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Leading Edge Capability Document

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Contents

1. Our services – helping you better understand your customers & markets

2. Our track record – giving our clients peace of mind

3. Case study examples – how our clients benefit from working with us

4. Our client base – see who we have worked with

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1. Our services and markets

“helping you better understand your customers & markets”

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Our core services

� Market, customer & competitor research

– eg identifying a product’s potential, understanding why customers buy from you or your competitors

� Market analysis

– eg assessment of a new market’s size and barriers to entry

� Marketing strategy & planning

– eg one day workshop, full strategic review

� Market and sales forecasting

– eg developing a sales forecast model, identifying growth markets

� Customer service measurement and benchmarking

– eg competitor comparison, continual assessment of customer services

� Marketing communications

– eg developing a customer communications plan, researching which communications channels are most effective

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Our core markets

� Construction industry

� Construction products

� Environmental & utilities

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Construction and environmental products : we have experience in the following areas

� Aggregates

� Air pollution control

� Block paving

� Bricks

� Building chemicals

� Ceiling systems

� Cement

� Cladding systems

� Concrete - ready mixed

� Concrete - precast

� Doors

� Ducting

� Flooring - vinyl, wood, laminate, carpet, resin

� Flooring - adhesives and smoothing compounds

� Heating

� Insulation and insulated panels

� Landscaping

� Lift systems

� Lighting

� Monitoring and Instrumentation

� Paints

� Paving

� Plant hire

� Plasterboard and drylining

� Pressure sensors

� Rainwater

� Roof tiles

� Soil & waste

� Steel

� Sheet materials

� Timber

� Tool hire

� Underground drainage systems

� Waterproofing

� Wood pellets

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Environmental Services: we have experience in the following areas

� Energy supply

� Laboratory Services

– Foods

– Oils

– Soils

– Waters

� Remediation services

� Waste management services

– Hazardous waste management

– Healthcare waste management

– Non-Hazardous (Municipal) waste management

� Water and wastewater services

– Potable water supply

– Wastewater and effluent treatment.

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2. Our track record

“giving our clients peace of mind”

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Testimonials from our recent clients

Over 250 projects and 100 clients in last 10 years

“Leading Edge helped us to identify the initial way forward for our marketing activities and put in place a marketing plan with specific objectives as well as highlighting a number of potential opportunities. We would be happy to work with them again”.–

Philip Mohan, Sales

Director, Siderise

“It was a pleasure working with the staff atLeading Edge. Their expertise in theconstruction sector was a significant benefit asthey assisted our organisation in evaluating ourmarket position and develop a proactivemarketing strategy moving forward. I have nohesitation in recommending their services.” -Warren Muschialli, Director, John Newton

“The Leading Edge team were very professional and kept to an extremely restricted delivery date. The results of the research have proved to be very helpful and insightful in moving our projects forward”. –

Susan Allder, BRE

Marketing

“Thank you for a great piece of research

on the UK Timber sector. The quality and

depth of the work by the Leading Edge

team on a complex task fully vindicated

my recommendation for using you at the

outset. I look forward to working with

them again soon.” –

John Hunt, Business Advisor,Enterprise Ireland

“Leading Edge carried out

an important research project for us and the results of the research will be fed directly into our marketing strategy. The project met all our objectives and as a result we have commissioned them to carry out further research projects for us.” -Natasha Kyriakou, Marketing Manager, MITIE Property Services

“The Leading Edge team were highly knowledgeable about forecasting in the construction sector with the necessary expertise and insight to add real value to our business. They provided an excellent service all round.” –Mark Heston, Market Insight Manager, Openreach

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Benefits from using Leading Edge

Benefits you get from working with us

Why you can trust us to improve your business

You will be working with a team who already understands your key issues in the construction and environmental industry

All consultants have operational marketing experience in the construction sector, including director level positions, so we can hit the ground running

You get senior director level contact from start to finish to ensure the project’s success

