EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The aim of this project was to identify and analyze new application fields for ams' near infrared sensor. The company ams was founded 40 years ago in Premstätten near Graz and still has its headquarter there. Ams is a global company with more than 10,000 employees, 22 design centers and 3 manufacturing locations, specialized in the manufacturing of sensor and sensor solutions and the production of semiconductors.

Objective

The overall objectives of the research project were the identification of core benefits of the technology and the search and analysis of possible fields of application. After these fields had been identified, a preparation as well as a recommendation of a commercialization strategy for the most promising field of application was conducted. As ams is a globally acting company, the requirement was to find a global application area for the technology as well as a market with high potential.

Method

The project is based on the "Technological Competence Leveraging Method" by Keinz & Prügel (2010). This method consists of four major phases.

The first phase focused on identifying the core benefits of the technology from the perspective of current or potential users. During this phase, interviews with users and experts were conducted in order to receive information on the most important benefits.   

The second phase was committed to the search of possible fields of application. Focusing on the identified core benefits, first ideas for the application of the sensor were generated by brainstorming and secondary research. Then, by using pyramiding and broadcasting techniques, potential users and experts have been found and interviewed in order to identify additional potential fields of application. In total 49 possible fields of application from a broad range of industries were identified.

In phase three the attractiveness of the identified application fields was elaborated, according to the strategic fit and the benefit relevance of each field. Based on this analysis, the project partner chose the most interesting fields, which then were analyzed in more detail.

In the fourth and last phase a commercialization strategy was given, based on the information gathered during the previous phases. In order to build the business strategy recommended to ams, the Business Model Canvas framework was used.

Results

In consultation with the project partner three different application fields were chosen, namely content analysis of grapes for wines, analysis of composition of oil and waste separation concerning plastic products.

In the field content analysis of grapes for wines the sensor could be used to measure different parameters of wine during the fermentation process in wine cellars. As a result, wine producers would be able to adjust parameters in order to optimize taste and shelf life.

For the analysis of composition of oil, the sensor is needed to control the quality of culinary and cooking oil as well as to detect the purity. Consequently, end consumers and restaurants would be able to choose oil based on a compound analysis, rather than trusting the label.

The field waste separation concerning plastic products includes different subcategories such as identifying dangerous plastic components and separating different plastic types by end consumers.

For these application fields an overall recommendation was given, based on the in-depth analysis. 

Cooperation Partner

• ams AG
  Tobelbader Straße 30
  8141 Premstaetten
  Austria

Contact Person

• Dipl.-Ing. Johannes Fellner
  johannes.fellner@ams.com

Student team

• Davide Guzzardi

• Sophie Graf Kottulinsky

• Pia Kühhas

• Julia Ratzenböck

• Sophie Schönhart

Project supervisor

• Assoz. Prof. Dr. Peter Keinz