Industrial vehicles’ Electrification: Innovation Strategies for a leading powertrain supplier

Abstract

The thesis aims to describe how electrification trends are impacting the Industrial Vehicles’ market, which is often overlooked compared to automotive. In particular, the case-study focuses on the effects that the electric transition could imply on the industry from the point of view of a leading powertrain supplier. In the first chapter the reference market will be illustrated, framing what kind of vehicles will be analyzed, and what is the current contribution of the company to their functioning. In the second chapter, the electrification transition will be generally described, through an exhaustive presentation of available powertrain technologies and advantages / disadvantages that they can offer, together with key drivers and enablers that lead the shift. The third chapter will review the literature of Innovation Management and Technological Innovation with the purpose of framing the innovation phenomenon under analysis. The chapter will deepen the suppliers’ role in innovation processes, trying to estimate their innovativeness and possible forms of inter-company collaboration within the supply chain. In the fourth chapter, the study will disclose the resulting strategies, for a supplier like Bonfiglioli, to approach the technology transition with innovative solutions, by employing a Business Model Canvas to represent it. At the end, new potential markets for the company, arising from a broader electrification adoption, will be explored.