More Conversations, More Visibility: How ST Engineering Prepared Its Market Entry Through the Hydrogen Expo

Background

ST Engineering Energy Solutions GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of ST Engineering, the Singapore-based technology, defense and engineering group. With its hub·gen product line, the company brings hydrogen generators for decentralized energy supply to new markets.

The Challenge

For the market entry in Germany, there was no clear, repeatable process for holding targeted conversations with relevant decision-makers. Target groups were not clearly defined, and potential customers were reached only sporadically. At the same time, there was internal pressure to deliver results quickly without betting on the wrong sales approach. Testing a new, externally supported approach for the first time therefore came with uncertainty. There was also no structured preparation around the Hydrogen Expo to build attention deliberately and secure meetings in advance. On top of that, coordination between a small team in Germany and the headquarters in Singapore made consistent outreach and clear direction even harder.

1. 1No clearly structured process for trade show appearances and generating conversations in advance
2. 2Target groups and relevant decision-makers were not reached systematically beforehand
3. 3Trade show appearances had potential but were not used deliberately to set up meetings
4. 4Coordination between a small team in Germany and a large HQ in Singapore for a coordinated trade show appearance
5. 5A new approach with an external partner meant an internal decision risk

The Solution

First, a strategic analysis based on historical data from the Asian market was carried out to derive a clear ideal customer profile for the HubGen product line. Building on this, companies in the European market matching these patterns were identified, and we checked which of them would be present at the Hydrogen Expo. Next, automated AI workflows were used to research relevant target groups systematically, identify the right contacts and link them to their LinkedIn profiles. These contacts were then approached individually and in a targeted way on LinkedIn, backed by scalable, automated processes in the background. In parallel, the campaigns were continuously optimized and closely coordinated with the teams in Germany and Singapore, so that the outreach was consistent and directly supported the trade show appearance.

1. Step 1

   Data-driven ICP definition based on existing market and customer data

2. Step 2

   Transfer to the European market and targeted identification of relevant companies, including matching against the expo

3. Step 3

   Automated AI workflows to research and identify relevant target groups and contacts

4. Step 4

   Individual LinkedIn outreach, supported by automated processes in the background

5. Step 5

   Ongoing optimization and close coordination between the teams for a consistent trade show appearance

The Results

58 qualified conversations and a strong market presence for HubGen in Germany

With the process in place, ST Engineering held significantly more conversations with relevant decision-makers than at previous trade shows and even exceeded its goals for the Hydrogen Expo. Targeted outreach in advance created high visibility in the target market and secured concrete meetings before the show, which could then be taken further on site. At the same time, a solid pipeline was built for the first time, one that was not limited to the trade show but could continue to be used beyond it. The new approach was thus clearly validated both in the market and internally, and confirmed as a working, scalable go-to-market process. On this basis, the collaboration continued after the trade show to keep expanding systematically into the European market. This subsequently led to more than 50 additional meetings with relevant target customers in Europe.

• 58 qualified conversations with relevant decision-makers at and around the Hydrogen Expo
• Significantly more conversations at the booth than at previous events
• Strong internal buy-in thanks to clear results and a transparent process
• New go-to-market approach successfully validated and accepted internally