All student consultants are either in the last stage of their bachelor’s degree or are doing a research master’s degree. They have been immersed in an academic environment and have been looking at business and international trade in a scientific manner. Furthermore, the students have had classes about the most recent research on markets and about how businesses operate within them. The students will gain many insights into explorable business opportunities for companies. The project and its research are able to bring new scientific impulses to your company which could result in smart and creative ways for your business to be successful in Mexico. 

To become part of the Sefa Research Project, the student consultants have gone through a rigorous selection procedure. Only highly motivated bachelor or master students who have demonstrated to be hardworking, smart, enthusiastic, and talented by obtaining high marks and participating in extracurricular activities have been selected. This ensures that our team consists only of the best economics and business students.

All sixteen student consultants have voluntarily decided to participate in the Sefa Research Project, as many of them aim to make a career out of this line of work. The Sefa Research Project gives them the opportunity to put all their gained knowledge to practice. Unlike other consultancy firms, the Sefa Research Project is a non-profit organisation and therefore the students are not being paid for their participation in the project.

Besides the knowledge gathered within the domain of their studies, the student consultants also receive guidance from representatives of our Board of Advisors. Additionally, the participating students received professional training from our partners such as Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte and McKinsey. This combination of an academic core with a professional outer-layer makes the Sefa Research Project unique.

The Sefa Research Project is constructed on a non-profit basis, so the project will be completely transparent about the cost structure. Since both the student consultants themselves and Sefa contribute to the project financially, the price for companies is below cost price.

The client

For Research Project 2022 we managed to offer our services to 3 major clients across different industries:

• Jungheinrich – leading intralogistics provider based in Germany, which specialises in material handling equipment, warehousing and material flow engineering sectors. In these segments, Jungheinrich is ranked in second place in Europe, and third in the world.
• DNV – worldwide independent expert in assurance and risk management based in Norway, delivering renowned testing, certification and technical advisory services to the energy value chain including renewables, oil and gas, and energy management.
• Confidential major client in the footwear industry.

The request

Being a constantly expanding major international player in logistics, Jungheinrich has an objective of increasing their market share in Thailand, India and Malaysia as these markets are projected to grow the most in the given industry and are economically and politically stable. To succeed in that, Jungheinrich has requested us to conduct the research on its competitors, demand for products and services, and automation opportunities in warehouses. DNV request was focused on researching the impact of COVID-19 on renewable energy development in APEC economies, as prior to the pandemic, the renewable energy industry had been achieving higher gains than most major stock market indices since 2018 and performing better than the overall energy sector. The confidential footwear industry client has requested the research on market outlook, retail presence, and consumer analysis in Malaysia, as the country is projected to grow the most in the footwear industry in the coming years in the South East Asia region.

What we did

For all the clients the teams have conducted a thorough breakdown of the problems that we based our research analysis and proposals on, followed by analysis of data and reports provided by the clients as well as retrieved from official agencies and other stakeholders in order to prepare ourselves for next stages of the project. Field research for all the clients consisted of visiting the client’s representative offices, receiving advice from local experts and officials, and conducting the stakeholder interviews. Based on this, we have presented our findings in the final report to all of our clients.

The result

All of the clients were happy with the work our team has done and as a result they are open to further future collaborations with Sefa Research Project.

Confidential projects

Postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19.

The client

Royal Boon Edam is a company that manufactures revolving doors, high security doors and speed gates. It is the world market leader in the revolving doors industry and a renowned manufacturer of high security gates. In 2004 Queen Beatrix granted them the title of ‘Royal’ for their 130th anniversary.

The request

Boon Edam is already active in the Indian market, but their business in the Indian market is not increasing as much as they would like. They would like to know if and where the opportunities are.

What we did

In the summer of 2019, three student consultants did research in India, with the goal to identify various opportunities where Royal Boon Edam can sell their products. The students also looked at possible problems the company was facing in the Indian Market. They spoke with employees of the companies, market experts, existing buyers and construction companies.

The result

Forthcoming

The client

Secrid is one of the biggest companies that are selling pocket-sized products. The very first Secrid was sold in 2009 in the Netherlands and now they are selling the products in more than 6000 stores all over the world. The products are produced in the Netherlands and make sure the quality is hig.

The request

Secrid keeps on looking for new markets for their products. Because of the positive developments in Mexico, their interest was to move to this country.

What we did

In the summer of 2018, 4 students consultants have done the research in Mexico, with the goal to identify new selling locations, to identify the needs and wishes of the Mexican consumer and to look for some possible difficulties in the the Mexican law. To get to the results the student consultants have been visiting and ranking 70 possible selling locatons. Besides this, more than 100 consumers were interviewed for consumer research.

The result

The rapport gives a clear overview of the potential selling locations for Secrid and helps to find new customers in Mexico. The consumer research will give Secrid insight in the needs and wises of the Mexican consumer.

