Atlas company overview and market analysis

book of maps go with overview and mercenaryize analysis telamon Sri Lankas favorite letter paper brand is the brainchild of Ceylon create verballycil. Co. (Pvt.) Ltd. Established in 1959 it has grown from strength to strength and has successfully gained the majority mart distribute in school, corporate and home stati unmatchedry crossways. Today the union is the No. 1 manufacturer of ballpoint pens and exercise books. map collection stands not only for quality besides in both case for innovation. They have manufactured all their proceedss using cutting butt technology, adding sophistry and efficiency to the stati integrityry fruits. map collection mathematical growths atomic number 18 guaranteed to give an enhanced experience and broad(prenominal) value for money.HISTORYThe Comp any(prenominal) started out by producing its maiden harvest-feast the varsity Pencil, today it manufactures over 300 stationery convergences and is proud to be the only stationery brand a vailable all over Sri-Lanka. book of maps has even tapped into international markets by forming strategic partnerships with book of maps draw union UK. During the 80s and the 90s atlas vertebra brought intimately fruitful change by establishing map collection Plastics (Pvt.) Ltd. and Care Products (Pvt.) Ltd. ( the causation dedicated to the production of adhesive tapes and strapping tapes, the latter for personal care and cleaning items.)Vision, Mission ValuesEvery organization has a main accusive or goal, which go off to a fault be termed as its end product. All these are merged into a corporate vision and mission. That of book of maps is given beneathATLAS VISION STATEMENTOur vision is to be the virtually preferred brand for office and school products in south Asia.The vision is simple but strong. It shows that before declaring world domination book of maps would need to take small steps and first try to conquer the South Asian market. The vision of atlas isnt farf etched, one day in the near future Atlas would be able to fulfill its vision, if it grows in its steady pace.CORPORATE VALUESWe at Atlas firmly believe in upholding high moral values and in being an ethical corporate citizen. In doing, so we continuously inculcate high values in our usageforce and strive constantly to give them sufficient independence to aim their imagination and creativity.The above given values of Atlas clear states, that it cares not only about fine-looking high quality goods to its customers. But it also focuses on protecting and helping its staff grow and become split employees.The main objective of the Company is to provide quality goods at a reasonable price to its customers while successfully facing competition. To achieve this the company uses technologically advanced means of production and also uses high quality raw-materials, because of all of these steps the company was awarded with ISO 90012000 certification for its stationery items manufacture u nder the Atlas handicraft name and numerous other(a) social awards like the community loss leader award.Product PortfolioAlong with its subsidiaries Atlas has a wide-eyed range of 300 products including stationery items, plastic (tape) and Care products. These products are icons of quality and are apply by numerous students and corporate bodies around Sri Lanka. The product portfolio/line of Atlas company is state belowFigure 1 Product portfolio of Atlas (Authors twist, rig on information receives from SO) market PhilosophyMarketing philosophy or marketing apprehension used by the company should be clearly identified. With the growing importance of society organizations were enforced to act as good corporate citizens. then businesses were do to realize the importance of being socially responsible.That is why Atlas has chosen the Societal Marketing Philosophy, under this philosophy marketing decisions have to be do balancing 3 criteria- Consumer needs and lacks Societ ies interests Profit maximization through customer satisfaction for Company welfareFigure 2 (lecture notes)As a forget of choosing this marketing philosophy Atlas has achieved more than awards such asCeylon Pencil Company (Pvt) Ltd. was awarded with ISO 90012000 certifications for its stationery items manufacture under the Atlas trade name. This proves that Atlas caters to consumer needs by providing quality products.The Community Leader Award from the Chartered Institute of Sri Lanka was awarded to Ceylon Pencil Company (Pvt.) Ltd., for Corporate Social Responsibility activities for the contribution made to fostering sector.Ceylon Pencil Company (Pvt.) Ltd. received a Merit award for 5S standard by competing with Jastica Society.Market SummaryThe Ceylon pencil company (pvt) Ltd is the leading stationary manufacturer in Sri Lanka with a wider range of products with the brand of Atlas.The stationary market in Sri Lanka is an Oligopoly Market with few manufacturers pass very simi lar products. The competitors of Atlas are Richard Veny, Weerodara, Reynolds, Cross, Parker and Pilot.Atlas stationeries mainly focus the customers that school students, and office workers. Customers in stationary market mostly prefer the products that convenient, attractive, affordable, creative and innovative.Introducing this product can lead to trend because Atlas Wiz Maker result attract younger customers due to,ConveniencesAttractivenessInnovativenessIt