Kaiser Associates

As Toy Fair gets underway, Kaiser is pleased to share our outlook on the US Toy Market in 2025. Dive into the full piece to read more on the 5 lenses below: https://bit.ly/41yZLlE. To learn more about Kaiser's Consumer & Retail expertise, connect with our experts Anna Nussbaum and Blake Ogle.

As AI development faces mounting power and hardware constraints, DeepSeek’s success highlights the potential of efficiency-driven models, reinforcing the value of decentralized training and smaller, use-case-specific architectures. This shift challenges traditional scaling and pushes chipmakers, AI developers, and enterprise software firms to innovate in hardware optimization, model efficiency, and AI-driven solutions. ? In a continuation of our Data Center and AI series, Kaiser explores how efficiency-driven AI is reshaping the competitive landscape and what it means for model design, infrastructure investment, and strategic decision-making. ? Get in touch with our Tech experts Azulina Green, Joe Kestel, and Rodger Heidgerken to learn more. #AI #AISolutions #TechnologyStrategy #MachineLearning #AIInnovation

We're excited to share that our Principal M. Camila Stefan has been selected as a speaker for the 2025 NAHB International Builders' Show (IBS) in Las Vegas! If you are in attendance, be sure to join her talk and connect with the rest of our Building and Construction Team – Ali Cumber and Stella Ho. Learn more about the conference and Camila’s presentation, Embrace the Outdoors: Top Trends Shaping the Future of Outdoor Living, here: https://bit.ly/41vDTXd

Why is the competitor's product cheaper? Today we take a look at fixed conversion after covering variable labor and conversion in the last series entry. Kaiser's total cost benchmarking engagements often find that fixed conversion costs are a frequently overlooked product cost component, with potential drivers including unrealized scale, redundancy, and depreciation. Keep an eye out for the next installment of the Total Cost Benchmarking series, where I will continue to explore the insights that can be generated by breaking down the cost drivers of competitor products including: raw materials, packaging, transportation, and distribution. For more information on our insights and expertise, contact myself, Ali Cumber, M. Camila Stefan, or Nikunj R. #consumergoods #cpg #industrialgoods #supplychain #manufacturing #strategy

I am sure many of you have seen the chart showing that US domestic manufacturing construction spend has seen a sharp rise due to CHIPS, IRA, and other legislation. With this legislation expected to continue under the current administration, it is important to note that not all sectors are growing equally – equipment, packaging, and consumables suppliers focused on manufacturing should keep a close eye on where manufacturing growth is happening to ensure they are capturing the upcoming opportunity. CHIPS and IRA boosted spending in semiconductors, electric batteries / EVs, and clean energy. The Computer / Electronic / Electrical and Transportation Equipment sectors were the primary beneficiaries when it came to manufacturing construction spend. However, Chemicals, Plastics/Rubbers, and more recently, Fabricated Metals were all downstream beneficiaries. The Food/Beverage/Tobacco and Nonmetallic Minerals sectors experienced stagnant to even negative growth in manufacturing construction spending. These sectors were not direct beneficiaries of this legislation, and were already more domestic in nature, so reshoring efforts were not a significant construction spend growth factor. These sectors have also proved sensitive to inflation and interest rates, as well as other market factors relating to capacity and saturation. For more information on our insights and expertise, contact myself, Ali Cumber, M. Camila Stefan, or Nikunj Raithatha #CHIPS #IRA #consumergoods #cpg #industrialgoods #Chemicals #supplychain #manufacturing #strategy

Persisting shortages of Allied Health Professionals (AHP) have been further exacerbated by rising costs, leading to a reversal of the historic employer dynamic. To mitigate the resulting operating headwinds, it’s more critical than ever to strike a more effective balance vs. competitors between costs and sustainability. Kaiser Associates can better inform those tradeoffs.

In a time of change and uncertainty – especially at the start of a new year –it’s always smart business to have a fact-grounded understanding of what buyers/consumers want. Kaiser Associates is a proven partner in decoding Healthcare stakeholders’ decision-making.?

Exciting developments in smart packaging are transforming the packaging industry, enhancing consumer experiences, and streamlining supply chain operations. Our latest article explores key innovations and showcases how brand owners (Clinique, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Asahi Group Holdings, Mars Wrigley, HelloFresh), packaging manufacturers (Schur - Leader of the Pack since 1846, Keep-it Technologies AS, Avery Dennison), and software companies (SharpEnd / io.tt, Ansys) are reshaping the industry landscape through collaborative, cutting-edge solutions. Read More: https://bit.ly/3UPC1Ww This article was written by Ali Cumber, M. Camila Stefan, and Stella Ho from our Industrials team in collaboration with Anna Nussbaum from our Consumer team. #SmartPackaging #ConnectedPackaging #Innovation #PackagingSolutions #ConsumerExperience #SupplyChain

In our second installment on the evolving Home Health landscape, Kaiser Associates’ Healthcare Practice illuminates the consequences of geographic variability. The interplay of these differences is critical in prioritizing opportunities for immediate and anticipated impact. Connect with Kaiser Associates’ experts for geographic and regulatory analyses benefiting your business. #HomeHealth #HealthTech #HealthcareStrategy

The growing use of #GenerativeAI requires more power and higher density from training and inference infrastructure, raising serious energy concerns. Rising power costs, pressure to reduce carbon footprints, and the emergence of energy bottlenecks will necessitate a shift in how GenAI models are designed and deployed. ? In the second installment of our Data Center GenAI strategy series, Kaiser delves into the delicate balancing act required by GenAI platform vendors, semiconductor manufacturers, and data center developers as they strive to achieve peak performance while navigating energy constraints. ? Get in touch with our Tech experts Azulina Green, Joe Kestel, and Rodger Heidgerken to learn more. #GenAI #DataCenters #TechStrategy