A global industrial and consumer goods company with a large adhesives business was developing a digital platform for structural finite element analysis (FEA), the simulation method engineers use to predict how a design behaves under load. Adhesive joints are hard to model, and the company saw an opportunity to give design teams a standard platform and validated material data for adhesive, coating and sealant applications. Its sales team had already run a voice of customer study with key accounts. In mid-2020 it wanted to scale that research to a much broader population of target customers and end-markets: how those customers run FEA today, what they use it for, what frustrates them, how useful a standard adhesive platform would be, how large the market was, and which value proposition and monetization model would work.
PP&A led the design, fielding and analysis of a voice of customer survey aimed at technical and purchasing decision-makers in design, innovation, engineering, research, quality and manufacturing roles, screened for direct FEA experience, across 23 end-markets from aerospace and heavy equipment to medical devices, electric motors and design engineering services. The survey focused on the United States with a secondary reach into Europe and closed with 255 qualified FEA users, plus a secondary sample of companies not using FEA to understand why. Fieldwork and analysis ran over roughly six weeks, with an interim readout in August 2020 and the final report in September.
To find structure in the responses, PP&A applied k-means clustering, calibrated with variance and silhouette tests, which grouped respondents by their use of external FEA services and of adhesive FEA today and in the next 12 to 18 months. The team profiled each cluster by industry mix, company size, function, execution model, use cases and perceived value, then took the clusters with the best fit for an adhesive platform into deeper analysis of spending, data card sourcing and pricing expectations, technical challenges and value propositions by industry.
The survey gave the client a view of the broad market that its key-account research could not. The report segmented FEA users by how they run simulation today and plan to in the near term, profiled each segment, and sized the addressable share of the sample. For the priority segments it covered spending on external FEA by industry, the value an adhesive platform would need to deliver, the reasons for outsourcing, how engineers source and pay for adhesive data cards, and the technical obstacles they face.
Demand for adhesive simulation reached well beyond the client's key accounts. The report closed with a phased roadmap of next steps toward a segment deployment strategy and a business development playbook, which gave the client a fact base for deciding where to take the platform first.
Our expert teams are committed to helping you navigate market complexities and transform challenges into substantial opportunities. Explore how our specialized services can drive your professional success by connecting with us today.
Contact UsAt PP&A, we are dedicated to empowering businesses to excel through strategic innovation. We integrate deep industry insights with comprehensive analytics to develop bespoke solutions that propel growth and enhance performance. Our services encompass a broad spectrum, including:
Join our Generative AI Executive Workshop and gain the strategic insights and hands-on skills to lead AI-driven transformation. Starting at $2,750 per participant.