Flevy Management Insights Case Study
Aerospace Manufacturer's Market Expansion Strategy in Asia-Pacific
     David Tang    |    Strategic Analysis


Fortune 500 companies typically bring on global consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and Accenture, or boutique consulting firms specializing in Strategic Analysis to thoroughly analyze their unique business challenges and competitive situations. These firms provide strategic recommendations based on consulting frameworks, subject matter expertise, benchmark data, KPIs, best practices, and other tools developed from past client work. We followed this management consulting approach for this case study.

TLDR An established aerospace components manufacturer faced stagnation and market share erosion due to aggressive competitors, prompting a Strategic Analysis to identify growth opportunities. The initiative resulted in a 15% revenue increase and a 12% market share growth through strategic partnerships, while highlighting the need for improved cost management and cross-functional collaboration.

Reading time: 7 minutes

Consider this scenario: An established aerospace components manufacturer in the Asia-Pacific region is facing stagnation in a highly competitive market.

Despite a robust product portfolio and a strong track record for quality, the company's growth has plateaued, and market share is being eroded by aggressive competitors. The organization seeks to conduct a Strategic Analysis to identify new growth opportunities and redefine its competitive edge.



In response to the challenges faced by the aerospace manufacturer, initial hypotheses might center around three potential root causes: a misalignment between the company's product development roadmap and emerging market needs, an underleveraged distribution network that fails to capitalize on regional growth opportunities, and a lack of agility in responding to competitive pressures and changing customer preferences.

Market Expansion Strategy

The Strategic Analysis and Execution Methodology that will be employed is a comprehensive, multi-phase consulting process designed to systematically address the organization's challenges and identify actionable strategies. The benefits of this established process include a thorough understanding of the market, identification of strategic opportunities, and a detailed plan for execution that aligns with the organization's capabilities and goals.

  1. Market and Competitive Landscape Assessment: This phase involves an in-depth analysis of the market trends, customer segments, and competitive dynamics. Key activities include market sizing, competitor benchmarking, and customer needs analysis. The goal is to uncover potential areas for growth and differentiation.
  2. Internal Capabilities Review: A critical examination of the organization's resources, processes, and technologies. It assesses the company's strengths and weaknesses in relation to the opportunities identified in the market assessment. Common challenges include resistance to change and resource constraints.
  3. Opportunity Prioritization and Strategy Formulation: Based on insights from the previous phases, this step prioritizes strategic opportunities and develops a detailed strategic plan. The focus is on aligning opportunities with the company's long-term vision and operational strengths.
  4. Execution Planning and Change Management: This final phase translates the strategic plan into actionable initiatives, with a focus on implementation roadmaps, change management strategies, and performance monitoring frameworks. Key deliverables include an implementation plan and a change management playbook.

The methodology outlined above is akin to the approaches followed by top-tier consulting firms to ensure a structured and successful strategic transformation.

When considering the potential skepticism regarding the necessity of such an exhaustive approach, it's imperative to highlight the methodology's track record of success in similar engagements. The iterative nature of the process allows for flexibility and adaptation to the unique context of the organization, ensuring relevance and applicability.

The expected business outcomes include a 10-20% increase in revenue growth within the first year post-implementation, an enhanced market position through strategic partnerships, and improved operational efficiency resulting in a 5-10% reduction in costs.

Implementation challenges may include organizational inertia, misalignment between departments, and the complexity of coordinating across different geographies and business units.

For effective implementation, take a look at these Strategic Analysis best practices:

Strategic Planning: Process, Key Frameworks, and Tools (79-slide PowerPoint deck)
Complete Guide to Strategic Planning (77-slide PowerPoint deck)
Strategic Analysis Framework (28-slide PowerPoint deck)
Strategic Analysis Model (Excel workbook)
Complete Strategic Management Consulting Guide and Toolkit (178-slide PowerPoint deck and supporting ZIP)
View additional Strategic Analysis best practices

Are you familiar with Flevy? We are you shortcut to immediate value.
Flevy provides business best practices—the same as those produced by top-tier consulting firms and used by Fortune 100 companies. Our best practice business frameworks, financial models, and templates are of the same caliber as those produced by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and Accenture. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with 20+ years of experience.

Trusted by over 10,000+ Client Organizations
Since 2012, we have provided best practices to over 10,000 businesses and organizations of all sizes, from startups and small businesses to the Fortune 100, in over 130 countries.
AT&T GE Cisco Intel IBM Coke Dell Toyota HP Nike Samsung Microsoft Astrazeneca JP Morgan KPMG Walgreens Walmart 3M Kaiser Oracle SAP Google E&Y Volvo Bosch Merck Fedex Shell Amgen Eli Lilly Roche AIG Abbott Amazon PwC T-Mobile Broadcom Bayer Pearson Titleist ConEd Pfizer NTT Data Schwab

Strategic KPIs

KPIS are crucial throughout the implementation process. They provide quantifiable checkpoints to validate the alignment of operational activities with our strategic goals, ensuring that execution is not just activity-driven, but results-oriented. Further, these KPIs act as early indicators of progress or deviation, enabling agile decision-making and course correction if needed.


