Gone are the days of long-term rapid growth. As the world contends with the Covid-19 pandemic, the aerospace & defence industry today is a mixed bag, with some underlying sectors suffering deeply while others stay broadly steady.

Civil aerospace has been hit hard, deeply impacted by airline groundings and aircraft order cancellations. With no clear end to the pandemic yet in site, compounded by a global recession, the civil aerospace sector may not recover for many years to come. However, as has been in the case in previous economic recessions, the defence, space and security sectors remain relatively strong - and companies which are diversified are finding the crisis that much easier to navigate. At the same time, new burgeoning sectors are on the horizon, such as Urban Air Mobility , while the focus on sustainability in civil aerospace continues to rise rapidly.

These trends are forcing OEMs and key technology suppliers to rethink their business and operating models to adapt to the "new normal" , revisit their talent and competence management strategies, review their product portfolio, adjust their global footprint, streamline operations, and make their cost structures more flexible to rapid change.

Our aerospace and defense team serves the civil aerospace, space, defense, and security industries. We advise renowned OEMs and their suppliers, institutions, agencies, governments and investors along the entire value chain – global, strategic and operational solutions from design and production, all the way to service.

We help our clients to not only organise themselves to succeed through crises, but also identify and exploit new sources of growth and efficiency, delivering deep industry expertise and cutting-edge strategic advice as well as sustainable improvements. We also support them in structuring and managing major transformation initiatives, taking full advantage of digital technologies and mindsets.

Civil aerospace

The time to ramp up production to ever-higher rates is over. Instead, the industry is now more concerned with operational flexibility and preparedness for a potentially long-lasting pandemic.

At Roland Berger, we work at the heart of the industry's core: program management, engineering, manufacturing and supply chain, as well as support and service. Our teams deliver concrete, measurable results and have been at forefront of helping companies navigate the complexities of the current crisis.

The megatrend of sustainability has remained strong - and, if anything, has accelerated through the crisis. Airlines and aerospace companies alike are increasingly vocal about their ambitions in net-zero or even zero emissions air travel. Technologies such as electric, hydrogen, and SAFs are all being considered, and each holds the potential to decarbonize the sector significantly. Indeed, the challenge goes beyond carbon: non-CO₂ effects such as NOX and contrails must also be mitigated for the industry to become truly sustainable. Our Roadmap to True Zero lays out how the civil aerospace and aviation industries can decarbonize and minimise their non-CO₂ footprints.

Urban Air Mobility

With hundreds of startups, billions invested, and barriers continually being overcome, urban air mobility is an essential part of the rapid global move towards smart mobility. With the passenger drone market expected to emerge in the 2020s, UAM platforms will serve use cases such as inter-city flights, airport shuttles, and city taxis. More than 160,000 passenger drones are expected to be in operation by 2050.

Roland Berger is primed to help both incumbent and new entrant businesses to evaluate the impact of emerging technologies like UAM, develop the commercial case and assess the ramifications for the supply chain. Our team of experts in drones, novel propulsion systems, and system-of-systems models can help develop the winning strategy to crack the emerging UAM market.

Space

The space sector is currently undergoing a transformation. Despite still largely subsidizing the sector, governments are pushing toward more risk-sharing with private players when managing space programs. This paradigm shift has led newcomers to compete against incumbents on long-term attractive government contracts. These new entrants are offering lower development and manufacturing costs through radical changes in their operating model, pushing legacy players to re-invent themselves to remain competitive. At the same time, in the current context of budget constraints, public organizations aim to maximize the positive socio-economic benefits of investments in the space sector. Concurrently, private players aim to develop space-based solutions that could benefit many global industry verticals.

At Roland Berger, we help public and private organizations benefit from the space sector's opportunities. Thanks to our domain expertise, we understand how the dynamics of the sector are impacting our clients and can support them to define actionable strategies to enable their transformation journeys. As a result, we can help companies grow in established markets and capitalise on new opportunities while significantly improving competitiveness.

DEFENCE

Given the ongoing international threat environment, overall defence spending is expected to remain resilient and drastic cuts by major powers are not expected – though growth may be constrained in some nations. Nevertheless, budgetary constraints caused by government spending becoming focused on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic mean that procurement timelines may be pushed out, with defence spending allocations being reprioritised.

At the same time, global defence paradigms are being challenged. In mature markets, relationships and ways of interacting between governmental customers and defence industries are being redefined. Concurrently, emerging markets are striving to establish local defence industries and are mobilizing players from other sectors to enter defence. In addition, technological megatrends such as C4ISR, cyber/electronic warfare, and unmanned air systems are advancing, while large multinational programs such as FCAS are expected to be game changers in technology, triggering a reshaping of the industrial landscape.

We help clients in military aircraft, land, and naval systems across the globe to mastermind and implement necessary transformations by revisiting their strategy, reviewing their organizational setup, honing their sales and marketing approach, improving the cost structures of their products, and optimising their structures to participate in large multinational programs. We also help diversified players to re-structure their corporate strategy as global trends shift, including increasing their focus on defence while civil markets struggle.

