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Case Study

Bossard’s AI strategy for proven productivity (Cartoon case)

By Stefan Michel

4 pages

October 2024

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Reference: IMD-7-2575

Bossard, a Swiss company founded in 1731, has successfully transitioned from a product-centric approach to one that offers services and solutions. It has achieved significant revenue growth despite economic challenges. Its brand promise, “proven productivity,” guides its actions, including its early adoption of AI. From 2010 to 2022, the firm’s net revenue grew from CHF 475 million to CHF 1.154 billion (7.7% CAGR), despite a massive currency appreciation, a global pandemic and a supply chain crisis. “Proven productivity” permeates all levels and activities of the company and serves as a guiding principle in everyday decisions: How do you increase the productivity of customers? According to public records, Bossard’s customers were original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), such as Tesla, John Deere and Thermoplan. Bossard did not serve the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market, nor did it sell through do-it-yourself (DIY) chains like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Adeo, Kingfisher, Bunnings, OBI and Bauhaus. Bossard already employs machine learning to anticipate demand trends across various products. The company’s leadership is optimistic about leveraging generative AI for customer interactions. This could include an AI chatbot drawing on Bossard’s extensive knowledge base to provide technical advice to customers, or AI-assisted tools to support Bossard’s own specialists in responding to enquiries. With a governance structure that promotes collaboration between the executive and non-executive boards, including AI expert Petra Ehmann, Bossard aims to democratize AI knowledge across the organization. It is also leveraging AI tools like Microsoft Copilot during its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system rollout. This strategic focus on AI aligns with Bossard’s dedication to enhancing customer productivity while embracing technological advancements to evolve its business. Balancing ongoing operations with strategic AI integration is a key challenge, but Bossard is confident in its ability to leverage AI to strengthen its brand and maintain its growth trajectory.

Learning Objective

· Identify the relevant value constellations for Bossard’s wholesale and engineering businesses

· Analyze and interpret the unsuccessful attempts to use generative AI to answer technical questions

· Connect the aspiration of “running a business while changing a business” with the challenges and opportunities AI provides

· Evaluate how different AI-focused scenarios may impact Bossard’s strategy

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence, Business Transformation, Strategy

Settings

World/global, Switzerland
Bossard Holding, Manufacturing, Fasteners
2023-2024

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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