Objective

Company A needed an in-depth assessment of the Logistics Service Industry, and in particular the Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).

Industry Focus

Warehouse Management Systems

Geographic Coverage

• Japan
• Korea
• Germany
• USA

Main Sources of Knowledge

• Key players: logistics services providers
• Developers of warehouse management systems (WMS)
• Vendors, agents or resellers of WMS
• Major customers/users of logistics systems or WMS
• Other players in the industry (i.e. suppliers, distributors, dealers, business partners, etc.)
• Relevant government offices or agencies (e.g. export bureau, trade bureau, etc.)
• Trade associations or industry groups
• Other key opinion leaders (KOLs)

Key Research Topics (per market)

1. Profile of the logistics service industry

   1. Total demand value (in US$) of the logistics service industry

   1. Past demand (2004-2006)
   2. Current demand estimate (2007 estimated)
   3. Future demand projection (2008-2010 projected)

   2. Discussion of factors affecting demand performance

   1. Trends that have contributed to past growth
   2. Factors that will impact this year’s current demand level
   3. Expected developments that will affect future industry performance

   3. Key market players

      1. Segmentation of key players by type (e.g. integrated logistics providers, warehousing, software developers, shipping & transportation, terminal operations, etc.)
      2. Segmentation of total demand (2004- 2010) by type of market player
         • Discussion of demand performance overview by type of market player
      3. Identification of key players (top 3-5) per segment
         • Estimate of past & current market share (in %) of each player within the segment

4. Major logistics service users

1. Segmentation of logistics service users (if applicable)
   1. By industry group
   2. By usage / service type
   3. By government vs. corporate split
   4. By business size
2. Segmentation of total demand by user groups
   1. Discussion of past & current trends affecting demand within customer groups
   2. Discussion of future developments affecting projected demand within customer groups

5. Discussion of common logistics service industry practices identified by

1. Market players
2. Customers / users

2. The warehouse management systems (WMS) market

   1. Total demand value (in US$) of WMS in each country

      1. Past demand (2004-2006)
      2. Current demand estimate (2007)
      3. Future demand projection (2008-2010)

   2. Total demand volume (in number of installations) of WMS in each country

      1. Past demand (2004-2006)
      2. Current demand estimate (2007)
      3. Future demand projection (2008-2010)
   3. Discussion of factors affecting demand performance
      1. Trends that have contributed to past growth
      2. Factors that will impact this year’s current demand level
      3. Expected developments that will affect future industry performance

   4. Discussion of common practices of warehouse operations

3. The WMS competitive environment

   1. Identify key players (top 3-5) suppliers (developers, vendors, agents or resellers) of WMS

   2. Profile each player according to:

   1. Product (software) name
   2. WMS functions/features
   3. Current users
   4. Price
   5. Target clients or client groups
   6. Total sales turnover and estimated market share
   7. Ownership & contact details
   8. Future market plans
   9. Insights on key success factors in the WMS business

4. Profile of the WMS customers

   1. Identification of key (top 5-10) customers of WMS by type:

      • Logistics companies
      • Direct end-users

   2. Demand value & volume

      • Estimate of total aggregate demand value & volume by customer type
      • Estimate of individual & aggregate share of key customers per type
      • Discussion of trends & expected future developments affecting demand for WMS of key players

   3. Profile of each key customer according to:

      • Current WMS used
      • Discussion of needs for logistics and SCM (from end-users)
      • Typical functions required or used
      • Budget for logistics system / IT :  How much do they invest for system/IT issues annually?
      • Key purchase decision factors: What critical factors are considered when selecting a WMS
        • supplier credibility
        • price
        • features
        • easy-to-use
        • service
        • others

5. Analysis

   1. WMS Market potential (opportunities & threats)

   2. Competitive forces (strengths & weaknesses)

   3. Best practices and customer expectations

Estimated Person-Hours Spent (per market)

400 - 500 hours

Project Timeframe

8 weeks

Deliverable

Written report & analysis in MS Word document