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.