tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64303025999513751112024-03-05T13:00:49.160-05:00xInvest ConsultantsMarket strategy and research consulting firm based in Metrowest Boston with a focus on chemicals and building products.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-58944560347381986652016-07-01T10:01:00.003-04:002020-03-31T15:34:29.330-04:00We at Xinvest Consultants take pride in working with C-suite executives who are chartered with driving SBU- or
enterprise-level growth. We drive results, typically for Fortune 500 companies in the industrials, technology, and life sciences sectors.
We have a distinct preference for companies that take pride in technology-driven differentiation of their products and services. That is whyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-66330528747942415512016-04-26T18:04:00.000-04:002016-04-26T18:04:07.116-04:00Digital strategy framework for legacy websitesIt is shocking that in 2016, there are so many billion-Dollar companies with websites that scream "1999!" Indeed it understandable that the technology on the web is changing so rapidly and the cost to upgrade a large website can easily exceed seven figures even if the bulk of the work is offshored. Unfortunately, even for an enterprise that does no e-commerce transactions, the lost Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-52032611788272215372016-02-04T12:03:00.000-05:002016-02-04T12:03:13.206-05:00Which business opportunity should we pick?It is a challenge that many businesses face. A lot of time it is not uncommon to analyze the opportunity to death and what you come up with is paralysis and confusion. To complicate the decision-making further, there is the added impact of confusion (not knowing very well the attributes of the opportunity),
What we have found works really well in screening opportunities out is by Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-78508493111405272432015-12-21T16:26:00.001-05:002017-09-19T16:19:29.097-04:00Report on consumer loyalty card programs in the United StatesWe are pleased to publish our industry report on consumer loyalty card programs in the United States of America. This study includes assessment of the market size, trends, growth drivers, and what sponsors and administrators of consumer loyalty programs can do increase engagement.
Our analysis shows that while number of cards in circulation has more than doubled in just 8 years (financial Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-46584450845393933632015-12-09T16:40:00.001-05:002015-12-09T16:40:38.219-05:00Report on American economy, demographics, and homebuilding sectorThe emergence of Millennials as the largest first time buyers of homes and injection of foreign money into North American real estate are definitely transforming the homebuilding and construction sectors. In order to fully appreciate the trends impacting home construction business, so that a long-term market strategy can be developed, we have published a report analyzing macroeconomic Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-81320990624257550212015-12-09T13:31:00.003-05:002015-12-09T13:32:46.537-05:00Trends impacting the homebuilding sector in the United StatesAs we have written in the past, there are some major changes in the American real estate market. Obviously, it has to do with the distinct characteristics of the Millennial generation, the largest group of current and future first time home-buyers. In the report below on the topic of trends and drivers impacting home construction in the United States, we have discussed a range of Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-81279867874015196282015-12-04T11:30:00.001-05:002015-12-04T11:34:07.177-05:00State of the Canadian economy and prospects for real estate businessAs we discussed previously, the influx of foreign money is disrupting the dynamics of the real estate markets in both United States and Canada, and that is impacting how many Millennials can afford to buy their first home. In addition, as good as it was that Canada largely avoided the 2008 financial meltdown, the decline in oil prices has brought its economy to a standstill. The Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-52487568991300390172015-12-03T13:13:00.001-05:002015-12-03T13:47:00.537-05:00Impact of Foreign Real Estate Buyers on the North American marketThere are several forces at work in transforming the real estate business in United States and Canada. Obviously, the nature of the economic recovery since 2012, flat wages, underemployment of Millennials, limited inventory of single family homes available for sale, and modest household formation are factors in driving selling prices and rents of homes, what is also distorting the market isUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-3868935004048994212015-11-20T14:02:00.001-05:002015-11-20T14:15:40.114-05:00Ecolab has business lessons for all types of companiesWhile advising clients on a range of business issues, it is almost universally helpful to study other companies. Most of the time I will highlight one or more companies during the presentation itself to build a case for a certain strategy, highlight challenges that another company faced in a similar situation, or warn about following a certain strategy because it did not work out so well.