INDUSTRIES
FEV Consulting helps chemicals and materials companies move from material-driven innovation to application-driven growth. We identify where new materials create measurable customer value, validate technical and economic feasibility, and support the transition from R&D ideas to scalable commercialization.
Japanese market activities are supported through Beyond Materials, FEV Consulting’s joint venture with Mitsubishi Corporation.
Most material innovations do not fail because of chemistry or material performance. They fail because the connection between the material, the application, and the customer is established too late. Many chemicals and materials companies often lack visibility into future system requirements, emerging technologies, and changing customer needs. As a result, innovations remain disconnected from real use cases and struggle to reach market adoption. At the same time, many companies remain anchored in commoditized markets while missing access to high-margin applications. Without validated links between materials, applications, and customers, strategic decisions remain uncertain and growth potential is not captured.
Furthermore, even successful innovations often provide only temporary advantages, as competitors can quickly catch up and erode profitability when technical differentiation is not supported by a sustainable business model.
The challenge is therefore no longer developing better materials alone. It is identifying where those materials create the greatest customer value, validating that opportunity before large-scale investments are made, and capturing value through sustainable commercialization and business models.
FEV Consulting follows a structured, engineering-driven approach to translate material capabilities into validated applications and commercially viable business opportunities. By combining strategic insight with engineering validation, we ensure that material innovations are directly linked to real market needs and customer demand.
FEV Consulting analyzes emerging technologies, system architectures, and value chains to identify where materials can create value. This includes assessing OEM requirements, component-level functions, and future trends across industries such as battery materials, electronics, robotics, and circularity.
FEV Consulting translates system-level insights into concrete applications by mapping material properties to use cases, identifying opportunity fields, and structuring prioritized application portfolios.
FEV Consulting validates applications through simulation, benchmarking, and targeted testing. Technical feasibility is complemented by voice-of-the-customer insights to ensure alignment with real requirements.
FEV Consulting develops scenario-based business cases, including cost, CO₂ footprint, profitability and value-capture assessments, enabling fact-based decision making.
FEV Consulting supports market entry by identifying target customers, validating use cases, and enabling direct engagement to ensure commercial viability.
FEV Consulting supports chemicals and materials companies across strategy, validation, commercialization, and growth initiatives. Our experience spans material scouting, application development, engineering validation, business case creation, and market entry support across multiple industries.
A specialty materials supplier sought to identify attractive applications for a novel polymer manufacturing technology. FEV Consulting identified 43 potential applications, prioritized 11 high-value opportunities, and derived 29 functional and material specifications based on future industry requirements and emerging design trends. Using an engineering-driven approach, we conducted 18 simulation runs to validate technical feasibility and optimize the application concept. The final design achieved a potential 66% reduction in weight, 70% lower costs, and 90% lower CO₂ emissions compared with conventional component architectures. To accelerate commercialization, FEV Consulting identified and engaged nine target customers, creating a direct link between material innovation, validated applications, and market demand.
A global materials company sought to identify where future material innovations could create the greatest value in rapidly evolving application areas such as e-motors, electronics, sensors, high-voltage power electronics, and thermal management. FEV Consulting translated emerging technology requirements into a structured innovation portfolio by analyzing future market demands, technology developments, and industry pain points. The project identified 4 strategic R&D opportunity fields, generated 50 innovation themes, and developed 112 potential material and component solutions. A structured screening process narrowed these opportunities to 25 high-potential concepts and a final shortlist of 15 strategically relevant opportunities. The resulting roadmap enabled the client to focus future R&D investments on the most promising opportunity areas and establish a clearer path from innovation to commercial value creation.
An advanced materials company wanted to understand how innovative adhesive technologies could improve circularity, dismantling efficiency, and economic performance within future electric drive systems. FEV Consulting evaluated the impact of debonding-on-demand adhesive technologies through a combination of engineering, circularity, and business analyses. The project assessed dismantling processes, recycling economics, material recovery potential, and overall profitability across different product scenarios. The assessment demonstrated that component-level dismantling could increase profitability by more than 20%, while targeted adhesive innovations improved profitability by more than 40%, providing a clear business case for further technology development and commercialization.
A battery materials innovator sought to commercialize a new production process for high-nickel cathode active materials while preparing for industrial scale-up and future licensing opportunities. FEV Consulting evaluated the commercialization potential of the CALISMAT process, which demonstrated approximately 36% lower CO₂ emissions than conventional production approaches at comparable costs. The project combined market validation, customer screening, coating assessments, coin-cell testing, and commercialization planning to support the transition from technology development to market adoption. The resulting strategy enabled the client to validate customer demand, prepare industrialization activities, and establish a licensing model with European partners, creating a structured pathway toward commercial growth.
