A world’s leading battery manufacturer setting its foot in China

Client profile

The client is a world’s leading manufacturer of deep-cycle solar and motive batteries. In China, its primary market is rental equipment as well as golf and utility vehicles.

The lead-acid battery industry in China is experiencing a sustained and vigorous growth trend, meaning there is an increased demand for lead acid batteries (LAB). The client has been selling its products in China through distributing partners for over 15 years.

Objective

The client is now looking to set foot in China and therefore wants to gain in-depth knowledge of the China deep cycle LAB market prospects. This includes imported products and products produced in China for the Chinese market as well as for export. The client has specified four market segments they want to explore specifically in detail.

The objective can be broken down into three sub-objectives:

  • Assess the prospects of each pre-specified segment for the next five to ten years.
    • Size, forecasts upcoming regulations, market trends etc.
  • Identify new potential markets for the client.
    • Existing or developing demand for current or similar types of products.
  • Provide recommendations and guide the client to leverage development opportunities.
    • Do current segments still show development aspects?
    • Does the client need to enter existing segments with high demand for deep cycle LAB?
    • Is the client in need of developing new types of products to enter a new or existing high potential market?

Research process & methodology

We approached the objective in three steps:

  • Market Prospects and New Opportunities
  • Competitive Assessment
  • Customer Identification, Sizing, and Targeting

We applied desk research and in-depth interviews to gain comprehensive insights into the deep cycle LAB market, identify potential new market opportunities for the client and assess LAB market prospects in key segments. The data and knowledge gained in step one are further leveraged in step two.

Based on our knowledge from step one, we engaged in mystery calls and analyzed competitors as well as their strategies to assess our client’s best approach to new markets. Results of this step are further assessed and sized in step three.

Another set of mystery calls and the aggregation of research from steps one and two allowed for a cross-analysis of the findings. The synthesis of this information and an end-demand analysis delivered key findings in:

  • Development opportunities and expected evolution of the market
  • Poorly exploited markets or segments in China
  • New technologies that can help the client to take advantage of the market
  • Key weaknesses of competitors and how the client can exploit from them

Based on these findings we validated new markets’ potential, sized markets accordingly, and evaluated the client’s relevance to entering them.