RE:RE:RE:Sale priceMidtown wrote:
"As a follow-up to this, it brings up an interesting dilemma and perhaps an opportunity. HPQ will have the cheap advantage for awhile, but business rules show that in a perceived generic market, competing on price is a failing approach long term. It's a death spiral that creates a race to the bottom as more companies rush in with scale and better pricing.
To maintain the advantage past price, companies need to find and prove other advantages, such as quality, durability, service, price-structuring (payment plans, etc), and relationship building success."
My take is we will not have to "compete directly" on price. When you can efficiently produce a top-line product in high demand via a one-step/one-of-a-kind proprietary manufacturing process (soon to be patented) at a cost that significantly undermines the direct competition, you "eliminate" that competition. Once near-term milestones are met, we should have a near-stranglehold on Si production/sales, & there will be few (if any) competitors who remain or dare to compete with HPQ's "first-mover" advantage at this lower price level.
So the the biggest determinant of price or challenge shouldn't be direct competition. That will be determined primarily by our downstream buyers (battery manufacturers, auto industry, etc.) & ultimately the end-user/consumer. The bigger challenge moving forward will be setting the "right" price....we shouldn't undersell ourselves either. Good luck...