Our clients value the fact they work with the same consultant throughout the project and who is available to provide continuous support

You get a team who can suggest appropriate, cost effective solutions to meet the project brief

With over 250 projects completed in the last 10 years we have recent experience of all the research techniques and tools to deliver the insights you need

You receive a high quality output to support your objectives

Over 60% of our business is from clients who we have worked with for over 4 years

You get strategic recommendations and actionable market insights to improve your business performance

All senior consultants have over 10 years consultancy experience with our lead director, Mel Budd, having a track record at PWC

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Key credentials

� Marketing and research consultancy, founded in 1988

� Specialists in the construction, building products and environmental sectors

� Over 250 projects and 100 clients in last 10 years

� Members of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) & Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Construction Industry Group

� Market research is carried out in compliance with the Market Research Society’s (MRS) code of conduct

� Quality, environmental and social responsibility policies can be seen on request.

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Meet the team

� Mel Budd – Director / consultant

� Nick Hollaway - Consultant

� Chris Hadley – Consultant

� Doug Green – Consultant

� John Ellis – Consultant

� Eleanor Cousin – Researcher

� Claire Schlag - Researcher

� Heather Wearn - Researcher

� Daren Carter – Researcher

Operational experience in the construction industry and significant research expertise

All researchers have extensive experience of interviewing in the construction and environmental

industries and are familiar with the terminology used

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Our specialist research team

� The telephone research team is based at our office in Hartley Wintney. This improves the quality control compared to home based or call centre based interviewers used by many agencies. In particular, this set-up provides advantages for our clients as our project consultants:

– can easily monitor any questions or issues as they arise during the survey

– are able to quickly resolve any unexpected issues arising as the survey unfolds, which is important in relatively complicated sectors

� All members of our interview team have significant experience in the construction and environmental industry and are familiar with the terminology used. They have previously carried out interviews with contractors, architects, quantity surveyors, clients, specialist sub contractors and suppliers

� We pay our researchers per hour and not per completed interview. Again, we believe this improves the quality and accuracy of the data collected as there is no incentive to rush through the interview. Many researchers working from home are paid on a completed interview basis.

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3. Case study examples –

“how our clients benefit from working with us”

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Case Study – customer insight research for a national contractor

Client benefits

� A list of key action points for improving service levels

� Identified common areas of weakness on certain types of contracts

� Highlighted cross-selling opportunities for other services

� Numerous customer testimonials collected for use in marketing company’s services.

Project objective

� Improve understanding of the way customers viewed the company’s service performance

� Identify areas for service improvement

Key achievements

� Completed over 50 in-depth interviews with customers

� Provided recommendations on brand strategy and customer service improvements

� Additional worked commissioned due to success of project

“Leading Edge carried out an important research project and the results will be fed directly into our marketing strategy. The large amount of quality feedback collected will help influence the way we build relationships with our customers at all levels.” -Natasha Kyriakou, Marketing Manager, MITIE Property Services

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Case Study – market share tracking for a trade association

Client benefits

� Measures effectiveness of marketing strategy

� Data informs strategy development for defending / growing share of core target markets

� Market data supports marketing communications to drive product sales.

Project objective

� Market share tracking against competitor building materials

Key achievements

� Worked with client for 5years to track the performance of concrete and project still ongoing

� Undertake an extensive market research programme – around 700

interviews pa

“Leading Edge has a very good knowledge of the construction and cementitious markets and have consistently produced the required output on time and within budget. I would certainly recommend them.”– Andrew Minson, Director, The Concrete Centre

Market share by material

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Case Study – sales forecasting for an equipment distributor

Client benefits

� Models provide more confidence for business and resource planning - both nationally and regionally

� Sales forecasts are now used when preparing official reports to the city.

