Commercial uptake and execution strategy
Why
Circular economy markets are by nature close to production units, this is also frequently the case for broader green or collaborative economy. Given that it has to be adopted by potential buyers and broader economic players, the success of an innovative proposition is strongly dependent on its embeddedness within the local area. This fit is simply unavoidable.
Our contribution
We secure local adoption by working closely with future clients and stakeholders, thereby generating solid demand. We identify needs and expectations, harness the ecosystem and trigger tangible momentum in support of projects.
Complementing the economic and financial analysis, this approach engages concrete and specific collaborations around future products. Their use is discussed in detail and in very practical terms, covering usage and purchasing processes, quantities, prices and end products. We explore the different facets of the project, looking in particular for less obvious yet crucial aspects. This ensures the perfect embeddedness of a product within its markets, of a project within its area, and their organic adoption by local players.
From these exchanges we draw a practical and specific execution strategy, including operational and strategic advisory, risk analysis and the maximisation of inbound skills transfers. We also deliver local acceptability (residents and associations) and feasibility (supplier and skills availability) studies.
Methodology
After careful delineation of the considered value chains and area, we work with potential buyers to determine their level of interest, but also to gather their vision, field expertise and operational perspectives. We assess and characterise their interest as buyers, and bring out the barriers and drivers as expressed by these ecosystem players, their overall opinion of the project, selling price indications and any other relevant feedback.
We also consult other economic players, namely the various sector operators, professional bodies, public agencies, universities, and so on. We draw operational insights that project leaders can apply immediately, set within a resolutely ecosystemic reading of local economies. We look for, investigate and bring to light every aspect raised by these players that has not yet been considered.
For example
For the SEDISEINE project (Paris-Le Havre-Rouen commercial port), we connected this logistics operator with 2 distinct economic branches: farming (with no prior contact) and road works. The aim was the reuse of silt sediment from the Seine (Rouen) on farmland, to improve soil properties, or as road sub-base layers.
Inecko raised the interest of 12 civil engineering and groundworks companies and contacted all 20 local farmers, 8 of whom showed marked interest. We sized the target markets within 10 and 40 km of the production site and secured local uptake by engaging future buyers and the ecosystem (groundwork and sediment management provider, Agricultural Chamber, quarries, and the council and mayor of the town most concerned), before building an execution strategy with operational and commercial advice drawn from this field feedback.
3 years earlier, our first collaboration with the Paris-Le Havre-Rouen commercial port (SEDINNOVE project) had us work with potential buyers of a sand made of seafloor sediments (11 concrete manufacturers and roadworks companies), as well as other players (e.g. quarries, engineering consultancy, materials testing lab). We confirmed the project’s pertinence, measured companies’ interest, identified barriers and success factors, and provided operational and strategic advice meant to ensure local adoption. This work was decisive for the adoption of the project by local markets, as shown by the very strong demand for the sediment-sand after these studies. We also interviewed and involved local quarries, potentially major contributors to commercial uptake.
For the CIRCULAR URBAN RENOVATIONS – STAGE 2 project (social housing developers consortium: 4 North of France providers including Vilogia and Lille Métropole Habitat), we recommended ways to industrialise circularity in construction, while identifying the main blockages and the routes to overcome them. We drew in particular on the techno-economic systems approach to bring out the countless capability transfers between industries, and how to optimise them for the deployment of circular construction.