is also being noted that younger customers have an attitude of wanting products which includes above criterias.SWOT ANALYSISSWOT analysis for Atlas Wiz producer.StrengthsBrand loyalty of customersAtlas is a well known brand which has been operate in the Sri Lankan market for more than 50 years. Therefore even though its a new product customers leave alone purchase it because of the confidence they have about the brand.QualityAtlas products are known to be of good quality. This will attract customers to purchase this product .Larger market shareAtlas is the market leader in the stationary sector therefore it could be a challenge for their competitors to grab that market share from them.Convenience, attractiveness and innovativeness.Atlas friend shaper is a convenient, attractive product using innovative technology, because of the fact that it has a pen , pencil , highlighter and eraser all in one its a convenient product. Also the fact that it comes in a variety of colors makes it attractive to both school children and university students alike.WeaknessesLimited Product assortmentThe Atlas stationery company is lacking variation in products. The products that Atlas has brought out at present are similar to their competitors, it doesnt draw you away from geting the products which are chaped by other competitorsOpportunitiesBecause of the busy life style of passel they look for convenience. There for coming up with this product will bring opportunities to Atlas since this products main advantage is co nvenience.Improve TechnologyAtlas company has late formed a partnership with Atlas stationeries UK, this partnership allows them to use new technology to produce the best quality products.Export possibilitiesThe recent partnership that Atlas has formed with Atlas stationeries UK, has allowed it to tap into the foreign markets like that in South Asia, UK, US etc because of its ability to provide high quality products at reasonable prices.ThreatsSubstitutes another(prenominal) competitors might come up with a similar product. Also companies like bic and cross have invented stationeries with pen, pencil and stylus.ImportersThe Sri-Lankan market is slowly being flooded by imported stationeries, who are slowly capturing the Sri- Lankan market share.Competition for the Atlas Wiz makerCompetition could be known as a contest surrounded by two companies, item-by-items, countries etc in order to perform better than its competitors by providing a product or service which will lead to more market share and long term profits.Substitute products There are many substitutes for this product in the market as well as many brands. By the m of the new arrival of the Wiz maker many other established brands such as Weerodara, Richards and Reynolds will come up with a counter product. And also there is a higher possibility of strong competitors being active in the market. When looking at the stationary market there are a few competitors to Atlas who areRadiantPilotRotomacWeerodaraParkerAmong them the direct competitors of Atlas would beRotomacPilotParkerBarriers to entry into stationary market There are many barriers to entry in this market. These barriers are not common to all companies because of structure, financial strengths etc. Because of high initial investment needed to produce stationary items many companies will avoid coming into the market. Technology of the firms will have to be high tech and updated at all times. For this to proceed much salute will be incurred. T hus many companies will not be able to afford this Many of these stationary items require standards to be met (e.g.-ISO 9001, ISO 14001).For these standards to be checked a payment in different steps must be through. Advertising to promote a product such as the Wiz maker can only be done with a budget which Atlas or a large rival company possess. Different customers have different discernments. near might find Atlas unique and easy to use but some might prefer other brands. Thus customer loyalty and preference will be a hard factor to fight against for new companies.Market structure of the stationary market By analyzing the stationary market in Sri Lanka it is clear to us that it is of Oligopoly nature. That is where there are only a few large firms in the market. Thus it is dominated by a few mutually beneficial firms. The Wiz maker will thus be competing with only a few items which will be able to substitute its features. MARKETING OBJECTIVESObjectives are construction blocks o f an organizations marketing plan. It states what a company wishes to achieve in the near future. What objectives a company would have will be determined after carrying out a comprehensive Environment analysis such as SWOT.INFLUENCES ON OBJECTIVESThe environment affects the organizations objectives. There are internal and external factors influencing an organizations objectives.Internal InfluencesCorporate culture- This refers to the values of the company as a whole. The company values of Atlas is to be an ethical corporate citizen and tries to inculcate high values in their workforce by giving them sufficient independence.Staff Aspirations- It differs from department to department and team to team. Atlas wishes to give its staff sufficient independence so that they can grow as an individual and increase satisfaction in the labor force. All this ensures that the workers contribute to the