The German mid-sized company Cremer was looking for new business areas in animal nutrition. The background is a shrinking livestock market in Europe.
The new opportunities were to build on existing expertise and expand the core business with a view to the future. The goal was to develop them and carry out an initial validation.
Using Expertise and Fictional Competitors to Find Gaps
The UnternehmerTUM team started with qualitative expert interviews. These led to fields of exploration that reveal new potential in the agricultural sector and possible disruptors at the boundaries of the industry.
A two-day open innovation workshop followed with the disruptor approach. Participants designed future, fictional competitors. These attack exactly where their capabilities meet a gap in Cremer’s business model and where they serve customer needs better.
From Seven Fields of Exploration to Two Business Concepts
The team conducted 18 interviews with around 400 statements in 20 impulse areas. These resulted in an up-to-date market view and seven fields of exploration. In two prioritized fields, 20 workshop participants developed four disruptor approaches.
Two business concepts went through an initial validation. Next steps for further validation are defined for both.
Key Results
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18 interviews and seven fields of exploration
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Four disruptor approaches from the workshop
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Two business concepts initially validated