A materials supplier wanted to understand how emerging humanoid robotics markets could create future demand for advanced materials and components. FEV Consulting analyzed technology roadmaps, OEM requirements, application architectures, and material demand across the rapidly developing robotics ecosystem. The project included the mapping of 80+ global humanoid robotics OEMs, detailed assessments of 15 European robotics companies, and 3 in-depth OEM evaluations to identify future material requirements and commercialization opportunities. The analysis enabled the client to prioritize high-potential application areas, identify relevant customers, and define growth opportunities aligned with future robotics market developments.
The average lifespan of leading companies has fallen from more than 60 years to less than 20 years. Many material innovations create technical differentiation, but few create lasting profitability. As product life cycles become shorter and competitive catch-up accelerates, the key question is no longer 'How do we innovate?' but 'How do we monetize and sustain that innovation over time?' In today's world, innovation creates value, but business models determine who captures it.
The most attractive growth opportunities are driven by electrification, circular economy, advanced electronics, and emerging industries such as humanoid robotics. High-growth applications include battery materials, thermal management solutions, power electronics, lightweight structures, advanced adhesives, and recycling-enabled materials.
At FEV Consulting, we help materials companies identify where these trends create the highest value. We analyze future system requirements, OEM roadmaps, technology trends, and customer pain points to identify application fields where material innovation can deliver measurable improvements in cost, performance, sustainability, or manufacturability. Recent projects have included battery materials, circular economy concepts, e-motors, electronics, and humanoid robotics.
The right R&D priorities emerge where market demand, future technology requirements, and material capabilities intersect. Successful innovation strategies focus on applications with clear customer needs and commercial potential rather than technology development alone.
FEV Consulting supports clients by translating future industry requirements into structured innovation portfolios. We assess technology trends, derive functional requirements, identify application opportunities, and prioritize investments based on technical feasibility and business impact. In one of our projects, this approach generated 4 prioritized R&D opportunity areas, 50 innovation themes, and 112 potential material and component solutions that were systematically reduced to a shortlist of the most promising investments.
Circular concepts improve value creation through reuse, dismantling, and recycling, but require combined assessment of material properties and system-level design. However, profitability depends on both material properties and the system architecture in which the material is used.
FEV Consulting evaluates circular business opportunities from both an engineering and business perspective. We quantify recycling economics, dismantling feasibility, CO₂ impact, material recovery potential, and overall profitability. In one of our projects, we demonstrated that improved dismantling strategies could increase profitability by more than 20%, while targeted material innovations further increased profitability by more than 40%.
Commercialization requires validated cost and CO₂ positioning, clear target applications, and early customer validation through testing and engagement.
FEV Consulting supports the entire commercialization journey, from identifying target applications and validating technical feasibility through simulation and testing to developing business cases and engaging potential customers. Our work includes market entry strategies, customer screening, Voice-of-Customer programs, and commercialization roadmaps that reduce uncertainty before large-scale investment decisions are made.
Material validation requires proving that a material performs reliably under real-world operating conditions and delivers customer-relevant benefits at the system level.
FEV Consulting combines simulation, benchmarking, testing, and co-engineering to validate material performance in specific applications. Rather than evaluating material properties in isolation, we assess integration into components and systems. For example, one of our simulation-driven application studies demonstrated a component concept that reduced weight by 66%, cost by 70%, and CO₂ impact by 90% compared with conventional solutions.
Market intelligence provides transparency on applications, competitors, and customer requirements, supporting fact-based investment and strategy decisions.
At FEV Consulting, market intelligence goes beyond collecting information. We connect market developments directly to engineering requirements and material opportunities. Our analyses combine technology scouting, value-chain assessments, OEM and supplier insights, and customer validation to identify where future demand is likely to emerge and how materials companies can position themselves to capture it.
Entering new markets requires mapping application requirements, identifying target customers, and translating these into tailored material solutions.
FEV Consulting helps companies build structured market-entry strategies by analyzing OEM ecosystems, technology trends, component architectures, and material demand. In humanoid robotics, for example, we have mapped more than 80 global OEMs, analyzed 15 European robotics players, and conducted detailed OEM assessments to identify future material opportunities, target customers, and commercialization pathways.
Most consulting firms provide strategy and most engineering companies focus on technical development. FEV Consulting uniquely combines both perspectives to connect material innovation with measurable business outcomes.
Our teams bring together strategy consultants, materials specialists, and engineering experts who work across the entire value chain, from material development and system requirements to simulation, validation, and commercialization. This allows us to not only identify opportunities, but also prove technical feasibility, quantify business impact, and support market implementation, creating a direct link between material innovation and commercial success.
Director at FEV Consulting & President at Beyond Materials and Expert in Chemicals & Materials
Director at FEV Consulting & Vice President at Beyond Materials and Expert in Chemicals & Materials
