Projects by Function 

Acquisitions / Joint Ventures 

Consulting Resources has assisted a number of companies in the biotechnology, chemical process, healthcare, nanotechnology, and natural resources industries with identifying attractive candidates for acquisitions, collaborations or joint ventures. Our strategy is to obtain as much background information as possible about desired characteristics of the potential company in order to develop a profile, and to then refine the profile using company information obtained from various confidential and non-confidential sources. We have also assessed specific acquisition candidates for clients, and done due diligence. Our work in this area has covered North and South America, Europe and Asia.  

Benchmarking (Competitive Position) 

A number of clients have requested benchmarking services from Consulting Resources Corporation. As a client, you will appreciate our ability to develop benchmarking scales to suit any situation, as well as our frequent contact in order to fine-tune our approach so that it closely fits your needs. Our previous projects in this area have spanned several industries and covered analytical topics ranging from production plant costs to marketing strategies.

Conferences 

Consulting Resources has hosted or co-hosted conferences on such topics as biotechnology, chlor-alkalis, industrial gases, and re-engineering. For more information about our conferences, please see our conferences page.  

Executive Search 

Consulting Resources has been retained for numerous international searches for senior-level executives and scientists. This work generally entails identifying and screening a large number of appropriate individuals, interviewing those who most closely match the criteria established for the position, conducting extensive reference and background checks, and assisting with various hiring issues where needed.

Expert Witness 

Consulting Resources principals have served as expert witnesses on topics ranging from biotechnology to such products as soda ash, chlor-alkalis, plastics, and others. In each case, our commitment to an in-depth understanding of our clients’ needs has served us -- and our clients -- well.

Forecasting 

Forecasting is one of Consulting Resources’ strengths. We most often forecast supply, demand, pricing and trade trends for the industries we cover, though we have also been asked to characterize related future markets as well. The scope of our work ranges from regional outlooks through national, multicountry and global forecasts. Additionally, we provide an annual assessment of five key biotech industry segments (agriculture, human diagnostics, human therapeutics, non-medical diagnostics and specialties), estimating the current size of each segment and forecasting their growth for the next five to ten years. These estimates are included in our Spring newsletter each year, and often appear in industry publications such as Genetic Engineering News.

Market and Product Opportunities (Commercial Development) 

Among the many kinds of work we do in assessing market and product opportunities are the following: preparing an overview of markets for current or potential products or processes; identifying new customers; developing marketing strategies; assessing supply, demand and pricing for various products; and evaluating competitive, technical, cost and strategic issues. These projects are among our most frequently requested.

Positioning

Consulting Resources has assisted clients with positioning their services, both relative to key competitive offerings, and relative to clients' other product lines.  CRC has also assisted in the development of clear, concise marketing plans that served to align multiple aspects of complex client organizations along a single unified path.

Production Technology 

Consulting Resources has engaged in a range of projects related to production technology. These projects have included analyses of factors related to the commercialization of various production technologies, estimation of manufacturing costs for plants and evaluation of their cost competitiveness, and market analyses of new technologies.

Regulatory 

Working in biotechnology, chemicals, healthcare, nanotechnology, and natural resources, Consulting Resources has provided extensive analysis of regulatory situations for concerned clients. We have looked broadly at the impact of various regulations on product substitution and have quantified the potentially adverse economic effects of regulatory issues. Among the specific topics we have examined are drug development and regulatory approval, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Cluster Rules, electricity deregulation, and European regulatory responses to genetically modified organisms in crops.  

Site Selection 

In Consulting Resources’ site selection work, we have reviewed key site selection factors, analyzed the feasibility of investing resources in various geographic areas, and assessed the fit between the requirements of a particular project and the characteristics of the proposed project sites.   

Strategic Planning 

Another core area of Consulting Resources’ work, our extensive experience with strategic planning has included the following topics, among others: 

• Analysis of product competitiveness in various geographic areas, 

• Assessment of plant costs, operating rates, viability and other characteristics,

• Assistance with intellectual property issues,

• Business plan development,

• Client company assessment,

• Customer identification and assessment, 

• Industry overviews at regional, national or global levels,

• Key competitor assessment,

• Overview of competitive issues in various industries,

• Pricing strategy review for various products,

• Product development planning,

• Research and development strategic planning (with a special focus on applied research and strategic alliance options),

• Strategic planning meetings tailored to specific clients’ needs, and

• Studies of historic and expected trends in supply, demand, pricing and trade for various products.