maximum to produce high quality goods.Resource constraint- In the beginning Atlas used to import its raw material, but now in order to help the local market the raw materials used by Atlas comes from Sri-Lanka itself. Atlas has also formed a partnership with Atlas stationery UK which helps them get a hold of modern technology which helps Atlas produce quality products at minimum cost.External InfluencesCustomer/ Market- Atlas stationeries focuses on serving to three main categories in the market- school children, graduates or university students and office worker. Atlas is the only stationery company in Sri-Lanka which has an island wide market.Economies- Atlas has been recognized as a company which provides high quality products at really affordable prices. Thus it has a wide scope in the market.Competitors- Being the only stationery company which is interchange island wide Atlas has only a handful a competitors like weerodar, pilot, bic which dont calculate to be a threat to Atlass market reach.CORPORATE OBJECTIVEThe corporate objectives of a company includes, trying to a chieve maximum profitability and market share. Atlas plans on achieving maximum profitability by providing maximum satisfaction to its consumers by using innovative technology to manufacturer high quality good at minimum cost. Atlas can increase its market share by catering to the nees of its consumers by providing quality products at reasonable prices.SMART MARKETING OBJECTIVESA smart marketing objective should beSpecificMeasurableAchievableRealisticTime boundBased on the above factors its safe to model that Atlas plans to achieve the power of branding i.e. Atlas strives to provide high quality goods. So it wants to build a good brand name with its consumer. segmentationThis is dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers with different needs, characteristics, or behavior who might require separate products, services or marketing mixes.In order for market segmentation to be useful they should be measurable, accessible, substantial, differentiable and actionable.Bases in consum er segmentation for Atlas Wiz maker.Geographic segmentationThis shows how you divide the market into different geographic segments. Such as countries, cities etc. Atlas focuses on urban areas.Demographic segmentationThis includes dividing the market into different demographic segments such as age group, grammatical gender etc. Atlas focuses mostly on the younger generation.Psychographic segmentationThis is dividing the market into different groups based on social class, life style etc. Atlas mainly focuses on the middle classBehavioral segmentationThis is when u divide the market into groups based on attitudes of the consumer , use of the product etc. Atlas mainly caters to the needs of younger students.TargetingThe process which evaluates the segments attractiveness and selecting segments to offer their products is called targeting. In this step companies have to decide what is the most suitable segment to achieve their objectives. Its based on the result of ranking the segments.Th e target market which a set of buyers with common needs and characteristics that company decides to serve is selected by evaluating the followings.Market Attractivenessmilitant FactorsCompany objectives and resourcesEvaluating the segmentsSegments of EvaluationSchool StudentsUniversity StudentsOffice workersProfessionalsMarket AttractivenessSize of the groupGrowth rate mellowedAverageHighRelatively utterAverageLowVery LowVery LowCompetitive FactorsLevel of competitionCompetitorsHigh percentage of competitionReynolds,Richard VenyAverage percentage of competitionRenoldRichard VenyParkerAverage percentage of competitionRenoldBicCrossPilotHigh percentage of competitionParkerPilotBicCrossCompany Objectives and resourcesContribution to market shareHigh contributionRelatively high contributionAverage contributionLow contributionRank1234Source Authors WorkPositioningAtlas Wizmaker is the new product. It stands not only for quality but also for innovation. Wiz maker product is a different positioning product .That means it competes for a smaller and less competitive market to locate a brand.wizmaker product checkPositioning strategy focuses on, this products differentiation strategy.This new product is unique and will be profitable (for the market).And it also has other distinctive criterias that will differentiate it from the many other products.Points of differentiationMust be eventful and valued by your customers (for example, being marketed as an economical product in a give you an enhanced experience and high value for money)Positioning your product needs to be focused on deliveringA valued and distinctive product to a specific market and delivering in a way that customers repeat (thats the hearts and minds part of the equation).This Atlas Wiz pen Good product positioning will make it easy for intended customers to define why they want to buy the product (they will see the unique benefits).Market leader (first in)This Wiz pen being challenged by market follow ers, focus the marketing mental object to reinforce this pen is the first (the real thing, rather than the imitation).Wiz pen positioning toConduct market segmentation.Define the target market.Identify the product attributes. regularize the products share of heart and mind. Being first in the market usually is a significant benefit in