A stand can be made against invasion by an army. No stand can be made against invasion by an idea.
     – Victor Hugo

  • Revenue Growth Rate: Indicates the effectiveness of the strategy in driving top-line performance.
  • Market Share: Reflects competitive positioning and success in capturing larger portions of the market.
  • Customer Satisfaction Scores: Critical for understanding the impact of the strategy on customer perceptions and loyalty.

Insights gained through the implementation process underscore the importance of leadership buy-in and continuous communication to foster organizational alignment. According to McKinsey, companies that engage in comprehensive change-management programs are 3 times more likely to report successful transformations.

For more KPIs, take a look at the Flevy KPI Library, one of the most comprehensive databases of KPIs available. Having a centralized library of KPIs saves you significant time and effort in researching and developing metrics, allowing you to focus more on analysis, implementation of strategies, and other more value-added activities.

Learn more about Flevy KPI Library KPI Management Performance Management Balanced Scorecard

Market Expansion Strategy Deliverables

  • Strategic Plan Deliverable (PowerPoint)
  • Market Analysis Report (PDF)
  • Implementation Roadmap (Excel)
  • Risk Management Framework (Word)
  • Performance Dashboard Template (PowerPoint)

Explore more Strategic Analysis deliverables

Aerospace Case Studies

Case studies from industry leaders such as Boeing and Airbus demonstrate the efficacy of strategic planning and execution in maintaining market leadership. Boeing's market analysis and subsequent diversification into services have been pivotal in driving sustainable growth, while Airbus's focus on innovation and customer-centric product development has solidified its competitive position.

Explore additional related case studies

Strategic Analysis Best Practices

To improve the effectiveness of implementation, we can leverage best practice documents in Strategic Analysis. These resources below were developed by management consulting firms and Strategic Analysis subject matter experts.

Aligning Strategic Initiatives with Corporate Vision

The juxtaposition of strategic initiatives against the corporate vision is paramount to ensuring that each tactical move propels the organization towards its ultimate objectives. It's not uncommon for strategies to deviate into operational silos without a stringent alignment process. To mitigate this, a 'True North' alignment exercise is conducted, ensuring that each strategic initiative has a clear line of sight to the corporate vision.

According to a study by Harvard Business Review, companies with highly aligned employees show improvements in performance to the tune of 22% over their less-aligned counterparts. This underscores the necessity of alignment in strategy execution. The methodology ensures that each phase includes validation checkpoints where initiatives are vetted against the overarching vision and mission of the company.

Adapting to Market Volatility and Technological Disruptions

In the face of market volatility and rapid technological advancements, the ability to adapt and pivot is crucial. The strategic analysis process must be dynamic, allowing for recalibration as market conditions change. This agility is built into the methodology through continuous feedback loops and scenario planning exercises. By doing so, the organization can anticipate and respond to shifts in technology and market dynamics, rather than being reactive.

Bain & Company highlights that agile firms grow revenue 37% faster and generate 30% higher profits than non-agile companies. The methodology's inclusion of regular market pulse checks ensures that the strategy remains relevant and that the organization is poised to capitalize on technological disruptions rather than being blindsided by them.

Measuring the Impact on Organizational Culture

The impact of strategic changes on organizational culture is often overlooked, yet it can be one of the most significant indicators of long-term success. A cultural assessment is woven into the Strategic Analysis to ensure that the shifts in strategy are conducive to the desired cultural evolution. Cultural alignment not only facilitates smoother implementation but also enhances employee engagement and retention.

Deloitte’s research indicates that 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct workplace culture is important to business success. The methodology advocates for cultural KPIs such as employee engagement scores and turnover rates to be evaluated alongside traditional financial metrics, ensuring that the strategy strengthens rather than undermines the organizational culture.

Ensuring Leadership Involvement and Accountability

Leadership involvement goes beyond mere sponsorship; it's about active engagement and accountability. The methodology prescribes specific roles for leaders at various stages of the process, from framing the strategic questions to endorsing change management efforts. This involvement ensures that strategic decisions are made with a clear understanding of their implications and that leaders are held accountable for the outcomes.

According to McKinsey, when senior leaders model the behavior changes they’re asking employees to make, transformations are 5.3 times more likely to be successful. Therefore, the methodology includes a leadership accountability framework, which ties the success of the strategy to leadership performance metrics, ensuring that leaders have skin in the game.

Additional Resources Relevant to Strategic Analysis

Here are additional best practices relevant to Strategic Analysis from the Flevy Marketplace.

Did you know?
The average daily rate of a McKinsey consultant is $6,625 (not including expenses). The average price of a Flevy document is $65.

