United Technologies Gathers Competitive Intelligence Essay Example

acquire companies with complementary technologies in line with its acquisition strategy.

In 1999, three significant acquisitions took place. Firstly, Hamilton Standard and Sundstrand came together, resulting in a significant expansion of UTC's aerospace systems activities and presence. Secondly, International Comfort Products contributed $750 million in residential product sales to Carrier's North American cooling and heating businesses. Lastly, LG Industrial Systems' elevator business brought in over $500 million in sales for Otis, mainly in Korea where LG dominates the elevator market.

For UTC to start researching a competitor, they gather as much information as they can from public sources like financial reports, website details, patents, market activity, and university partnerships. All of this information is then assessed by UTC's CI group to determine if the competitor's technology aligns with UTC's, if UTC could enhance the competitor's technology, and if the competitor is considered valuable. To get a comprehensive understanding, UTC also incorporates information from non-traditional sources.

The UTC staff may inquire a magazine writer about the company's information that was not included in the article, or they may reach out to potential CI sources at a trade association meeting. Additionally, UTC may conduct interviews with customers and suppliers of the company in question. The CI staff at UTC is required to follow strict legal and ethical guidelines when obtaining information. It is mandatory for them to always disclose their identity, organization, and the reason for seeking information. (Source: Course Technology - Classic Cases in Information Systems)