Square Holes ended 2024 by partnering with welding equipment and consumables B2B company Welding Industries Australia (WIA) on a project designed to understand their current market position according to their key distributors, stakeholders and end user customers. Square Holes were familiar with the business after partnering with WIA around 14 years ago on a similar project.
Through a holistic program that included in-depth interviews, focus groups, staff workshops and a survey – consultations were undertaken to tease out the pressure points unique to the industry and WIA, as well as the service areas they are excelling in.
Elena Capozzi, WIA’s Digital Marketing Manager says that it was important for the business to connect directly with its customers, as they are the “main priority”.
“Our goal is to support and work with them to ensure that they can succeed in this industry. However, we know that to do this we need to understand what they need and want from us,” said Capozzi.
“We had lots of ideas of what we could and should be doing but knowing what our customers need from us was imperative. Understanding this would allow us narrow down and focus on what’s going to have the most positive impact to them, our brand, and our business.”
Two key themes emerged from the project in terms of WIA’s unique position in the market – its positioning in the country as a legacy brand dedicated to welding education and technique, as well as the sanctity of the relationships with distributors – who they exclusively supply through.
“Our strength is our people; the trust we have built with our customers and the legacy we have created in the market. We do not sell direct to consumer, so our customers trust that we are there to build their business, not take it away,” said Capozzi.
Elena says that the research has helped the team to refine their focus moving forward.
“Further enhancing our technical ability, the legacy we have built and the trust we have within the industry is key moving forward. Better communicating this to the market could truly showcase us as market leaders in the welding industry.”
“We had an idea on what the results would indicate and what areas of the business we needed to work on, however the results from the project really solidified this for us. We now have an even better understanding on what they value the most from us. Because of this we can make better strategic decisions that will positively impact the way our customer do business with us.”
The brand grew in 2000 when Illinois Tool Works (ITW) came on board, and while this growth has helped WIA to gain a wider share of the market – when it comes to communication, customers are still wanting that personal touch the brand is known for.
Given digital advancements in communication, it was a revelation that was surprising to Elena and the team.
“A surprising finding was the feedback we received from both our distribution partners and end users that they both valued the same communication methods. In a highly and ever evolving digital world, dealing directly with our team whether it be our sales reps, customer support, or technical team was still very highly valued when it came to sourcing information about our products,” said Capozzi.
“It solidified that having a good technical team behind our business is key to our success.”
The main benefit of the research program was in helping WIA team to set their sights firmly on the future, backed by solid data and the perspectives of their customers and stakeholders. One such directive was around a greater investment into innovation – both in systems and products.
“The insight we received provided some clear direction on what the market calls for, not only for today but in the years to come. We now have a better understanding of what this is, which will allow us to act and focus on this moving forward,” said Capozzi.
“We need to continue to think ahead and do things differently.”
