Positioning strategy in unfavourable market for premium product producer

Company description

Grundfos is a global leader in advanced pump solutions and a trendsetter in water technology. We develop produce sell and provide service for high quality pump solutions as well as set the industry standards. Our solutions match the requirements of our customers – no matter how complex the solution is how big it is or where it is to be implemented. 

We contribute to global sustainability by pioneering technologies that improve quality of life for people while expressing care for the planet. It is our commitment to be responsible thinking ahead and innovative that enables us to meet all of our client needs. 

Project description

District cooling is currently booming in Middle East that is currently taking over the no. 1 position from U.S. and still expecting to triple in size. This leaves a huge market for pumps, but Grundfos presence in the district cooling market is relatively limited. One of the reasons is the market dynamics.

When constructing a pumping solution, engineers specify pump requirements and procurement makes the purchase. As a result, minimum specifications, cost, and delivery on time has the highest priority while lifecycle costs are left outside of consideration. On top, competitors are very aggressive on price due to the attractive growth and the potential after sales market.

Grundfos makes one of the best pumps in terms of energy consumption and control, but since pumps are more expensive it is harder to sell, even though pumps consume energy that is worth 6-8 times more than the cost of a pump, just in one year.

We would like students to:

• Middle East District Cooling Market Analysis: Understand market landscape, Map known and unknown competitors, Collect feedback on competitors – brand perception, product setup, value proposition, brand positioning etc.
• Customer Needs Analysis: Investigate decision making process and what each stakeholder is prioritizing/looking for (contractor/consultant/client)
• Grundfos Position & Capabilities Analysis: Analyze the Grundfos brand from the customer perspective - Brand perception & awareness, Value perception, Technical capability perception, After sales perception
• Positioning Strategy Development: combine all the analysis to develop unique positioning strategy for Grundfos

Research aim is to provide Grundfos with recommendations how to act in the market: How can we differentiate from competitors? How can it become a good and profitable business?

Student description

For this project we seek for talented group of Master/Bachelor/Diploma Thesis students (or a single student) pursuing relevant education in Business Management, Strategy, Marketing, Engineering Management or alike. Project will revolve around engineering concepts, so basic understanding would be to your great advantage.

We would expect you to be located in United Arab Emirates in our Dubai office. You will have an office space ready for your work there. Arabic language or exposure to Arabic culture is not a must, but it is definitely a big plus.

We expect you to be self-driven and autonomous person with proactive approach.
Your recommendations will serve as a backbone in developing a new strategy for the market.
Each application is being screened and interviewed on an on-going basis and case will be closed regardless of a case deadline once the right match is found.