Key Findings and Results

Here is a summary of the key results of this case study:

  • Increased revenue growth by 15% within the first year post-implementation, surpassing the expected 10-20% target.
  • Established strategic partnerships resulting in a 12% market share growth, exceeding the initial goal of enhancing market position.
  • Improved operational efficiency, leading to a 7% reduction in costs, slightly below the expected 5-10% reduction but still significant.
  • Enhanced customer satisfaction scores by 8%, indicating positive impact on customer perceptions and loyalty.

The initiative has delivered notable successes, including surpassing the revenue growth target and achieving significant market share growth through strategic partnerships. The improved operational efficiency and enhanced customer satisfaction scores also reflect positive outcomes. However, the cost reduction fell slightly below the expected range, indicating a need for further optimization. The initiative's success can be attributed to the comprehensive methodology, leadership buy-in, and continuous communication. Nonetheless, the subpar cost reduction and the need for enhanced alignment between departments highlight areas for improvement. Alternative strategies could involve more rigorous cost management measures and increased cross-functional collaboration to address the identified challenges.

Looking ahead, it is recommended to conduct a detailed review of cost management strategies and implement more robust cross-functional collaboration mechanisms to address the subpar cost reduction and alignment challenges. Additionally, continuous monitoring and adaptation of the strategic plan in response to market dynamics and technological disruptions should be prioritized to sustain the initiative's success.

Source: Strategic Analysis for D2C Personal Care Brand in Health & Wellness, Flevy Management Insights, 2024

Flevy is the world's largest knowledge base of best practices.


Leverage the Experience of Experts.

Find documents of the same caliber as those used by top-tier consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, Accenture.

Download Immediately and Use.

Our PowerPoint presentations, Excel workbooks, and Word documents are completely customizable, including rebrandable.

Save Time, Effort, and Money.

Save yourself and your employees countless hours. Use that time to work on more value-added and fulfilling activities.




Read Customer Testimonials




Additional Flevy Management Insights

Operational Efficiency Strategy for Mid-Sized Maritime Logistics Firm

Scenario: A mid-sized maritime logistics firm faces a strategic challenge highlighted by a strategic analysis, revealing an alarming 20% increase in operational costs over the past two years.

Read Full Case Study

Strategic Analysis for a High-Tech Start-Up in the Fintech Industry

Scenario: A rapidly growing fintech start-up is facing several strategic challenges as it scales its operations.

Read Full Case Study

Ecommerce Customer Experience Enhancement for Niche Retailer

Scenario: The organization operates within the competitive ecommerce space, specializing in high-end home goods.

Read Full Case Study

Strategic Analysis for a Fast-Growth Firm Facing Cost Escalation Issues

Scenario: A high-growth tech company with a focus on software development has seen a dramatic rise in operational costs over the past two years.

Read Full Case Study

Strategic Analysis and Turnaround of a Retail Giant

Scenario: A Fortune 500 retail organization, despite maintaining a broad share of the market, is grappling with lower than expected profits.

Read Full Case Study

Market Entry Strategy for Autonomous Vehicle Firm in North America

Scenario: The organization at hand is an emerging player in the North American autonomous vehicle space, struggling to carve out a market share against established automotive giants.

Read Full Case Study

Strategic Analysis for Specialty Chemicals Firm in North America

Scenario: A specialty chemicals firm based in North America is facing stagnation in a highly competitive market.

Read Full Case Study

Market Positioning Strategy for Retail Apparel in Competitive Landscape

Scenario: A mid-sized apparel retailer in North America is struggling to maintain its market share in the highly competitive fast-fashion sector.

Read Full Case Study

Sustainable Luxury Fashion Strategy for Ethical Consumer Market

Scenario: A luxury fashion brand is at a crossroads, facing a strategic challenge that necessitates a comprehensive strategic analysis.

Read Full Case Study

Operational Efficiency Strategy for Maritime Logistics Provider in Southeast Asia

Scenario: A prominent maritime logistics provider in Southeast Asia is facing a strategic challenge, requiring a comprehensive Strategic Analysis.

Read Full Case Study

Strategic Growth Plan for Automotive Component Manufacturer in Asia

Scenario: A leading automotive component manufacturer in Asia is at a crossroad, necessitated by a comprehensive strategic analysis.

Read Full Case Study

Sustainable Supply Chain Strategy for Furniture Retailer in North America

Scenario: A prominent furniture retailer in North America, known for its sustainable and eco-friendly product range, is conducting a strategic analysis to tackle a 20% decrease in market share over the last 2 years.

Read Full Case Study

Download our FREE Strategy & Transformation Framework Templates

Download our free compilation of 50+ Strategy & Transformation slides and templates. Frameworks include McKinsey 7-S Strategy Model, Balanced Scorecard, Disruptive Innovation, BCG Experience Curve, and many more.