Diesel VS. Gas Gensets: What the market's saying and what brands need to know

Business Challenge:

Despite a growing portfolio, the client faced gaps in market intelligence concerning smaller genset segments (<750 kW diesel, <550 kW gas), especially across decentralized applications like healthcare, construction, and data centers. The goal was to collect decision-maker insights to better align product features, optimize distribution, and refine go-to-market strategies.

Approach and Research Methodology

The entire research was powered by Enterprise Decision Insights- our proprietary solution. We designed and deployed an integrated Awareness & Usage (A&U) study to capture knowledge levels, consideration sets, brand associations, and actual usage patterns among targeted professionals. We also conducted a customer segmentation analysis to classify buyers based on their motivations, organizational needs, and genset lifecycle behaviors.

Target Audience:

Key Findings 

1. Market Distribution & Preferences

• 52% of respondents indicated diesel gensets as primary use, particularly in industrial and construction sectors.
• Gas genset adoption was higher in Europe (41%), driven by emissions compliance and operational cost optimization.

2. Awareness & Brand Recall:

• Only 27% of respondents could recall more than 2 genset brands unprompted, signaling a fragmented awareness landscape.

3. Sector-wise Demand:

• Healthcare & Data Centers showed the highest demand for reliability and uptime guarantees

4. Customer Segments Identified:

• Pragmatists (42%): Cost-conscious, seeking high ROI and durability
• Innovators (21%): Interested in emissions compliance and digitization
• Reliability-Seekers (26%): Focused on service quality and operational backup
• Transactional Buyers (11%): Brand-neutral and purchase on urgency

5. Barriers to Adoption:

• Natural gas gensets face adoption hurdles in rural North America due to fuel availability concerns.
• Lack of integrated digital monitoring was noted as a pain point for facility managers.

Recommendations

Short-Term:

• Tailored Messaging: Develop sector-specific campaigns, especially highlighting TCO benefits and emissions compliance.
• Channel Strategy Realignment: Expand relationships with EPCs and contractors who influence >50% of purchase decisions.
• Improve Brand Recall: Launch brand awareness initiatives with visual brand assets, especially in European markets.

Long-Term:

• Product Innovation: Introduce hybrid gensets with integrated monitoring to tap into high-reliability sectors (e.g., data centers).
• Segment-Driven Customization: Design features and support packages that align with segments like Pragmatists and Innovators.
• Training Programs: Offer technical training for contractors to become certified service providers, increasing brand stickiness.

Short-Term Impact

• Identified high-opportunity zones in Southern US and Western Europe with unmet mid-sized genset demand
• Realigned the client’s distribution strategy, reducing lag time to supply by 18% in pilot regions
• Initiated targeted campaigns with EPCs and contractors, leading to a 10% increase in qualified leads within two months
• Improved brand recall by 22% post-campaign (tracked through follow-up A&U pulse checks)

The Way Forward

Jasper Colin’s integration of behavioral science via Executive Decision Insights delivered multidimensional customer understanding. As the client shifts focus toward sustainable and hybrid genset models, these foundational insights will guide product design, channel partnerships, and market positioning.

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