Top PV Supplier. Independent Management Appraisals of PV Market Wholesaler in Germany, Italy and France Based on a Customer and Intermediary Survey

Transcription

1 Top PV Supplier Independent Management Appraisals of PV Market Wholesaler in Germany, Italy and France Based on a Customer and Intermediary Survey EuPD Research Multi Client Service

2 Contents A. Introduction HRCG B. The EuPD Research Top PV Supplier Seal C. Experience in company certification: The EuPD Research Top Brand PV Seal D. Data Sources and Methodology E. Terms of Use Services and Price F. General Terms of Use 2

3 A. Hoehner Research & Consulting Group (HRCG): A Profile EuPD Research, 360 Consult and 360 Concept are brands of the Hoehner Research & Consulting Group GmbH (HRCG). 360 Consult and 360 Concept work in close cooperation with EuPD Research. The three companies work together to create personalized, customer orientated solutions. In more than 10 years of business activity, we have completed over 1,000 exclusive projects in the PV and CleanTech sectors. Our customer base includes both numerous medium sized companies as well as large corporations and global players. 3

4 B. Top PV Supplier Seal Successful PV Management In current leading PV markets, from the installers point of view, the feasibility of PV projects mostly depends on the competence and the quality of their suppliers and wholesalers, who can provide them with quick and save delivery of quality products for their PV projects. In addition, today s PV wholesaler landscape is very heterogeneous and, above all, regionrelated. Wholesalers face increasing difficulties in standing out and to clearly differentiate themselves from their competitors due to the large number of suppliers. Moreover, expectations for the wholesaler have noticeably increased. Simply to ensure a delivery in time and a sufficient quantity of modules and inverters does not assure a longterm customer relationship. Besides distribution width and depth, important aspects such as punctual delivery and comprehensible buying and accounting processes play an increasing role. Only if all these aspects are ensured, the installer is sure to have found the right PV wholesaler. Therefore EuPD Research will award the leading wholesalers, who meet the requirements with a quality seal. It should serve as a reliable distinguishing characteristic for quality requirements, which evaluates and considers both distribution ranges in the PV market and decisive customer satisfaction aspects. 4

5 B. Top PV Supplier Seal Experience and Positioning Existing awards in the photovoltaic branch have so far focused only on the technical aspects of the various module manufacturers. There is currently no seal which represents the attitudes of qualified installers to the wholesaler they purchase from. EuPD Research has more than 10 years of experience in interviewing both PV installers and end customers. This constant dialogue is unique in the PV market, making the Top PV Supplier Seal a one-off seal as it offers inimitable benefits for companies wishing to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Assessment of wholesaler features by PV Installers EuPD Research Benefits 5

6 B. Top PV Supplier Seal Sample The Top PV Supplier Seal includes three PV markets: Germany, Italy and France. The assessment of the Top PV Supplier Seal is based on the analysis and evaluation of data concerning the length of the customer relationship, the distribution ranges of modules and inverters and customer satisfaction aspects. Italy Germany European PV InstallerMonitor : European PV InstallerMonitor : DE n=203 n=364 FR IT France European PV InstallerMonitor : n=114 6

7 B. Top PV Supplier Seal The Benefits The EuPD Research Top PV Supplier Seal offers benefits for Wholesalers Intermediaries Customers Benefits for wholesaler The results of our independent analysis increase credibility and create trust among customers and business partners. The wholesaler s image is improved on the competitive European market. Companies with the seal can differentiate themselves from their competitors. The seal is designed to present a complete view of the wholesaler, in which aspects of wholesalers portfolios, customer satisfaction and customer relationship play a role. The seal can be integrated flexibly into any marketing strategy. The accompanying communications support contributes significantly to brand perception. 7

8 B. Top PV Supplier Seal Benefits for Intermediaries and Customers Benefits for Intermediaries and Customers Your market intermediaries can use the Top PV Supplier Seal to differentiate their portfolios from the competition. This creates an efficient marketing strategy, at no extra cost to your intermediaries. The seal can be understood easily by customers. 8