Projects by Industry Sector 

Biotechnology

Consulting Resources is proud to count biotechnology as one of our long-standing areas of special expertise. Since our founding in 1981, we have studied market and product opportunities and engaged in extensive strategic planning in biotechnology, including the following areas:

• Agriculture

• Biomass

• Food

• Genomics

• Human diagnostics

• Human therapeutics

• Non-medical diagnostics

• Specialties / chemicals

• Others

We have also studied regulatory issues specific to biotechnology (particularly regarding genetically modified organisms in food), and have done significant work on the impact of biotechnology on the chemical industry, including both threats and opportunities. 

We provide an annual assessment of five of the biotech industry segments listed above, estimating the current size of the individual segments and forecasting their growth for the next five to ten years. These estimates are included in our spring newsletter each year, and often appear in industry publications such as Genetic Engineering News. Additionally, we have facilitated a number of biotechnology and life science conferences. (For more information, please see our conferences page.)

Chlor-Alkalis 

Since Consulting Resources’ founding, the chlor-alkali area has been one of our core specialties. Our work in this area has included industry outlooks from the regional to the global level, industry surveys, supply /demand research, analysis of industry opportunities, trade studies, market studies, competitive analysis, regulatory research, production technology-related analysis, and strategic planning for the following products:

• Chlorine and caustic soda (sodium hydroxide)

• Caustic potash and potassium carbonate

• Hydrochloric acid

• Soda ash and sodium bicarbonate

• Sodium chlorate and chlorine dioxide

• Others

In addition, we have organized a number of “Chlor-Alkali Industry Update and Forecast” conferences.  For more information on these, please see our conferences page. 

Healthcare 

With the rapidly growing impact of genomics and other branches of biotechnology on healthcare, our projects have increasingly included consideration of what the future holds for the products, services, people, companies, non-profit institutions, and government entities involved in this huge global industry. Our most noteworthy project in this area is our ongoing multiclient analysis of industry impacts, incorporating our unique PATH^TM Analysis of individual organizations.

Inorganics / Industrial Gases 

Consulting Resources has been retained for a variety of studies on inorganics and industrial gases, including market research and industry outlooks for such products as:

• Argon

• Calcium chloride

• Calcium hypochlorite (bleach)

• Cyanuric acid

• Hydrogen

• Nitrogen

• Oxygen

• Phosphates

• Sodium hypochlorite

• Sodium sulfate

• Sulfuric acid

• Titanium dioxide

• Others

We have also organized several “Industrial Gases Update and Forecast” conferences.

Natural Resources / Energy 

In the areas of natural resources, (including mining and industrial minerals) and energy, Consulting Resources has been involved in acquisition searches, industry studies, expert witness work and other projects relating to:

• Alternative energy

• Alumina

• Biomass

• Coal

• Deregulation

• Electric utilities

• Fluorspar

• Hydrogen

• Lime

• Nahcolite

• Natural gas

• Petroleum refining

• Power rates

• Salt (sodium chloride)

• Trona

• Zeolites

• Others

Nanotechnology

As nanotechnology continues to command greater attention from decision-makers in the chemical and biotech industries, Consulting Resources has been involved in an increasing number of projects relating to this emerging science. Our work in this area has included market analyses, sales forecasts, and product opportunity assessments. For example, we recently conducted a survey researching the extent to which different chemical companies are working to develop nanotechnology-based products. Key nanotechnology segments include:

• Diagnostics

• Electronics

• Materials

• Medical

• Others

Organics / Fine Chemicals

Consulting Resources’s work in the area of organics and fine chemicals includes expert witness testimony, industry studies, and publications in a variety of journals. Representative topics covered include:

• Caffeine

• Flavors and fragrances

• Fluorocarbons

• Intermediates

• Petrochemicals

• Polymers and plastics

• Solvents

• Vitamins

• Others

Specialties 

Among the various projects that we have done relating to chemical specialties, Consulting Resources has provided market studies, industry-related research and articles on, for example:

• Agricultural chemicals

• Cosmetics and toiletries

• Functional foods / nutraceuticals

• Pulp and paper chemicals

• Soaps and detergents

• Specialty gases

• Swimming pool chemicals

• Water treatment chemicals

• Others

Other 

Consulting Resources has also been actively involved in project work relating to a number of other industry sectors. These include, most importantly:

• Adhesives

• Agriculture

• Electronics

• Foods and beverages

• Metals

• Packaging

• Pharmaceuticals

• Pulp and paper

• Utilities

• Others