Case Study: You Spin Me Right ‘Round (Power Inverter Expert)
The Problem
A product development team was developing a new power inverter technology that represented a promising means to drastically improve the efficiency of wind turbines. Though the company, a leading industrial conglomerate, had constantly been at the forefront of innovation and research, they lacked an understanding of the latest components and materials available for the power inverters they were prototyping. The team wanted to explore the use of Silicon Carbide in their designs, and needed advice from power inverter experts about the strengths and weaknesses of current power inverter technologies, key players in the space, as well as industry preferences. The team had already spent a lot of time and money trying to crack the code to increase the efficiency of wind power, and it was time to bring in some new perspectives.
Critical Issues
Qualitative Insight Technical Expertise Hands-on Experience
The Solution
Maven launched an Electronic Survey of 25 power inverter experts, diving into the weeds on the different materials and power inverter technologies that could significantly improve the overall efficiency of wind turbines. Within 24 hours, Maven returned a number of insightful responses, the best of which actually came from the spouse of someone from the company’s Market Research division! The new product team was so impressed by her initial responses, they decided to hire her for a week-long Extended Consulting engagement to work side-by-side with their team to develop their strategy to move forward. With the fresh perspectives from the survey and the week-long brainstorm, the team was able to get over the hump they had been stuck on for months.
“And to think, I knew what football team he rooted for in the NFL, but I had no idea his wife was this brilliant engineer that was going to push our project forward. It’s always nice when you can keep it in the family.” – Senior Product Lead
