Presse / Medienecho

Following the decartelization of the distribution networks and the market liberalizations for electricity trading, energy suppliers could become the most competitive companies of the sector in the western part of the Balkans. According to a Arthur D. Little analysis, energy suppliers’ structures and work routines must change as part of a performance unbundling. The countries involved, such as Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia, should create unique organizational economic conditions and arrange the connections between the companies in the form of a service level agreement. All companies should primarily tend to the criterions efficiency, restructuring and implementation of modern IT systems. Because electricity trading in the Balkans is still in its infancy, the affected companies should expedite creating a corporate strategy that includes level-headed risk management.

An article on Arthur D. Little’s warning that Britain risks falling seriously behind its European neighbours in terms of serious uptake of fiber broadband technology. Karim Taga, Managing Director of Arthur D. Little, is quoted as saying “The U.K. is one of the least-penetrated economies in Europe.” Andrea Faggiano principal in Arthur D. Little’s TIME Practice added, “The challenge of how to attain the clear national economic benefits of the latest fiber infrastructure while managing the considerable investment required is still unclear in many markets.” The article uses results from a new study that Arthur D. Little released on the state of fiber network markets in Europe.

An article about Urenco being eager to sell a uranium enrichment center that is operates in Capenhurst England.  Arthur D. Little’s Michael Kruse provided insight into the industry saying, “Nuclear strategies have changed. Governments no longer think they need to be in this business, and utilities in several countries want out after Fukushima.” Kruse went on to explain who the most likely buyers could be stating, “there are in my view not many companies that can buy Urenco.”

Germany’s rail traffic continues to be the focus of newspaper reports. Technical breakdowns, train cancellations and late arrivals are major problems for Deutsche Bahn and annoy its growing number of customers. An analysis by Arthur D. Little leads to the conclusion, that these deficits are the results of a long-running slowdown in investment, limited maintenance of assets, errors in the specifications and a lack of qualified staff. To remain steady in Europe’s biggest rail network, Deutsche Bahn must cope with its problems in quality and reorganize its quality management.

An article about how some carmakers in China are turning to online retail sales to create buzz and build brand awareness. The results from Arthur D. Little’s survey of potential customers in China, the US and Germany show that 86 percent of Chinese respondents might be willing to buy a vehicle online, compared to only 42 per cent in the US and 38 per cent in Germany. The results are meaningful for automakers in China that are considering turning to online retail sales to create a buzz and boost brand awareness.

An article from Arthur D. Little’s Global Energy Practice discusses critical aspects of deepwater developments, including some key considerations for the selection of production platform technologies. Rodolfo Guzman, Ben Thuriaux and Paola Carvajal of Arthur D. Little say that deepwater developments present an array of challenges. The most critical challenges are resource potential uncertainty, drilling rig availability, technology concepts, logistics and infrastructure, projects management, national content, fiscal terms, regulatory aspects, environmental risks and weather hazards. Developer insight for key success includes a strategic approach, resource evaluation, infrastructure planning, project management, multi-disciplinary approach, contracting, drilling and production facilities.

An article about the results of the 12th edition of the joint annual telecoms report from Arthur D. Little and Exane BNP Paribas. The report says it does not expect the European telco sector to return to growth in the next three years and that LTE services need to generate monthly data ARPUs of at least €17 by 2016, in order to halt the overall decline in European mobile revenues. Didier Levy, Director of Arthur D. Little’s TIME Practice, is quoted as saying “Current 4G LTE pricing is more-or-less in line with 3G. Some players are pricing it higher and some have publically said it will be the same as 3G. To reach €17, the challenge is extremely high; and even then, the figure would only be enough to return the sector to flat growth.”

The 12th edition of the joint annual telecoms report from Arthur D. Little and Exane BNP Paribas has revealed that although moving to 4G LTE is a no-brainer for European telecoms operators, it is unlikely to restore better pricing conditions in the European mobile industry. Didier Levy, Director of Arthur D. Little’s TIME Practice, is quoted as saying “4G will be a commercial success in Europe but is unlikely to restore pricing power in the industry. To deliver business growth there are a number of innovation areas European operators should focus on, including introducing shared data plans which are already successful in the US.”

An article written by Michael Kruse and Julia Heizinger of Arthur D. Little about offshore wind energy. Europe continues to be leading in the global offshore wind market – with the United Kingdom leading the way as one of the most experienced. However, the challenging development goals set up until 2020 need to be corrected while continuing to be ambitious. In the article, Michael and Julia the discuss current challenges, the offshore and maritime industry as well as the outlook for offshore energy developments.

An article written by Rick Eagar, Partner at Arthur D. Little about innovation. The article draws on the results of Arthur D. Little’s 8th Global Innovation Excellence Study, which sought to explore the processes and approaches used by companies for innovation management, show how these companies contribute to innovation success, and enable participating companies to benchmark themselves against peers. Rick says that innovation performance is actually worse now that it was three years ago and has significantly decreased by up to 25%.