Industry overview
What is shaping semiconductor
The semiconductor and electronics manufacturing ecosystem is expanding, bringing new fabs, design centres and suppliers. Talent, supplier readiness and policy support decide its pace.
- New manufacturing capacity needs a local supplier base
- Design and fab talent is in high demand
- Policy incentives shape investment decisions
Client background
A semiconductor design services company, working in Buyers in the USA, Germany, Japan & Taiwan. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A semiconductor design services company
- Sector
- Semiconductor
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Business panel, Qualitative research, B2B digital marketing
Client challenge
The company competed with many design service firms for verification and physical design projects. Its win rate on new accounts was low, and it struggled to explain its strengths.
Research objectives
- Answer the core question: how global chip companies choose design service partners.
- Uncover the motivations and barriers people do not state in a survey.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 8 weeks.
Target audience
Scope: 25 interviews.
Audiences we typically reach in semiconductor
Design and manufacturing companiesComponent suppliersEngineers and studentsB2B buyersIndustry bodies
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Buyers in the USA, Germany, Japan & Taiwan. Markets: United States, Germany, Japan and Taiwan.
- United States
- Germany
- Japan
- Taiwan
Research methodology
A qualitative design, built to uncover motivations, decision processes and the language people actually use.
- 1Brief
- 2Interviews with engineering directors
- 3Competitive positioning review
- 4Insight
We interviewed engineering directors and procurement leads at semiconductor companies about how they selected design partners, what made engagements succeed and how firms differentiated themselves. We also reviewed competitors’ positioning. Interviews included lost prospects as well as current clients, which revealed concerns that existing clients had never raised.
Business panelQualitative researchB2B digital marketing
Sampling strategy
- Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
- Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- interviews
- 25
- The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
- Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Data quality & validation
- Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
- Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
- Review of open-ended answers
- Recordings and transcripts for every session
- Re-screening of qualitative recruits
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
- Journey and decision mapping
Key findings
- Buyers valued domain-specific experience, team continuity and transparent progress reporting over hourly rates.
- New-account proposals began including domain case studies and progress-reporting samples, and the sales team reported more productive early conversations.
Buyers bought confidence in delivery, not just engineering capacity.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: buyers bought confidence in delivery, not just engineering capacity.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: buyers valued domain-specific experience, team continuity and transparent progress reporting over hourly rates.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The company repositioned around specific domains, introduced team-continuity commitments and redesigned its website and case materials accordingly.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Interview summaries and key verbatims
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: how effective are policy incentives?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.