About the Client:

The Client is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company.

The Challenge:

The Client engaged PreScouter to help them identify standout companies (i.e. companies performing above and beyond the rest of the market) developing and selling hardware sensors used in autonomous vehicles, smart cars, connected cars or flying car type vehicles. This is a market that is rapidly evolving, and the sensors being developed for these applications (e.g. LIDAR, radar, IR, ultrasonic, etc…) can be used in many other industries as well.

Methodology:

PreScouter leveraged its global network of experts to put together a specialized team of PhD researchers and subject matter experts (SMEs) with experience in the development of these sensors, who could provide insights and recommendations to the Client regarding the technology differentiators that could separate the standout companies from others.

The overall workstream for this challenge included:

• Identifying general market trends and highlighting key players developing sensors in 6 segments some of which included gated radar, LIDAR, and ultrasonic sensors.
• Identifying suppliers/development partners that have the world’s largest automotive companies (e.g. VW, Daimler, GM, etc…) as customers for their products.
• Compiling an IP landscape of these key technology areas, to uncover trends in technology development and to validate key players identified in the previous rounds.

Results:

The goal of this engagement was to identify the best-in-class sensor products for the target markets that were leading R&D into these sensor areas. PreScouter identified 12 key competitors (the top 2-3 players in each sensor category), and identified the key technology differentiators that allowed these players to develop a superior offering compared to the rest of the market. Additionally, the PreScouter team presented to the Client specific insights and unique or novel data points for each of the key competitors.

Additionally for each key competitor, PreScouter also provided: 

• Structural information including size and operation region
• Financial information including investment and technology partners
• Market presence and business intelligence including market share, key customers, and targeted markets

Impact of PreScouter work:

This engagement allowed the Client to better understand the state of the art in these sensor categories today to better assess and forecast the technological evolution of these sensors over the coming years. The identified potential partners or acquisition targets will help the Client to remain a key leader in these categories.

A downloadable version of this case study is available here.

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