Market Assessment - Customer Acquisition

SITUATION

Bottle Breakage Technologies (BBT) developed a unique technology that can reduce and control bottle breakages and bottle abrasion (scuffing) in filling lines. Completed trials show that the BBT analytical device is a powerful instrument to detect and control problems in high speed filling lines such as high accumulation pressures and high scuffing risks. Potential savings of $250,000 per packaging line were documented. Benefits for this technology include productivity improvement, reduced quality problems, improved returnable glass cycle rates, reduction in breakage, and reduction of in-line downed bottles. As a result, BBT wanted to understand the opportunity for their technology at large glass filling operations globally.

PMG SOLUTION

PMG designed a market research project to evaluate the potential for BBT’s new technology to achieve the following:

• Identify the major global companies using returnable and non-returnable glass bottles for packaging beer, carbonated soft drinks (CSD), and other high volume beverages, and the locations that are packaging the products.

• Compile specific descriptive information on each of the largest plant locations – products packaged, estimated volume, numbers of lines, etc.

• Identify the key decision makers at each level at each of the top plants and among their respective companies.

• Understand the purchase decision process.

Secondary market research gathered information on glass volume, the market for returnable glass bottles, trends in glass packaging, and glass packaging plant locations. With a compiled contact list, PMG completed in-depth telephone interviews with 25 individuals at the targeted companies in positions that included logistics, operations, packaging, production, engineering, and others.

RESULTS

PMG’s market research resulted in a database of detailed information including production volumes, number of bottling lines, and contact information for key decision makers at targeted glass packaging plants. Interviews with key decision makers provided BBT with key insight into the expectations of vendors, role and involvement in the decision making process by job title, key performance criteria to create value, and possible market entry hurdles. PMG discovered immediate business potential for BBT, which translated into customer leads almost immediately. From these leads and the additional marketing information provided in the final report, BBT was successful in obtaining commitments for over $2 million in new business within the first 12 months of the project.