Project objective

� Develop model to forecast construction output and product sales by sector so that the company could look at various scenarios for the future

Key achievements

� Developed 2 forecasting models. One to forecast total UK construction output by sector and the other to forecast sales by product group

� Historical fit was accurate and the client now uses both models as key inputs to its planning process

“We were extremely pleased with the work and we would definitely recommend using Leading Edge, they have added significant value to our forecasting process.” –

Sarah Keedy, Marketing Director, Speedy Hire

All product sales - example graph

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All products: Actual / Example :Forecast / Example

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Case Study – brand strategy review for a building products manufacturer

Client benefits

� Research revealed competitor acquisition strategy to be the most effective route to increase customer sales

� Identified areas for back office cost savings to improve profitability

� Improved knowledge of customers will allow more targeted marketing and an improved pricing structure to be developed.

Project objective

� Identify the branding route most likely to lead to the company meeting its profitability and market share objectives.

Key achievements

� Carried out 180 telephone interviews to improve market & competitor knowledge

� Drew out the key conclusions from data and provided recommendations on brand strategy

Brand 2

Competitor BCompetitor A

Brand

1

Competitor

C

Narrow High

Low

Wide

Perceived product prices

Product range

Narrow High

Low

Wide

Perceived product prices

Product range

Brand map from research highlighted that the company’s brands were in danger of losing relevance in the market.

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Case Study – assessing the market potential for a new product for a building products manufacturer

Client benefits

� Market and competitor analysis provided insight into the potential market size and the scale of the opportunity and a list of the barriers to entry that needed to be overcome

� Research suggested there is a market potential for the new product, but the timing for market entry needed further consideration

Project objective

� To provide an initial assessment of the UK non residential market for a new product to provide recommendations on the level of investment in manufacturing and marketing

Key achievement

� Desk research plus a combination of face-to-face and telephone discussions with key industry executives to provide a full market analysis

“We have used Leading Edge a number of times before and went tothem to help us evaluate a potential new product sector for thebuilding products market. As with previous research we were morethan happy with the results and would definitely use them again.” -Malcolm Stamper, SAS International

New

commercial New public Total % change2005 prices 2005 prices 2005 prices

2000 17,050 6,735 23,785

2001 16,906 6,794 23,699 -0.4

2002 17,103 8,355 25,458 7.4

2003 16,297 10,120 26,417 3.8

2004 17,191 11,197 28,388 7.5

2005 17,369 10,191 27,560 -2.9

2006 19,695 9,679 29,374 6.6

2007 22,178 9,205 31,383 6.8

2008 22,529 10,603 33,132 5.6

2009 16,120 11,457 27,577 -16.8

2010 14,060 10,251 24,311 -11.8

2011 14,096 8,893 22,989 -5.4

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Case Study – market research for a national contractor

Client benefits

� Research provided comprehensive briefing for web designers

� New website well received by internal staff and other stakeholders

Project objective

� Re-launch website to differentiate company from competition and communicate market strengths to the target audiences more effectively

Key achievement

� Completed over 100interviews in 4 weeks using 5 questionnaires delivering valuable insights from stakeholder groups

� Use of on-line research technique kept project costs low for the client

“Leading Edge delivered an excellent piece of research for HBG's new

website. The analysis and report were excellent.” –

Mukesh Parmar, BAM Construction

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Projects for overseas companies looking to expand into the UK

� Analysed wood pellet market in GB; analysed wood pellet market in Ireland

� Developed a market entry strategy for a timber supplier

� Analysed aggregates market and identified way forward to develop sales for a specialist quarry

� Identified suitable distributors for a flooring manufacturer

� Assessed the HVAC market to identify suitability for new product launch

� Analysed bark mulch market and developed key actions to develop sales.

