Year: 2014-15
Company: BD Biosciences
Liaison(s): Grant Howes
Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) is a global medical technology company that focuses on drug discovery, delivery and enhancing diagnosis of infectious diseases and cancers. BD develops, manufactures and sells medical supplies, devices, antibodies, reagents and diagnostic products through its three divisions: BD Medical, BD Diagnostics and BD Biosciences. BD Biosciences (BDB) is a world leader in bringing innovative diagnostic tools, including fluorescence-activated cell analyzers (flow cytometers), to laboratory professionals and clinicians who are involved in disease management. BDB has designed and developed a novel flow cytometer, called the FACSViaTM, primarily for use in clincal laboratories as a diagnostic tool for infectious diseases and cancers. BDB would like to launch this product in China, initially targeting hospital laboratories. The BD Biosciences TMP team was asked to prepare a marketing strategy for launching the FACSViaTM in China. China represents a huge potential market for BDB, and a successful launch would further strengthen BDB’s global leadership in the flow cytometer market. To accomplish this objective, the BDB TMP team has been researching the Chinese market to identify the different types and tiers of Chinese hospitals and clarify their clinical needs. Additionally, the team has been conducting a thorough review of the FACSViaTM product, to uncover its full features and to identify and align these features with the needs of Chinese hospitals. As part of this review, the team has identified local and global competitors of BDB within the Chinese market, and clarified BDB’s competitive advantages over them. The BD TMP team has provided BDB with a list of all diagnostic applications the FACSViaTM could provide in China, where infectious diseases and cancers are locally endemic. Lastly, the team has identified: the drivers and barriers of BDB’s success in the Chinese market; provided important information necessary to prioritize these market segments; and, developed initial strategies to facilitate the entry of FACSVia’TM into this marketplace. When the team returns from its summer internships, it will begin testing current assumptions of the Chinese market, and will deveolp specific go-to-market strategies for this important marketplace.