Introducing innovative technology to the valve and actuator user industries

View from the other side

This article, the first of our ‘View from the other side’ feature columns from our colleagues in the USA, is provided by Chris Warnett.

Chris, a UK expatriate, is the President of CPLloyd Consulting Inc. Rochester NY, providing marketing and applications expertise for the valve and automation industry. Chris has over 38 years of engineering, sales and marketing experience in valves and automation.

Reach him at chris@cplloydconsulting.com Tel 001 585 298 6239.

In deeply conservative industries the introduction of new products or technology is subject to a particular circular logic. Users only want to buy new products that have had significant field experience, but significant field experience cannot be obtained until users buy and install the new product.

This catch 22 however can be overcome by careful marketing communication of the procedures used to validate the technology and the advantages to be gained by its deployment.

This is a common problem with new ideas and a serious obstacle for new product introduction.

The perspective of the manufacturer often differs significantly from that of the user.

Manufacturers are more oriented towards the product. Ideas often come from engineering design and development teams with varying levels of input from sales teams. In theory field sales teams should be the customer interface for product developments and improvements. But manufacturers are motivated to produce unique, profitable products that can strengthen their market position for enhanced sales and profit.

Their innovations, coming internally, may sometimes be viewed through the lens of self-interest, ratherthan founded on real end user utility. A novel design may be so seductive to a design engineer that the lack of a problem to which it could be applied, may be overlooked.

Even practical and needed solutions may be tested and verified against criteria that have little to do with real life applications. A technology may work well in laboratory tests but, when exposed to real world conditions not anticipated in the lab, may fail miserably.

• The end users perspective is far more pragmatic towards new technology.

• Do the benefits justify a change from a proven technology in terms of cost?

• Do the benefits justify a change from a proven technology in terms of plant reliability?

• Can the above be verified?

The power industry is a good example of sensible conservatism at work. This attitude is probably rooted in the history of the industry. The beginnings of power plant design can be found in marine propulsion. When steam power replaced sail, the wellbeing of a vessel, its crew and passengers depended on the reliability of the mechanical steam propulsion system. The cautious approach to marine reliability migrated over to the electric power generating industry. The result is that even today new technologies are often viewed with caution.

In recent years we have seen a remarkable change in our daily lives due to technology, a lot of these changes are driven by electronics and software. Consumer technology change has a frantic pace. However in the valve and actuator industries the change is far more moderated, yet many companies are delivering new and innovative products.

How are they able to convince end users to have the confidence to try these new ideas?

It may seem a simplistic statement, but the manufacturer needs to have a clear understanding of the user benefits that the new product delivers. Only then can a clear message be communicated to the relevant marketplace.

Deciding on a clear message then molds the message form and delivery channel.

For example a new design of valve that withstands erosive media could deliver significant benefits to severe service applications in several user industries. Or a new design of precision actuator could improve fine control of liquid metering in a process. Exactly how these hypothetical products are presented to the market will dictate the response and their subsequent success.

Some basic steps in marketing communication for innovations such as those would be:-

First identify the target markets for the new technology and how the product will benefit the user. Then create the marketing message that conveys the essence of the new product and what it can mean to the users.

The support material to communicate this message could include descriptive literature, videos, technical articles, application examples, testimonials, internal test data and any other tool that adds to the credibility of the product.

The options to deliver these items have expanded and are now relatively instantaneous, inexpensive and global. As well as traditional print media (which still has a strong role to play) there is a whole spectrum of electronic media, including online magazines, user forums, YouTube and webinars. Not forgetting more traditional communications methods such as trade shows and product presentations.

A well-crafted marketing communication program can deliver the message to the customer such that the product, its application and the custormer’s benefits are well understood.

However, this may all come full circle when the customer says ‘show me where I can see this new technology in operation.’

Building the critical mass of credibility for a product with new technology may take time. But some steps can help significantly.

In the development phase, manufacturers can work with an end user for placement of beta test units. This can have many benefits. The end users feels that their input has a bearing on the design or development of the product and a sense of ownership is engendered.

When the test unit is in field operation it is generating a track record for the product, if well monitored this can be used as credible field experience. The more beta units in target industries the better.

As an incremental step, certain technologies can be tested in existing products, this is a simple way to gain field credibility. For example a new seat material or design could be tested in existing valve body. Or a new torque sensor for an actuator could be tested in an already proven production actuator.

In both these examples, good documentation and site references would support the field experience and provide marketing tools to describe the application of the technology.

In certain regions of the world some customers like to try a new technology. A project manager could enhance their reputation if their project sees a significant benefit. But in my experience these instances are rare.

The more common scenario requires a coordinated professional approach to communicating the advantages of new technology and products, even for companies with a solid brand name recognition.

Published: 13th May 2014