On April 9, the Master program in Marketing, Communication & New Media visited the headquarters of BOBST Italia, a subsidiary of the homonymous multinational based in Lausanne, to present to its Board a strategical plan for the launch into the Chinese market.
Angela Gers, a BBS student, tells us her point of view on this experience.
Photos by Gabriele Pasceri, a BBS students too.
“Gravure machines and global markets are not our areas of expertise… or at least they weren´t 2 months ago. Alessandro Lelli, our professor of Business Marketing provided us with the opportunity to work on a case study with BOBST, a Swiss based company that wanted our input. The purpose of this project was to conduct thorough research on the gravure machine industry and provide advice on the best strategies to enter the China market which is everything but simple.
The class was split into 2 groups of 16 students; each one responsible for presenting a unique proposal to the case. After having a clear understanding of the product and the core values of the company, we conducted an industry analysis. Here, we learned about their direct and indirect competitors, suppliers, and target customers. We analyzed the China market to better understand the market trends, socio graphical behavior, transportation system, and geographical landscape. Once we had the information we needed, we began working on our proposal. What was BOBST’s ideal positioning and how could they differentiate themselves, what was the most adequate pricing strategy, and how could they implement an effective communications plan, among others. Both teams worked diligently and utilized the support of our professor who never left our sides and guided us along the way.
The case study culminated with a visit to the BOBST factory in Casale Monferrato, where Mr. Vittiello and the rest of the team gave us a warm welcome. In the morning, we split into 4 groups and were joined by the company executives who managed the following areas: Human Resources, Sales, R&D, Quality Control, Production, and Finance. We took a guided tour in which we saw the machines from up close and gained a clear understanding of the development process. We also had group meetings with each executive and took advantage of these by asking in depth questions to help us further understand how a company operates in the Business to Business sector. The afternoon was adrenaline filled for us; each group had 1h 15min to present their work in front of the class and all of the executives. A truly unique experience since the BOBST team was very pleased with the way we had resolved the case study and had the opportunity to see the perspective of a student group.
Overall the BOBST case study was an unforgettable experience. It helped us develop our team working skills, gave us real life knowledge with a world leading company, and allowed us to further develop into future executives. We are very grateful with the BBS and professor Alessandro Lelli for allowing us to come across such a talented team of individuals and learn in an interactive environment. Most importantly we appreciate Mr. Vittiello and the BOBST team for welcoming and spending time with us sharing their knowledge.” – Angela Gers
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