Confidential projects

The client

Running one of the largest and busiest logistics centres in the world for many years has given the Port of Rotterdam Authority a wealth of expertise and experience in developing and managing large ports and industrial areas. The Port of Rotterdam International department (PoRint) uses this knowledge and experience and the world-renowned ‘Port of Rotterdam’ brand to help ports worldwide achieve their maximum potential.

The request

Port of Rotterdam Authority is constantly working on expanding their international network. Because of positive developments on a political and economic level in Argentina, they were interested in the dynamics around the Port of Buenos Aires.

What we did

The 4 student consultants have done a very broad research, in which the following issues have been analyzed; the business model of the port, the stakeholders and their interest, the financial position, the status of logistics and the expectations around politics and economics. For this they have gathered data and have held numerous interviews with, among others, the authorities of the port, port experts, ministries and journalists.

The result

The report has given a clear overview about the situation around the port of Buenos Aires and helps in the conversation about a possible collaboration.

The client

De Heus Voeders is one of the largest independent animal nutrition producing companies in the world with over 35 factories in 9 different countries across the globe. Currently De Heus is in the top 5 largest animal feed producers in Vietnam and already has a strong regional presence: products are being exported from Vietnam to Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines and Myanmar. However, De Heus had been absent in the Indonesian animal nutrition market.

The request

De Heus had very limited knowledge on the Indonesian animal nutrition industry and therefore requested Sefa Research Project to perform a market entry study on feed for aquaculture; an animal nutrition sub-market considered to be of high potential by De Heus.

What we did

The 4 person project team first conducted quantitative research on market size and growth of different fish species while being based in The Netherlands. Based on the outcomes, the team and De Heus decided to focus on a core group of 4 high potential species. Then the team did research on which specific locations in Indonesia were the top fish farming places, and decided to visit five of them. In Indonesia, the team conducted surveys at the different locations with important stakeholders to construct a comprehensive market analysis.

The result

Mr. Johan van den Ban (in 2014 Business Development Manager at De Heus Vietnam, now Managing Director at De Heus Myanmar) says: “The Sefa Research Project team has strong analytical skills and the ability to outline a potential market relatively fast. The slide deck report was very professional and well- structured and has been of added value to our entry to Indonesia. Furthermore, the team showed good teamwork and communication skills”.

The client

Faber Flags is the global market leader in the production, marketing and sales of promotional textile products, such as flags, indoor/outdoor banners, street banners, event banners and parasols. With various participations and joint ventures worldwide, Faber can be described as an internationally oriented company.

The request

With a declining European market for outdoor promotion, Faber Flags continuously searches for opportunities outside the Netherlands to strengthen her international salesnetwork. Having an economic growth of approximately 6% over the last 5 years, and an even larger growth in the advertising sector, Vietnam could be an important new market for Faber Flags. Faber Flags asked the Sefa Research Project to find out what Vietnam offers for them.

What we did

Four members of the Sefa Research Project conducted a market research. Keeping the needs and wishes of Faber Flags in mind, they started with a month of desk research. The team began by mapping the available legislation and processing the relevant macro-economic data. In Vietnam, the team coorporated with e.g. the Dutch Consulate and several (international) business organizations in order to see whether the ideas of the team about the market fitted the actual picture. Visiting several production companies as well as multinationals, the team tried to form a complete picture of the supply and demand side of the Vietnames advertising market.

The result

Martin Koppelaar, CEO of Faber Flags: The cooperation with Sefa went very well. The discussions during the intake, and the desk and field research were very fruitfull. Sefa did deliver and present a valuable report which will help us to take the necessary decisions regarding the entry of the Vietnames economy.

The client

ECN is a mid-sized company involved in energy research and technology development, with a focus on renewable energies. Key activities for the company include contract research and development for external organizations, the licensing of technology and systems to industrial companies and consulting on policy issues around energy.

The request

Developments in the area of renewable energy research (biomass energy and sugarcane) in Brazil had been of interest to ECN in the last year. ECN wanted to enter the market of sugarcane, and improve its energy potential and waste product bagasse. The assignment was to map the market for biomass research in Brazil, meet the companies and institutes behind the key projects and develop leads for our client to enter this market.

What we did

The team began by identifying three key lines of business for the client that best fit the Brazilian market. Then an analysis was made of the Brazilian market to identify companies and institutes that could be of potential interest, this was done by using a value-chain perspective. Additionally they found companies active in interesting biomass projects beyond sugarcane. The research team identified a list of high potential contacts and then departed for Brazil. In Brazil they spent three weeks in Sao Paulo state, the centre of the sugarcane industry in Brazil. The team met with sugarcane producers, industry associations, energy companies, universities, power plant operators as well as legal and regulatory experts and sought their view on the market for biomass research in Brazil.

The result

The team was able to introduce their client’s capabilities to multiple companies and arranged follow-up working meetings between the client and four new companies and institutes in Brazil.

• 2011 – India
• 2010 – Indonesia
• 2009 – South Africa
• 2008 – Bulgaria
• 2007 – Baltic States