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Typical contents page of a report for overseas company

1. Project objectives and research methodology

2. Summary of conclusions from research

3. The opportunity in the UK market

4. Potential issues for suppliers from the Republic of Ireland and barriers to entry

5. Actions required to exploit the opportunity

6. Detailed Research Findings:

I. Market size and trends

II. Forecasts for future demand

III. Route to market

IV. Potential customers

V. Competitors

VI. Competitor products

VII.Pricing and profitability

VIII.Legislation, taxation and certification

IX. Transport and sustainability

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4. Our client base

“ see who we have worked with”

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Over 90% of our clients are from the construction , environmental or related sectors

“A few of our clients from recent years”

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Building product manufacturers

� Akzo Nobel

� Alumasc

� Amtico

� Ardex

� Baggeridge Brick

� Bostik

� Building Adhesives Ltd

� Caradon Stelrad

� Castle Cement

� Cemex

� Chelwood Brick

� Coillte

� Coolrain

� Ecocem

� Gerflor

� Gradus

� Hanson

� Howden

� Hunter Plastics

� Ibstock

� Icopal

� I R Security

� John Lord

� John Newton

� Karndean

� Knauf

� Lafarge

� Low & Bonar

� Marley Eternit

� Norman Hay

� Portakabin

� Ruberoid

� Sandtoft

� Sapa Profiles

� SAS International

� Siderise

� Style

� Tarkett

� Tarmac

� Tremco Illbruk

� Upofloor

� Urbis Lighting

� Walsh Mechanical Engineering

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Building contractors

� Ashe Construction

� BAM Construct

� Beard Ltd

� Bowmer & Kirkland

� Bouygues

� Colas

� Cosmur Construction

� Costain

� EPS plc

� ETSU Contracts

� Geoffrey Osborne

� Gratte Brothers

� Imtech

� Interserve Rail

� John Lord

� Kier Group

� Leadbitter

� MITIE

� Morgan Est plc

� Murray & Burrell

� Pexhurst

� ROK

� SGB Contracts

� Shanks Waste

� Willmott Dixon

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Trade associations and professional bodies

� Association of Consulting Engineers

� Brick Development Association

� British Cement Association

� Builders Merchants Federation

� Building Research Housing Group

� Chartered Institute of Building

� Constructing Excellence

� The Concrete Centre

� The Concrete Society

� Interpave

� Mineral Product Association

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Distributors

� AEA Technology

� Building Research Establishment

� Constructing Excellence

� East of England Development Agency

� Enterprise Ireland

� Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme

� Energy Technology Support Unit

� Department of Transport & Regions

� DTI

� Environment Agency

� Joint Environmental Markets Unit

� NHS - including PCT’s

� UKTI

Government and agencies

� JT Atkinson & Sons Ltd

� Lavendon Group plc

� Enfield Timber Company

� Hall & Co

� Nationwide Access Ltd

� Speedy Hire Plc

� Travis Perkins plc

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Banks and financial institutions

� Avenue Capital

� Camulos Capital

� Deccan Value

� Drew Newton

� JefferiesGlenview

� Capital

� Oak Tree Capital

� Och Ziff Capital Management

� Octavian Advisers

� Quadrangle Group

� Redwood Capital

� Select Equity

� Sheffield Asset Management

� Sterling Monaco

� Varde Partners Europe

� ALcontrol Laboratories

� ALS Environmental

� BT Retail

� Claro Limited

� Centrica

� CRT Heaven

� CPD Certification Service

� Emap

� Exova

� Glenigan

� Endat Standard Indexes

� Frost & Sullivan

� Openreach – BT Group company

� Severn Trent Group

� Shanks Group

� Shield On Site Services

� UCL Graduate School

Service providers

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What scores our clients gave us – customer feedback questionnaire

Client scores out of 10 for last five completed projects

Client

The deliverables were good value for money

You trust the organisation and would be happy to use them again

You would be highly likely to recommend the organisation to others if asked

A 8 8 8

B 10 10 10

C 10 10 10

D 8 9 8

E 9 10 10

Names are removed to protect client confidentiality

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www.lead-edge.co.uk

… delivering a better understanding of customers and markets

Tel: 01252 279990

E-mail: leadingedge@lead-edge.co.uk