The client, a large coal trading company, was looking for an independent view of the Latin American thermal and metallurgical coal markets with the objective of developing a successful entry strategy in the region.
CRU Consulting was asked to present a detailed picture of supply, demand and key coal consumers in four countries of interest: Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Chile.
Our Recommendation
The study concluded with a set of recommendations about the best commercial options for the client to penetrate the Latin American market. CRU prioritise the four countries under analysis based on their size, market outlook and, critically, attractiveness of the potential customer base. CRU also shared a list of contacts within the surveyed organisations that had expressed interest in engaging in conversations with our client.
Methodology
This project was executed through a combination of desktop and primary research
The first part of the study consisted of a detailed assessment of the historical and forecast supply-demand balance by country and type of coal (thermal and metallurgical). Demand forecasting required a thorough understanding of the steel and power sectors and the intensity of use of coal in each case. We leveraged on CRU’s regular research on this field and calibrated the models to the specifics of each country. A detailed review of imports, exports and local coal production was also part of the analysis.
The second part of this work involved a detailed profiling of key consumers in the region- both steel mills and power plants. Ultimately, the objective of this exercise was to provide our client with first-hand information about these companies’ procurement strategy. The survey was entirely executed from CRU’s Santiago office by a team of Spanish speaking consultants. Leveraging on its extensive network of contacts in the region, CRU successfully surveyed the majority of the key players in the selected countries and obtained very valuable information in terms of procurement strategies, product specifications, annual consumption and existing suppliers.
Outcome
The client was delighted with the findings of the study – particularly with the detailed profiling of prospective customers.
