Service Offering
Competitive Benchmarking
Competitive benchmarking unlocks hidden value pools and EBITDA improvement by systematically revealing performance gaps, cost advantages, and strategic opportunities that drive sustainable competitive advantage. Catalant Experts combine analytical rigor gained from top-tier strategy firms with hands-on operational experience, transforming competitive intelligence into actionable strategies that:
APPROACH
Systematic Benchmarking That Drives Results
01
Frame strategic imperatives
Define the competitive questions that matter most—market share defense, margin expansion, or disruption opportunities. Focus benchmarking scope on decisions that drive real value.
02
Map the competitive landscape
Select comparison sets that reveal meaningful patterns—include direct rivals, adjacent market leaders, and digital natives. Compare external benchmarks with internal performance across business units to identify true gaps.
03
Analyze performance drivers
Break down headline metrics into specific performance drivers using proven analytical frameworks and activity-based costing. Isolate whether gaps stem from strategic choices versus operational execution.
04
Deconstruct competitor offerings
Reverse-engineer competitor offerings through physical, digital, and process analysis. Build detailed cost models that expose true economics, from bill-of-materials through fully-loaded unit costs including overhead allocations.
05
Build your competitive playbook
Convert analytical findings into competitive strategies that exploit structural advantages while addressing fixable gaps. Design implementation sequences that capture quick wins to fund longer-term capability builds.
WINNING TOGETHER
Competitive Benchmarking in Action
Problem
A major automotive OEM trailed peers in profitability and needed to understand the root causes of underperformance and develop strategies to achieve best-in-class margins.
Action
Catalant Experts conducted a six-week detailed benchmarking analysis against the two closest competitors, breaking down profitability into 21 specific drivers across eight categories, including product mix, pricing, material costs, and R&D efficiency.
Results
- Unlocked a roadmap to $3B in annual profit improvements
- $600M in profit improvements realized within the project timeframe
- Methodology replicated across additional geographies due to strong value creation
Electronics Cost Benchmarking
A consumer electronics company needed to benchmark its product costs against five key competitors. Through detailed teardown analysis evaluating raw materials, conversion costs, and overheads for each competing product, Catalant Experts gave the company clear visibility into competitor profitability and identified specific manufacturing cost optimization opportunities.
Financial Services Pricing Integration
A financial services organization faced integration challenges when merging two entities with drastically different pricing structures, risking revenue disruption and customer attrition. Catalant Experts analyzed both organizations' pricing models against competitive benchmarks, assessing revenue impact and customer sensitivity. The optimized pricing structure enabled smooth transition without major revenue loss, positioning the merged entity for sustainable growth.
Flagship Product Cost Optimization
An aerospace and defense OEM required benchmarking against industry best practices for its flagship product. Catalant Experts developed a Should-Cost model analyzing 600 components including materials, labor, and overhead, enabling comparison against optimized conditions and creating a scalable tool for portfolio-wide benchmarking.
FEATURED EXPERTS
Featured Competitive Benchmarking Experts
Andreas K.
Ex-BCG Principal and financial services executive
Delivers tailored benchmarking and actionable insights that unlock enterprise value across Financial Services, Industrials, Auto and PE sectors. Leverages consulting methodology with operating experience to provide competitive intelligence that drives strategic positioning and performance improvement.
Mark L.
Cost engineering and Should-Cost modeling expert
Should-Cost modeling is typically capitalized as it's a specific methodology/framework in procurement and cost analysis, similar to how we capitalize other business methodologies like Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) or Total Quality Management (TQM).
Andy P.
Ex-UBS strategist with 100+ Catalant projects specializing in competitive analysis
Executes strategy projects for Pfizer, AB InBev, Walmart, Ford, Fidelity Investments, Disney, Estée Lauder, Dell and leading private equity firms. Specializes in research, due diligence, and competitive intelligence that drives strategic decision-making.
Transform competitive benchmarking data into executable strategies.
Connect with dozens of Experts qualified and ready to do this work.