mindshare.Place your product in the skillful space (e.g. economy market low volume Quality etc.)Positioning MapDisplay the consumer perceptions of their brand versus the competing product on important buying dimensions.This Atlas wiz product we can show like thisPricePilot Atlas wizParkerH LHQualityL military position STATEMENTThe positioning statement of Atlas Company is Be creative and that of Atlas Wizmaker is Atlas wizmaker- Its All You Need.The reason that it says so is because it has all, the pen, pencil, highlighter and eraser together in one product.Marketing mixProductThe product which is being marketed is the Atlas wiz maker which is a stat ionary item which includes 4 main items important to any student, worker or employer. Several factors must be numbered when this product is being marketed.Product levelsSourceCore productThe core product is a stationary item that includes a pen, pencil, eraser, and a highlighter together.Basic productThis includes value for money, affordability and convenience.Expected productThe buyer expects a product which isAffordableHas value for money handyAugmented productA product with many features together.Potential productIndividual product decisionsSourceThe ProductThis is an item which includes different items in one body. Thus it will be more portable and affordable.This is a revolutionary idea which has not been developed in the Sri Lankan market. Due to that special quality the occupy will be much higher leading to greater profits.The body of the item has a simple cylinder shape which includes a detachable pencil head in one end.The other end of the cylinder consists of a ball poin t pen head which can be extended or withdrawn at will.The cylinder shape of the item is infused with an eraser which is mounted to the top of the device.It also has a highlighter included in it which comes in 3 colors which are pink, blue and purple to match the color of the pen.BrandingThis product is being manufactured by Atlas stationary limited (Pvt) therefore the brand of this produce will be Atlas.The company being a very well reputed brand in the Sri Lankan stationary market, people will be drawn to use the product because of low psychological fear created by strong brand image.PackingPackaging of this product is done with a plastic molding done on top of a cardboard structure (the structure is mainly a simple cylindrical shape).To be eye catching the product is packed in 3 different color schemes which are Blue, white and Pink. (This feature makes it stand out from the rest of the products packaging).LabelingThis product will have the name of the product which is Wiz maker written on the body of the product.Availability Atlas has made sure its product is readily available.This product can be found in any book shop or any communication outlet. This includes major supermarket chains as well.Forecasted Product life cycle for Atlas wiz makerSource Authors workPriceThe amount of money or the monetary value which is charged for a product can be specify as price. (Kotler 2006, p 307)Special characteristics of priceMost flexible element in marketing mixOnly element of marketing mix which retrovert revenue.Pricing a new product is the most challengeable decision which managers have to take. Because customers buying decisions mostly depend on the price of the product . Therefore taking a successful pricing decision is very important to the company.Factors, influence to priceInternal factorsCompany and marketing objectivesWith regard to Atlas company maximization long run profit, market share leadership and enhance the positive image of company and its product s are main company and marketing objectives.Marketing mix strategyWhen deciding the price of Wiz Maker it must be matched with its design, dispersion and procession.CostThe cost of the product Wiz Maker will be directly affected to its pricing decision. Costs are mainly divided as fixed cost and versatile cost. wiz makers fixed cost includes expenditures such as plant, equipment and executive salaries etc. Variable cost includes labor, material and other direct expenditures.External factorsThe nature of the marketAtles Company has oligopoly market with few manufactures/distributers.The nature of take aimThere is no direct competitor to wiz maker in existing market. Therefore the demand will be springless to a certain extent.Competitors cost, prices and offersCompany must consider the cost and prices of the stationeries in local market before setting the price.Customer expectationsCustomer expects convenience product in affordable fair price. Customer should be satisfied with th e price and the value on return.Other external environmental factorsCompany must consider external environmental factors such as government policies, changes in tax policies and existing economic conditions before setting the price.Pricing ProcessSource Authors workSelecting the pricing objectivesThe first step of pricing process is selecting an overall pricing goal for the company. Mainly the pricing objectives of Atlas company can be summarized as follows.Maximization long-run profitMaintain market shareEnhance positive image of company and its productsBe regarded as fair by customers. ascertain demandDemand is a relationship between two variables which price and quantity. The quantity which customers are willing to buy is depend on the price if other factors are