Market-Driven Satellite Imagery Analytics Platform for Industrial Supply Chain Optimization

The client faces significant volatility in the steel supply chain, influenced by unpredictable demand patterns and erratic supply from international markets. Their initial product, a satellite imagery analytics platform aimed at supply-side monitoring, did not address core market needs, leading to inefficiencies and misaligned solutions. The challenge is to validate customer problems, refine the product offering, and develop a solution aligned with actual market demand to reduce operational uncertainty and improve strategic decision-making.

A manufacturing enterprise focused on steel processing and supply chain management, seeking advanced analytics to mitigate market volatility and improve demand forecasting.

• Validate which market segment has a genuine need for satellite-based demand and supply analytics.
• Identify and confirm the core problems faced by potential clients in the steel manufacturing and supply chain sector.
• Pivot the product focus from supply-side monitoring to demand-side prediction and market intelligence.
• Develop a prototype that addresses the verified customer problems with validated assumptions.
• Create a feedback framework for continuous market validation and hypothesis testing.
• Reduce development costs and time by avoiding product-market mismatches through early validation.

• Assumption Mapping tools to document and test core business hypotheses.
• Test Cards and Learning Cards functionalities for hypothesis validation and iterative learning.
• Remote workshops and collaboration interfaces for stakeholder engagement and market validation.
• Questionnaire and interview management system for conducting expert and customer research.
• Integrative dashboards for displaying satellite imagery analysis, market indicators, and predictive insights.
• Feedback loop mechanisms to continuously update hypotheses based on new data and market feedback.
• Secure data collection, storage, and analytics pipelines optimized for remote collaboration environment.

• Satellite imagery data providers for geospatial analysis.
• Market intelligence sources for demand and supply indicators.
• Expert and stakeholder communication channels (e.g., email, chat, interview scheduling systems).
• Data storage solutions ensuring compliance with security and privacy standards.

• Scalability to handle increasing volumes of satellite and market data.
• Performance ensuring real-time or near-real-time analysis and dashboard updates.
• Security and data privacy measures compliant with industry standards.
• High availability and reliability for continuous operational support.
• Usability optimized for remote collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

By validating customer needs and pivoting the product to demand-side market intelligence, the client aims to reduce operational costs and development efforts, increase product-market fit, and enhance strategic decision-making. Expected outcomes include improved demand forecasting accuracy, better market response strategies, and a significant reduction in misaligned product efforts—leading to increased customer satisfaction and investor confidence.