Page 1Chapter 3: Selecting Customsers and Creating CustomerValueCase Study: WWSA: In search of a value propositionWolfgang Wiesel SA (WWSA) is a Swiss manufacturer of printingequipment for the graphic industry, specializing in printing large billboards,banners and XL posters. The company started out in Interlaken in the1950s as a local manufacturer of all-purpose printing equipment, but realgrowth did not come until the firm’s management decided, in 1987, tospecialize in the graphic industry. The company moved its headquartersto Basel and grew into a major international player with sales offices,distributors and agents in 34 countries. Annual sales are approximately€230 million.WWSA has traditionally focused on innovation as the engine of growth.Over years the firm has developed and launched an impressive number oftechnological innovations that have contributed to the state of the art ofprinting in the graphic industry.Too many products and no focusRecently, WWSA’s management has noticed that actual sales growth isno longer according to plan. In most of its major markets, sales are flat,while the total market still grows by 2-3 per cent each year. In 2010,WWSA decides to hire a consultant to take a closer look at the firm’sbusiness and find a way out of the slump. After several interviews withsenior management and a few selected customers and industry experts,the consultant realizes that, as a result of all these innovation efforts,WWSA simply has too many products. All these products serve specificniche customers with specific needs, but the whole portfolio lacks focus.Even worse, there appears to be no underlying theme to all the productsoffered to customers in the graphic industry. While every individualproduct still makes sense, the whole product range has grown unwieldyproportions and it has become impossible to communicate a clearstrategy to customers that communicates the firm’s corporate identity.
