This project identified strategic business opportunities for OeKB by analyzing Austria’s industrial landscape, global trends, and internal processes. The industry analysis highlighted Austria’s focus on manufacturing and trade, mapped current trade partners, and identified eleven high-potential future markets. Trend analysis revealed four key developments—AI, sustainability, supply chain resilience, and defense—with electricity emerging as a strategic focus for import substitution through renewable energy, grid modernization, and storage investments. Internal analysis proposed a unified digital platform to enhance client services, featuring digital signatures, automated applications, and improved event features. Together, these insights offer OeKB actionable strategies to support Austria’s economic transition and improve operational efficiency.

Goal

This project aims to identify business opportunities for OeKB by analyzing Austria’s industrial landscape, identifying key trends and analyzing best practices. By dividing the project into three main pillars, we covered various aspects and explored several opportunities. Those are the industry analysis, trend analysis and internal process analysis.

Methodology

The industry analysis used data from sources like WKO and the World Bank to map Austria’s current trade partners and industrial landscape. By combining this with future export demand projections and evaluating countries based on GDP growth, export alignment, and megatrends, we identified the most promising markets for future Austrian exports.

The trend analysis identified four key megatrends relevant to Austrian industry and OeKB’s strategy, using data from media, academia, and industry reports. A parallel assessment of critical raw materials highlighted electricity as a top strategic priority, leading to concrete recommendations for OeKB in areas such as renewable energy, grid modernization, and storage solutions. 

The internal process analysis was carried out by a market screening through a best practice analysis, which was based on secondary research focusing on scientific papers, company websites and articles and one expert interview. This was followed by a competitor analysis, which investigated other ECAs and the creation of a mock-up to visualize the most important ideas of the analysis.

Results

The project began with an industry analysis that identified Austria’s 300 leading companies and emphasized the country’s focus on manufacturing and trade. Trade data was mapped in detail, leading to the identification of 11 promising future partner countries and four key sources for future imports. The trend analysis then highlighted four major developments—AI, sustainability, supply chain resilience, and defense—along with electricity as a strategic import to replace, given Austria’s renewable potential. Based on this, strategic roles for OeKB were defined, including financing renewables, grid upgrades, and energy storage. Finally, a best practice and competitor analysis informed the design of a unified digital platform for OeKB, proposing key features such as digital signatures, automated applications, and enhanced event functions, visualized through a portal mock-up.

Cooperation Partner

• Österreichische Kontrollbank AG (OeKB)
  Strauchgasse 3, 1010 Vienna
  Austria
  www.oekb.at

Contact Person

• Erwin Marchhart - erwin.marchhart@oekb.at

Student Team

• Peter Fahrngruber

• David Gahleitner

• Tobias Jauschowetz

• Ferdinand Mayer

• Markus Pferschy

• Laura Truppe

Project Manager

• Caroline Fabian

• Melina Mazzucato