Repositioning a process-control maker on retrofit fit and lifecycle cost
Plant buyers stopped shortlisting on controller specifications and started asking what a retrofit would disturb. A proof audit showed which claims the company could back, and the position was built on those.
- Challenge
A specification-led story while plant buyers shortlist on retrofit fit and lifecycle cost.
- Approach
Buyer research, a competitive review and a proof audit before choosing the position.
- Result
Sellers lead with retrofit fit and lifecycle cost, backed by reference plants.
The situation
Process-control makers often still sell on controller performance: speed, capacity and the newest platform. Their buyers have moved. Plants running ageing control systems want to modernise without rewiring the field or retraining operators, inside a planned shutdown, with spares and support costs known for the life of the asset. Competitors offering migration kits for the incumbent system win shortlists the company never sees, and sellers put the losses down to price.
The question that mattered
What do plant buyers now shortlist on, which of those claims can the company prove, and what position follows?
What we did
- 1
Research how plants now buy
Interview control and instrumentation engineers, maintenance heads and operations directors at water, chemicals and food plants on how they shortlist, what a retrofit must leave untouched and how they weigh lifecycle cost.
- 2
Map the competitive frame
Review how incumbent control vendors and integrators sell migration: wiring-compatible replacement kits, tools that convert existing control logic, and long-term support terms. Mark where none is credible.
- 3
Audit the proof
Run win/loss interviews on recent deals, list reference sites willing to host visits, and pull installed-base field data on cutover times and stoppages after migration. Keep only claims the evidence supports.
- 4
Choose and state the position
Test it with sellers and integrators, then write it plainly: the company modernises ageing plant controls inside a planned shutdown, on the wiring and operator screens the plant already has.
What we delivered
The evidence and working documents the team kept.
- Buyer research summary: shortlisting criteria by plant type and role
- Competitive map of migration offers and support terms
- Proof audit: win/loss findings, reference-site register and field performance summary
- Position statement and value proposition, with the evidence behind each claim
- Messaging framework for sellers and integrator partners
The outcome
Sellers
open with what the retrofit leaves untouched and how the cutover fits the shutdown
Reference plants
offered as site visits in live evaluations
Proposals
state spares and support terms alongside the purchase price
Unsupported claims
removed from datasheets and the website
Lost-deal reviews now check whether the buyer saw retrofit evidence and a reference plant before the shortlist closed.
What changed in the GTM motion
Product marketing keeps a proof register listing each claim, its evidence and the reference site behind it. New claims enter sales material only when the register shows proof, and quarterly win/loss interviews test whether the position still matches how plants shortlist.
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