The truck industry is global in nature, and automotive OEMs strive to master a host of unique challenges. We help them succeed and enter new markets. Aside from questions of which markets to enter, manufacturers must also decide on the level of customization and localization that will be offered on products in each market. We help design platform strategies, modularization strategies, market-entry strategies, and flexible business models that reduce uncertainty and position truck makers and bus companies for success.
Another challenge for OEMs is innovating powertrain technologies so that heavy vehicles comply with tightening emissions standards around the world. We have expertise in both the R&D strategies and technologies that empower product evolution.
Given the highly cyclical nature of sales in the heavy-vehicle market, companies also seek alternative sources of revenue. We help design the value-added-services strategies and advanced business models that move companies beyond the volatility of the business cycle. We can also help define joint-venture strategies for markets where that is a requirement for entry.
With more than 300 consultants whose expertise ranges from mechanical engineering to production planning and product design in the heavy-vehicles market, and with local experts on the regulatory and business climates of specific markets, we can address any concern a truck or bus company might have. We also have proprietary tools, such as our annually updated global-profit-pool model for the truck market or our granular understanding of the economics behind alternative powertrains for the bus market in Europe.
Recent examples of our work include the following:
- We helped a global truck manufacturer develop an entry strategy for the Indian market, one of the fastest-growing truck markets.
- We worked with another manufacturer to develop and implement a modular strategy for its truck-platform architectures, helping to capture scale effects in the global product lineup.
- We conducted a large-scale performance-improvement program that focused on material optimizing, material costs, R&D efficiency, and production footprint. This led to an improvement in earnings before interest and taxes of 3 percentage points.