CLIENT CASE STUDY

Supporting French global chemical company venture into new downstream markets

COMPANY

Global chemical company consisting of three industrial businesses: Vinyl Products, Industrial Chemicals, and Performance Products. Company’s polymers play a part in the vast majority of industries: automotive, electronics, furniture, construction, packaging, medical and the energies sector, and are used in increasing amounts with ever more cutting edge qualities.

Company reported sales of 4.4 billion Euros in 2009, with 13,800 employees in over 40 countries and 7 research centers located in France, the United States and Japan. With internationally recognized brands, company holds leadership positions in all its markets.

CLIENT - GROUP MANAGER

I am a French national currently working in the company’s high performance plastic division branch in Japan as a Group Manager in the Asia-Pacific Area. I am leading a team of development engineers aiming at developing our high performance resin business in new end-user markets outside of our traditional automotive and sports markets.

NEW DIRECTIONS

We were trying to figure out how to grow the company into new directions, find new innovative downstream global consumer fields that could synergistically utilize our technical polymer business and expand our value chain positioning. Thinking about our core company strengths and new downstream global market opportunities, we came up with the idea using our high performance bio-sourced plastic (Bio-plastic) in a new brand of office furniture targeting companies around the World that have a “green” CSR orientation.

HOW TO DO IT?

But, it was difficult to see how to do it and make it a reality, especially how to connect the pieces together to make it a viable new market-entry that could clearly substantiate both the value proposition and the achievability of the idea that my head office decision-making “audience” in France would need to give us the go-ahead green light approval on the project.

MAKING IT REAL

However, in working closely with Nigel Denscombe (“Denscombe Corporation”), I was able to put together a viable business plan with a realistic multi-step action plan focused on the needs of the key stakeholders that our global senior management team in France quickly approved as a creative new direction for potential global corporate growth.

CUTTING THROUGH CONFLICTING DATA

Nigel was able to cut-through the conflicting mass of data and ideas, and simplify the thinking so as to make the “picture” very clear and manageable, particularly in thinking about my key audience needs.

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

Nigel was able to ask the right questions that needed to be answered, so that the pieces of the idea could be easily linked to together in a synergistic and practical way that made sense, and we were able to build a realistic plan that fit our situation perfectly, a “total” solution!

BUILDING THE BUSINESS MODEL

Working together with Denscombe Corporation, we were able to fully understand the market opportunity, to build and refine the parameters of the business model required, to create a realistic timeline to success, and to put together a financial plan with the right balance of potential value creation for all the key stakeholders.

GETTING THE GREEN LIGHT

In less than 12 months, our company has moved forward with this project and through our partner (the no. 2 furniture manufacturer in Japan) we unveiled a new line of green plastic office furniture in the “K2010 International Trade Fair” in Germany, a new downstream field from our normal value chain positioning.

VALUE-ADDED

Nigel Denscombe and Denscombe Corporation critically helped make this dream a reality, and, while this is just a first small step for us, I feel greatly supported moving our company in a positive new direction for potential future global growth and a greener future!

Group Manager

Kyoto Technical Center (Japan)

French global chemical enterprise

Client Group Manager out celebrating with the CEO of Denscombe Corporation