FT-IR spectroscopy technology, market evolution and future strategies of Bruker Optics Inc.

Abstract

This thesis explores the technology and market evolution of FT-IR spectroscopy over its nearly forty year history to aid in determining future product design and marketing strategies for an industry-leading firm, Bruker Optics. As a benchmark, a universal performance metric was developed that combined key specifications applicable to all FT-IR spectrometers. By researching a selected set of Bruker Optics' spectrometer systems, this performance benchmark was calculated along with each instrument's weight, volume, power consumption, and cost. The universal performance curve displayed an exponential increase from 1974 to 1988, but the rate of improvement has since decreased dramatically to incremental increase in the last twenty years. Using Design Structure Matrix analysis, the architectural trends of the same instruments were traced to discern the impact an instrument's overall design had on its performance. This analysis resulted in no definitive correlations between a spectrometer's performance and its architecture. Rather the overall instrument performance increases were attributable to individual component performance increases. However, with respect to volume, power consumption, and cost, there were clear correlations to instrument architecture. While spectrometer weight was fairly consistent over the years, decreasing instrument volume coincided with decreasing part count. Likewise, power consumption decreases over the past twenty years corresponded with decreasing energy and informational links within each instrument's architecture. The most striking correlation was the nearly perfect linear relationship between decreasing cost and decreasing instrument matter/spatial link count. Over the past fifteen years, incremental performance increase coupled with exponentially decreasing cost has resulted in FT-IR spectrometers becoming more and more commoditized. Consumers expect high performance at low cost which jeopardizes future profitability and growth for companies in the increasingly competitive FT-IR market. Bruker Optics must look to capture greater market share in segments outside of the research segment it currently dominates. By shifting from their historically product-oriented culture to a more market-oriented one, and by specifically targeting the near Infrared scanner segment, Bruker Optics will be primed for future success.