeutic segments — oncology, cardiovascular, nephrology, dermatology, and neurology
- Types of imaging procedures used in clinical trials
- Criticality of use of imaging procedures in clinical drug trials
Our detailed analysis evaluated the extent to which imaging procedures are used in clinical trials — for example, how frequently imaging is used in clinical trials, patient enrollment data, and overall volume of clinical trials. Other analyses included:
- Usage pattern of imaging procedures for clinical trials in the U.S.
- Costs associated with usage of imaging procedures for clinical trials
- Pricing of imaging procedures in clinical trials in the U.S. and India
- Therapeutic segments where imaging procedures play a critical role in clinical trials
From our assessment we quantified the potential market size (per annum) for each imaging service and each phase-segment combination in pharmaceutical clinical trials. We also estimated the frequency of use of each imaging procedure for each therapeutic segment, based on information in the description of sample trials.
High Technology: Analysis of Access Control Systems for Enterprise Use
A leading international player in the security systems market turned to Boston Analytics to study the market potential for security and access control systems for enterprise use. Their goal was to launch their high-end biometric access control systems in the Indian market. To help the client formulate a market entry strategy, Boston Analytics assessed the market for security/access control, evaluated the size of the market and its segments, and quantified the scope and possibilities. Our wide-ranging assessment encompassed:
- Evolution of access control systems used by corporations
- Special/varying requirements of different industries with respect to access control and restriction (e.g., basic swipe cards for the average office vs. fingerprint/iris/face scanners and sensors for defense establishments)
- Types and customizability of access control systems currently deployed in the Indian market
- Projection of the future size and trends of the market and strategic initiatives of key players
Our detailed analysis dissected the market by product segments (i.e. types of systems), by manufacturer/provider (i.e. market share and strategies of the top players), and by end-user segments, along with the scope for introducing new features/modules across different user segments. Other analyses included:
- Pricing models for different types of access control systems
- Comparison of solutions and usage in India and China
- Snapshot of reliability levels of various types of access control systems
From our study, we calculated the potential market size — both current and future — for the various types of security and access control systems. We also provided insights into the specific requirements sought by companies and discussed the strategic initiatives that are likely to be successful in the market.
Telecommunications: Analysis of Wireless Messaging Solutions
A leading player in the market for wireless enterprise computing solutions turned to Boston Analytics to assess the market potential for handheld enterprise messaging solutions. To help the client make informed market entry decisions, Boston Analytics evaluated the size of the market and its segments, and quantified the scope and possibilities of the market. Our comprehensive assessment included:
- Trends in enterprise use of wireless computing solutions
- Handheld computing requirements at different levels in the enterprise hierarchy (e.g., text/spreadsheet updates at lower levels vs. presentations and other content at higher levels)
- Types and features of solutions currently in use in the market
- Future scope of the market and strategies of key players
Our detailed analysis evaluated the usage of and utility derived by enterprises from handheld computing solutions, and scope for introducing new features/modules in these solutions in accordance with enterprise requirements. Other analyses included:
- Pricing of enterprise mobile messaging solutions in the market
- Country comparison of solutions and usage
- Analysis of type of usage in different industry segments
From our assessment, we calculated the annual potential market size for different segments of mobile computing (e.g. notebook computers, PDAs, and smartphones). We also studied the roles and relationships of different entities in the value chain and projected their evolution over future years.
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