equal. Further demand and price have negative relationship. The result is if price is increased the demand will be decreased. Also Wiz makers demand will mainly depend on price. There are different methods to estimate dem and of wiz maker.Conducting product experimentsBy asking customers that how many units they would buy at different proposed pricesEstimating costMainly the cost of a product can be divided into two categories as fixed cost and variable cost. With regard to Atlas wiz maker fixed cost includes cost of purchasing needed machineries, equipments and other indirect expenditures such as executive salaries. prepare labor cost and materials such as plastic, ink and rubber will be included in variable cost.Total cost per unitPenSpecial PencilHighlighterEraserTotal costSource Authors workAnalyzing competitors cost ,price and offersAtles market is a oligopoly market with few manufacturers. Further Atlas wiz maker is a innovative product. There is no same product to this malty task pen in stationery market.But customer will compare the prices of pens, pencils, erasers and highlighters in stationary market before buying wiz maker.Selecting the pricing strategyConsidering all the above findings and overall pricing objectives market penetration strategy is the most suitable strategy to Atlas Wiz maker. But because this is a innovative product companys main objectives are maximum long run profit, maintain market share and provide the products in fair prices.This policy stimulates growth of the market for the new product and allows a large market share to be more quickly obtained. ( Hisrich Peters,1991 p346)Selecting the final priceThe final step of pricing process is set the final price. After considering all the above facts Atlas Wis maker can be priced as follows.PenRs. 10.00Special PencilRs. 20.00HighlighterRs. 40.00EraserRs.5.00Final price of Wiz makerRs. 75.00PlacePlace is the physical space of or virtual location where the product will be made available at the market place for target consumer.(lecture note)Distributionuse to get the fling into the hands of the customer. These includeOn-premise Sales involves the sale of your whirl using a field sales organization th at visits the prospects facilities to make the sale.Direct Sales involves the sale of your offering using a direct, in-house sales organization that does all selling through the Internet, telephone or mail order contact.Wholesale Sales involves the sale of your offering using intermediaries or middle-men to distribute your product or service to the retailers.Self-service Retail Sales involves the sale of your offering using self service retail methods of distribution.Full-service Retail Sales involves the sale of your offering through a full service retail distribution demarcation.Of course, making a decision about pricing, promotion and distribution is heavily influenced by some key factors in the industry and marketplace. These factors should be analyzed initially to create the strategy and then regularly monitored for changes. If any of them change substantially the strategy should be reevaluatedConsumer Market Chanel (1Level)Distribution channelIs set of interdepended organizat ion involved in the process of making a product available for customerThe Nature of Distribution ChannelsMost businesses use third parties or intermediaries to bring their products to market. They try to forge a distribution channel which can be defined asAll the organizations through which a product must pass between its point of production and consumption wherefore does a business give the job of selling its products to intermediaries? After all, using intermediaries means giving up some control over how products are sold and who they are sold to.The answer lies in efficiency of distribution costs. Intermediaries are specialists in selling. They have the contacts, experience and scale of operation which means that greater sales can be achieved than if the producing business tried run a sales operation itself.Functions of a Distribution ChannelThe main function of a distribution channel is to provide a link between production and consumption. Organizations that form any particular distribution channel perform many key functions schoolingGathering and distributing market research and intelligence important for marketing planningPromotionDeveloping and spreading communications about offersContactFinding and communicating with prospective buyersMatchingAdjusting the offer to fit a buyers needs, including grading, assembling and packagingNegotiationReaching agreement on price and other terms of the offerPhysical distributionTransporting and storing goodsFinancingAcquiring and using funds to cover the costs of the distribution channelRisk takingAssuming some commercial risks by operating the channel (e.g. holding stock)All of the above functions need to be undertaken in any market. The question is who performs them and how many levels there need to be in the distribution channel in order to make it cost effective.Numbers of Distribution Channel LevelsEach layer of marketing intermediaries that performs some work in bringing the product to its final buyer is a ch annel level. The figure below shows some examples of channel levels for consumer marketing channelsSale points disc shops, Food Cities (Cagiels, Arpico, Keells)http//tutor2u.net/business/marketing/distribution_introduction.asp