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-66604171715095031712015-11-19T16:51:00.000-05:002015-11-19T16:51:42.796-05:00Analytical process to identify a growth opportunity for an existing productWe at xInvest Consultants spend bulk of our time analyzing new growth opportunities. A very typical scenario is a manufacturer that may sell a chemical to automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics, and medical device market. After research and development, they have now been able to develop a formulation that maybe sold to semiconductor manufacturers. They believe that their Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-28388534666092813242015-10-02T13:12:00.000-04:002015-10-02T13:13:04.333-04:00Where do alkaline batteries belong in a portfolio?For those of us who have spent decades analyzing the alkaline battery business, it has been interesting to watch this struggle. There is no doubt that alkaline batteries are consumer products but whether they belong in a portfolio with other technologically-unrelated products is debatable. It wasn't always so, but now that we have some historical information to analyze, we can look atUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-1410300074709524562015-09-29T17:55:00.001-04:002015-09-29T17:56:06.800-04:00Product mix changes in response to market needs workI have been closely watching the tumult in the economy, particularly the impact it has had on the Millennial generation. Their uncertain future and low incomes (I expect this trend to continue and eventually with the aid of technology and seamless flow of labor across border, wages will become uniform globally) have forced companies to completely rethink their business strategies.
Product Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-38916068464899417982014-11-05T15:49:00.000-05:002014-11-05T15:49:14.355-05:00Global alkaline battery market analysisIt was not too long ago that it seemed the alkaline battery business was unstoppable. With a range of consumer devices that drained batteries in no time, manufacturers like Duracell thrived through innovation. During last 3-5 years, though, it seems that these companies are in the same dilemma that Eastman Kodak was before its demise. At least Kodak had the option to switch fromUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-22994440746924111002014-10-22T18:10:00.000-04:002015-04-30T16:09:02.728-04:00Chinese paper industry outlook and forecast, 2013-2018After completing the market analysis of the Indian paper industry, we at xInvest Consultants recently completed a report on the Chinese paper and paperboard market. As you know, we publish executive style reports that are concise and ideal for a presentation. Our findings conclude that the Chinese paper demand is finally slowing down after a run of two decades. In 2013, Chinese Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-7897680522771115642014-10-13T15:56:00.002-04:002015-04-30T16:10:24.932-04:00Indian paper industry outlook and forecast, 2013-2018The Indian paper industry has benefited from the rapid growth in the economy. During the period 2003-2013, per capita paper consumption has doubled from approximately 11 lbs to 24 lbs, but this is way below the numbers for the developed world. In fact, it is even lower than the paper consumption seen in other emerging economies like China.
In the latest report titled Indian Paper Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-5699691404582115942014-10-07T17:51:00.000-04:002014-10-13T15:34:17.952-04:00High Performance Polymers Market Overview and forecastIn collaboration with Principia Consulting, I coordinated a massive research effort to analyze the global high-performance polymers business. The resins that were covered included poly-aryl-ether-ketones (PAEK, PEEK, PEK, PEKK, PEKKEK, and blends such as PEEK/PBI and PEEK/PPSU), high performance polyamides including amorphous versions (PAMXD6, PA46, PA4T, PA6T, PA9T, PA10T, PA6I/6T, PA6/3T,Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430302599951375111.post-2978325604204403642014-10-06T16:39:00.001-04:002014-10-06T16:39:16.909-04:00Partnership along the value chainOne of the biggest mistakes business executives make is to not realize how critical relationships along the value chain are for them to thrive and prosper. Let us briefly discuss how this happens.
Relationships with suppliers: Since there is so much emphasis on lowering costs and companies often reward managers on lowering costs, their immediate reaction is to push their suppliers Unknownnoreply@blogger.com