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Abstract Waste-to-Energy power generation describes the process of incinerating solid waste. The produced heat is used to drive a power generation unit generating electric energy or for direct district heating. Waste-to-Energy is a viable method to treat solid waste and to produce energy.The Waste-to-Energy power generation market has significantly grown throughout the past decade. This is rather based on an increasingly important waste management issue than on higher demands for energy. Even in light of a growing market, literature concerned with the customers’ buying behavior and customer motives in the process of industrial buying in this segment is very limited. Therefore, this study investigates these aspects in further detail and determines patterns in the Waste-to-Energy market in Germany.This research project solves and fills the problem and knowledge gap concerned with the affecting factors, influences and drivers in industrial buying in Germany. Since this is a very global perspective and exceeds the capacities of this study, more specific aspects such as the buying centers, buying situations or supplier selection criteria are assessed.Pursuing an approach on the philosophical stances of constructivism and interpretivism, this research topic has been approached by conducting phone interviews with representatives from power plant operators and public authorities. These representatives mostly fill positions in purchasing and environmental departments, among others.A number of Waste-to-Energy power plants in Germany have been investigated by interviewing individuals involved in the planning, purchasing and construction process. The information they provided on the topics of the plants’ backgrounds, buying centers, customer motives, buying decision phases and buyer-seller relations have been analyzed in order to draw conclusions and to answer the research questions.It has emerged from this research study that the Waste-to-Energy power plants investigated were built primarily in order to solve waste management issues and not to produce energy. In these cases, power generation is just a byproduct of the waste incineration. Furthermore, it has evolved that constructions of power plants are rolled out as new tasks or modified re-buys, but never as straight re-buys. Additionally, buyers do not only focus on suppliers’ characteristics such as their pricing and their products’ quality, but also on their financial situation and performance, capability to meet deadlines and environmental impacts.

Marknaden för industriella distributörer har upplevt stora förändringar under de senaste decennierna. Trots att industribolag nu har större möjligheter att sälja direkt via internet har distributörerna generellt sett stärkt sin position av flera anledningar. Forskningen har emellertid förespråkat att det är starka samarbeten som skapar värde i distributionskanalen. I huvudsak har detta påvisats med kvantitativa studier och forskare har därför efterfrågat kvalitativa ansatser. Delvis med målet att fylla detta forskningsgap utfördes en fallstudie om ABB Low Voltage Products distributörsförsäljning av produktkategori Pilot Devices, som bland annat innefattar tryckknappar. Pilot Devices valdes eftersom de är typiska distributörsprodukter i flera avseenden. Vad som också är uppenbart för produktkategorin är att den är högst standardiserad, utan tydlig differentiering mot konkurrenterna. Med bakgrund av detta intogs ett speciellt perspektiv i studien: hur kan marknadsföringen genom distributörer förbättras för en standardiserad produktkategori? Elva semistrukturerade intervjuer utfördes med distributörer i Sverige och Storbritannien samt därtill 25 observationsstudier i butiker. För att bättre förstå kundernas behov skedde fem intervjuer med panelbyggare, den typiske kunden för produkterna. Det empiriska materialet visade att distributörers behov skiljer sig åt markant, vilket tidigare modeller inte beaktat. Leverantörer måste förstå de olika distributörstypernas behov för att styra kanalen effektivt. För stora distributörskedjor är monetära incitament, ett åtagande att jobba på slutmarknaden och produktdata för internetförsäljning i fokus. För mindre distributörer, som ofta måste konkurrera med teknisk expertis, är bland annat produktträning och en nära relation av yttersta vikt. Studien bekräftade tidigare forskning som påpekat att en tydlig ansvarsfördelning och effektiv kommunikation är väsentligt för samarbetena. Detta visade sig vara viktigt oavsett typ av distributör. Studien av panelbyggarna visade att dessa generellt hade ett högst repetitivt köpbeteende som ofta styrs av tidigare ritningar eller krav från kunder. Distributörssegmentens värdeskapande aktiviteter och behov samt slutkundernas inverkan summerades i ett ramverk vilket uppfyllde studiens syfte: en vägledning för hur tillverkande industriföretag kan förbättra marknadsföringen via distributörer för standardiserade produkter. / The industrial distributor market has experienced great changes during the recent decades. Manufacturers today have better possibilities reaching their customers directly by selling through the Internet, but the distributors have in general strengthened their positions, due to several reasons. Most research concerning the manufacturer-distributor relationship has, however, indicated that collaboration is the key to creating value in the marketing channel. The majority of these studies have been quantitative, and researchers have requested more qualitative studies. Partly with the aim to fill this gap, a case study was conducted to investigate the distributor sales of ABB Low Voltage Products product category Pilot Devices, consisting of for example push buttons. Pilot Devices was chosen as it is a typical distributor product for many reasons. What also is evident is that it is a commoditized product, where it is hard to find differences between brands. With this background, the study was conducted through a certain lens: how can the marketing through distributors be improved for commoditized products? Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with distributors in Sweden and the United Kingdom together with 25 observational studies in distributor stores. In order to obtain a deep understanding of the end customer’s need, five interviews with panel builders, a typical customer type, was conducted. The empirical data showed that the distributors’ needs differ significantly, which has been neglect by previous studies. Manufacturers must develop an understanding for these needs in order to manage the channel effectively. For large distributors, monetary incentives, an end-market commitment and product data were priorities. For smaller, technical oriented, distributors, product training and marketing material were distinct needs. The study confirmed previous studies stating that clear allocation of responsibilities and effective communication are important. The study of the panel builders showed that they have a highly repetitive buying behavior, often affected by previous blueprints or by their customer’s requirements. The distributor segments’ value adding activities, their needs and the impact of the end customer were incorporated into a framework that fulfilled the study’s purpose: a guideline how manufacturing companies can improve their marketing through distributors for commoditized products.