Opportunity assessment in the Indian utilities metering market

The client, a global service provider of consumption-based billing meters, was looking to enter the Indian market. The company was particularly interested in the urban electricity, water and piped-gas markets and wanted to ascertain:

• The current status and future potential of utilities metering in Tier I cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai
• Macroeconomic factors influencing the market such as government regulations, energy prices and consumption patterns

Appropriate approaches for different types of information

The utilities metering market is a tricky one to evaluate as:

• Utilities come under the jurisdiction of the States in India. Therefore there are multiple authorities and legislations across the country. The ValueNotes team conducted many face-to-face and in-person interviews with government officials in the various states and also filed applications under the “Right to Information Act” to get the latest and most relevant information on the market.
• Electricity, water and gas sectors have very different levels of maturity, legislations, and documentation across different States. A variety of approaches needed to suit each sector in each State were required.
• Secondary information on the water market was very limited. To supplement the lack of documented information in this sector, ValueNotes conducted field interviews with government officials, municipalities and public sector organizations.
• Piped gas industry was at a very nascent stage. The ValueNotes team attended industry conferences and spoke with several industry experts to understand the emerging trends in this nascent sector.

Comprehensive analysis = Clear understanding of opportunity in the utilities market

The exceptional primary and desk research done by ValueNotes provided:

– A lucid overview of the opportunity in each sector

– Potential private and public sector players the client could partner with

– Actionable recommendations and market entry strategy

Based on the research done by ValueNotes, the German meter manufacturer was able to get a clear understanding of the market. ValueNotes set up appointments with key government officials for the German manufacturer and they are currently in talks with a major Indian water company for a possible joint venture.