Boise Automation Systems

1. What seems to be the strategy for Boise’s competitive positioning for its automation systems?

Boise’s strategy for positioning its automation systems is to provide next generation technology to its customers that rivals the technology of competitors. Boise’s strategy was to differentiate from the competition while also focusing on certain industries. Boise is able to differentiate itself from the competition by providing advanced technology which surpasses most business standards. Boise is focused on certain industries because that is where the company’s expertise lies. The company also focused on innovative companies that were willing to pay a premium for the new technology in their automation systems.

2. What were Boise’s major strengths and weaknesses?

One of Boise’s major strengths is the company’s state of the art product line. Boise provides technology that is more advanced than the competition. This advanced technology differentiates Boise as a premium automation systems manufacturer which can be a major attraction for some companies. Another strength of Boise’s is that the company always strived for high customer satisfaction. Boise was determined to provide the highest quality, tailor made automation systems to its customers. The company provided the whole system as a turnkey solution designed to the customer’s desire. Although Boise had many strong aspects, the company still had major weaknesses. One of those weaknesses was the advanced technology itself. The technology was so complex that many customers were critical of it not being user friendly. It took longer for the customers to train and learn how to use the new systems. Another weakness at Boise was the aggressive sales tactics. It seems that the sales team was focused a lot on meeting the numbers and not the needs of the customers. It can be off putting to a customer if Boise is pushing advanced technology on them that very few people are using at the time.

3. Why did Allison fail? What could have been done differently? How can Boise management improve the effectiveness of its sales force?

Allison failed on the Northern Paper order for several reasons. One reason is that the system was simply too expensive compared to the competition. It seems the only way Northern would consider Boise is if the