IICGInternational Industrial
Consulting GroupDiscuss a mandate

Cross-practice capability

Industrial Benchmarking

Benchmarking should produce decisions, not just comparison tables. We connect every gap we find to its technical explanation, its economic implication and the action it calls for.

From comparison to decision

Five steps. The last one is the point.

  1. BenchmarkCompare products, components, specifications, suppliers or routes on a like-for-like basis.
  2. GapEstablish where, and by how much, you differ.
  3. Technical explanationExplain why: material, design, process, route or scale.
  4. Economic implicationQuantify what the difference is worth in cost, value or risk.
  5. ActionDecide what to change, with whom, and by when.

What we benchmark

Eight kinds of benchmark, one standard of evidence.

Product benchmarking

Whole products compared on content, features and cost.

Technical benchmarking

Design solutions, materials and specifications compared.

Cost benchmarking

Should-cost comparisons at part, system or product level.

Competitor benchmarking

Your products against competitors’ solutions, cost and positioning.

Supplier benchmarking

Suppliers compared on cost, capability, quality and risk.

Manufacturing-route benchmarking

Alternative process routes compared for cost and capability.

Specification benchmarking

Your specifications against industry practice and actual need.

Vehicle & component benchmarking

Vehicles, systems and components compared across makes and segments.

Worked example

What a decision-grade benchmark sounds like.

Members of our team have carried out product, technical and cost benchmarking of heavy commercial vehicles. The example on the right is illustrative, not a client result.

2507525075Current design6 mm Fe 410 + two gussetsCompetitor4.5 mm HSLA 550, no gussetsCurrent18.4 kgCompetitor13.1 kg · −29%
Channel sections in mm, drawn to the same scale. Illustrative example, not a client result.

Benchmark

Chassis cross-members compared across three competing vehicles in the same segment.

Gap

One competitor’s cross-member is noticeably lighter and simpler to make.

Explanation

A higher-strength material grade allows a thinner section and fewer welded reinforcements.

Implication

Lower material and weld content per vehicle, set against a higher material price per kilogram.

Action

A specification review with engineering, and suppliers asked to quote the alternative route alongside the current one.

Ways to engage

A study that ends in decisions.

Industrial Benchmarking StudyProduct, technical, cost or supplier benchmarking designed to end in decisions.
Should-Cost PilotClean-sheet cost models for a selected set of parts, to test the size and nature of the gap before a wider programme.
Embedded Industrial SMESpecialist industrial capability placed inside a consulting or investment team.

Comparison tables, but no decisions?

Tell us what you are benchmarking and why. We will propose the evidence that would change a decision.

Talk to IICGcontact@iicgpl.com