The Handbook of Market Intelligence: Understand, Compete and Grow in Global Markets, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4Intelligence Scope – Determining the Purpose, Target Groups, and Focus Areas of an Intelligence Program

INTRODUCTION: INTELLIGENCE SCOPE AS A KEY SUCCESS FACTOR OF MARKET INTELLIGENCE

Case: Launching a Business Intelligence Function in the Additives Division of the Lubrizol Corporation

The Lubrizol Corporation (NYSE: LZ) is an innovative specialty chemical company that produces and supplies technologies to customers in the global transportation, industrial, and consumer markets. The Additives Division (LZA) focuses on lubricant additives.

Prior to the recent economic recession, changes affecting LZA’s markets generally were gradual and incremental. Consequently, business planning responsibilities frequently were stovepiped within the individual business segments. However, the abrupt disruptions brought about by the recession prompted senior management to commission the development of a pan-segment function to provide broader and deeper intelligence support to business segment planning activities.

The challenges included:

1. Developing an intelligence program to serve a broad array of additive business segments (passenger car, heavy duty vehicle (on-road and off-road), driveline, fuels, marine engines, small engines, hydraulics, greases, metalworking fluids).
2. Overcoming internal cultural barriers to pan-segment cooperation.
3. Delivering a work product of material value to business segment planning activities.
4. Doing all of the preceding with extremely limited resources. ...