their sidewalks that melts ice and snow during the winter months. This amazing technology puts Koetter in a field of their own, giving their competitors a run for their money, but the alarming thing is, they are very open about how they are so efficient. They share the entire process with the public, therefore, being readily available to their competitors as well. According to theory, the performance of a company within a market is directly related to the possession of key assets and skills. Therefore, an analysis of strong performers should reveal the causes behind such a successful track record. This analysis, in conjunction with an examination of unsuccessful companies and the reasons behind their failure, should provide a good idea of just what key assets and skills are needed to be successful within a given industry and market segment. Koetter Woodworking took the first step in identifying their distinctive competencies by doing a competitor analysis to identify the current and potential competition. To my understanding, they could have done this two ways, the first being that they looked at the market from the customer’s viewpoint and grouped their competitors by the degree to which they contend for the buyer’s dollar. The second method is to group competitors according their various competitive strategies so they could understand what motivates them. Once they grouped their competitors, they could analyze their strategies and identify the areas where they are most vulnerable. This could have been done through and examination of their competitor’s strengths and weaknesses, which are usually based on the presence and absence of key assets and skills needed to compete in the market. Koetter Woodworking found their distinct advantage while managing to be environmentally sound, leaving competitors behind.Since Koetter Woodworking is a family owned and operated business, I would speculate the earning of ren...