9 C. Experience in company certification: Top Brand PV Seal Media Coverage The following four slides present the success of the EuPD Research Top Brand PV Seal, which assesses the top module and inverter producers. Cumulated frequency of press releases since the implementation of the EuPD TOP BRAND PV Seal for PV manufacturers in Number of mentions of TOP BRAND PV in Q1/2012 All in all, in the first quarter of 2012 the EuPD Research TOP BRAND PV seal has been mentioned around 450 times in media and online portals. As from calendar week 6 (8th February 2012) the quality seal has been actively involved in press relations in line with the award for Customer 1. The multiplication rate per press release is about 75 publications, for each language version (German & English) it is about Publications receive particularly strong media coverage if press releases from EuPD Research are complemented by the corporate communications of the customers. 9

10 C. Experience in company certification: Top Brand PV Seal Media Distribution 5% Percentage distribution of the news, and news source in Q1/ % 15% Finanzportal Financial Newsportal Presseportal The percentage distribution, according to the news source, is mainly split up into financial portals, news portals and press portals. In particular, press portals reach a strong coverage and are important multipliers. Qualified media distribution lists according to coverage (journalists), as of Q1/ Presse EuPD EuPD (German) (DE) Presse EuPD EuPD (English) (EN) The press releases are mainly distributed by two distribution lists. Alongside the media distribution list of EuPD Research, which contains 4,300 qualified media contacts (German and English) in total, all press releases are distributed by the chargeable technology / press portal Pressebox.de. Thus, again up to 31,000 media contacts and experts are addressed Pressebox journalists Journalisten Pressebox experts Fachleute Particularly relevant are media contacts in the fields of electrical engineering (9%), production technology (10%), energy and environmental engineering (12%), building industry (5%) and research and development (13%). Information on the media distribution list Pressebox: Pressebox.de,

11 C. Experience in company certification: Top Brand PV Seal Google Hits March,

12 C. Experience in company certification: Top Brand PV Seal References (Extract) A selection of our previously certified PV customers 12

13 D. Data Sources and Methodology I Source Participants Targeted Item Field Time Topic Focus European PV InstallerMonitor Installers: Germany (n=364) Italy (n=203) France (n=114) Modules Inverters Wholesaler October - November 2011 Brand recognition Recommendation Distribution European PV InstallerMonitor 13

14 D. Data Sources and Methodology II Data Analysis* Weighting* Scoring Analysis of data from the European PV Installer- Monitor Weighting of the data analyzed according to installer amount of installed PV capacity The weighted data is put into a scoring model. Four topic groups are sorted. The weighting of factors consists of two stages: 1. Weighting of questions within the different groups. 2. Final weighting of the different groups. Calculation of an index and comparison of the companies. The top PV wholesalers receive the Top PV Supplier Seal. *The various topics analysed and their specific weighting are described in more detail on the following page. 14

15 D. Data Sources and Methodology III Over 19 aspects of the survey are put together to form groups, which are weighted differently and combined to form the total score. Result Company Ranking Weighting 40% 25% 25% 10% Source European PV InstallerMonitor European PV InstallerMonitor European PV InstallerMonitor European PV InstallerMonitor Factoring Groups Customer satisfaction Distribution of modules Distribution of inverters Customer relationship How satisfied are installers with their most important wholesaler for PV modules? Width, depth and distribution range of all module brands, which have been purchased by installers. Width, depth and distribution range of all inverter brands which have been purchased by installers. For how long have installers been purchasing modules from this provider? 15

16 Contact EuPD Research Adenauerallee Bonn Phone +49(0) Fax +49(0) Contact Person Michael Reuter EuPD Research is a brand of HOEHNER RESEARCH & CONSULTING GROUP GmbH. Member of ESOMAR World Research 16