Escalent, a data analytics and advisory firm with a market-leading automotive practice, has acquired Rhein Associates and entered into a partnership with Work Truck Solutions.
The group seeks to develop a commercial vehicle and fleet research and advisory practice with a combination of demand, supply, and inventory data, insights, and offerings.
For nearly five decades, Escalent’s Automotive & Mobility practice has been guiding global brands by delivering market insights and developing human-centric products, services, and technology.
Rhein Associates is a leader in North American commercial vehicle and off-highway powertrain forecasting data, renowned for providing the industry with accurate, thorough, and relevant databases, analyses, and insight. It’s best known for its main offering, the Rhein Report, which clients rely on for market intelligence and perspective to inform their business strategy. The acquisition allows Escalent to combine forecasted production (supply-side) data with its existing primary and syndicated Fleet Advisory Hub (demand-side) data.
Its partnership with Work Truck Solutions—a leading authority on commercial vehicles, which provides a one-stop commercial vehicle inventory management, operational analytics, and digital marketing solution that maximizes commercial sales, customer relationships, and profitability for dealers and their business buyers—gives Escalent the ability to combine Work Truck Solutions’ extensive commercial vehicle inventory dataset with Rhein Associates’ and Escalent’s data specialties to create new, powerful joint offerings that do not exist elsewhere in the market.
The group seeks to lead the way with commercial vehicle data and advisory solutions that will arm clients with a unified, 360-degree view of the industry to help clients grow their businesses.
“The rate of change in the automotive industry is exponential, and we are committed to expanding our expertise and continuing to anticipate our clients’ needs to guide them through disruption,” said Melissa Sauter, Chief Executive Officer of Escalent. “These strategic moves advance our objective to deliver meaningful market insights and guidance to our clients as they navigate the rapidly transforming commercial vehicle and fleet ecosystem.”
Added Jason Mantel, the Managing Director of Escalent’s Automotive & Mobility practice: “Combining our primary research and consulting expertise with the robust datasets from Rhein Associates and Work Truck Solutions will allow us to lead the way in commercial vehicle advisory solutions.
“We’re excited to create new, combined offerings that will deliver the market insights our clients have wanted and needed but that never before existed.”
Kathryn Schifferle, the Chief Vision Officer of Work Truck Solutions said, “We keep a sharp focus on the changing needs of commercial vehicle shoppers, especially given the evolution of the industry, and we work hard to develop new products, strategies, and partnerships to meet those needs.”
She added: “Partnering with Escalent is another example of how we’re continuously looking to provide even more robust data to improve the B2B shopping process.”