With a wide range of both physical and cyber threats posed by terrorism, espionage, and migratory pressure, the security industry has shown strong growth that is set to continue in the years to come. Public safety is a key enabler for economic growth and stability, and is fundamental to quality of life in modern, open societies. Security systems protect military facilities and help safeguard critical infrastructures like power facilities, harbors, shipping lines, banks, R&D facilities, and production sites. It has also become a key issue at the board level in most industrial companies.

Our experts support clients in identifying growth opportunities, and then help them transform these into profitable business. At the same time, we support corporate leaders in reviewing their companies' security architecture and implementing required changes in governance and organization.

Security

Directly linked to aircraft utilisation, the civil aerospace aftermarket has been deeply hurt by Covid-19: as airlines have grounded their fleets en masse and cut MRO spending drastically. As the air transport sector recovers, MRO revenues will too – but this recovery is expected to be slow. Furthermore, this markedly reduced market going forward is expected to support a fewer number of players compared to pre-crisis levels – we are thus expecting to see significant consolidation in the coming years.

Roland Berger assists OEMs and suppliers to address the challenges which are emerging through strategically re-orientating their businesses and improving operational efficiency. We partner with airlines and other operators to reduce maintenance costs, with MRO providers to grow their top-line while optimising their cost base and footprint, and with OEMs to structure the value chain to deliver the greatest value to end customers.

Maintenance and repair (MRO)

Due to its direct dependence on aircraft utilization, COVID-19 hit the aviation industry's commercial maintenance and repair market hard after airlines grounded their fleets en masse and slashed MRO spending. As air traffic recovers, so will MRQ revenues - but this recovery is expected to be very slow. Moreover, compared to the pre-crisis period, this significantly shrunken market is expected to offer space for only a smaller number of players from market participants in the future - we therefore expect a considerable wave of consolidation to roll towards us in the coming years.

Roland Berger helps OEMs and suppliers meet the challenges of strategically realigning their business and improving operational efficiency. We work with airlines and other operators to reduce maintenance costs, with MRO providers to increase their revenue while optimizing their cost base and their environmental footprint, and with OEMs to structure the value chain in a way that provides maximum value to end users.

Triple Transformation - a holistic framework for mastering automotive disruption. Decision-makers in the automotive industry are facing unprecedented challenges. Trends such as Mobility, Autonomous driving, Digitalization and Electrification (MADE) are causing fundamental shifts in both technology and business models. Moreover, destabilizing developments in recent years such as "deglobalization", caused by geopolitical tensions, and accelerating climate change are forcing the car industry to reconfigure complex global supply chains and speed up the shift from internal combustion engines (ICEs) to electric powertrains for new cars.

The automotive industry clearly needs to transform. In fact, manufacturers of motor vehicles – especially legacy players – must manage three transformations at the same time.

To help automotive executives navigate these unchartered waters, we have created what we call our Automotive Triple Transformation framework, consisting of three Ps:

Position – Rethink the future: In the wake of geopolitical tensions, MADE challenges, new competition, climate change, and changing customer expectations, what will the future fields of play (markets, segments), value propositions, business portfolio and business models be?

Perform – Realign the now: How can you optimize your current business performance to enable (and finance) your transformation to a new industry value proposition, business portfolio and business model?

Progress – Renew the corporation: How can you future-proof your company by delivering on ambitious sustainability and DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) targets, while winning the war for talent in the automobile industry?

Position: Rethink the future

The four MADE trends continue to drive disruption in the automotive industry. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, new shared mobility services were growing rapidly, threatening individual passenger vehicle ownership and hence new car sales volumes. For cars designated for shared mobility, even industry-leading OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) saw themselves downgraded to mere device manufacturers.

Understandably, the start of the coronavirus pandemic caused a pause in this development, but the trend is now starting to regain momentum in the industry.

Autonomous driving – self-driving cars – especially at level 4+, threatens to further exacerbate the shared mobility trend with the promise of drastically reduced costs per mile. Digitalization and software have become the new battleground for differentiation in the automotive industry and has carmakers losing ground to tech companies and digital players.

Electrification has also dramatically accelerated over the last year, with cities, states or entire countries announcing sweeping bans on ICE-powered motor vehicles just one or two vehicle generations away, triggering ambitious electrification commitments by almost all legacy automakers. At the same time, new pure-play electric car OEMs and startups have seen staggering increases in their valuation, far surpassing many legacy players in the industry.

The disruption doesn't stop at the motor vehicle manufacturer level, either. Powertrain suppliers also need to identify their future role and shift their business portfolio towards new high-quality automotive sector technologies. And major legacy Tier-1 electronics manufacturers supplying automotive technology to those engaged in vehicle manufacturing have to fend off new tech companies and digital players, while at the same adapting their business models to react to the impact of hardware and software disintegration.

Companies engaged in manufacturing vehicles, from Honda and Subaru to Volvo, and the industry suppliers that provide them with motors, brakes, tires, drive systems, electronic parts, infotainment systems and so on, face an urgent need to rethink their future value proposition, business portfolio, business model, partnerships and investments based on realistic future scenarios for the motor industry.

Perform: Realign the now

The automotive industry recovered surprisingly fast from the initial downturn in vehicle sales caused by COVID-19 – only to hit the next crisis in form of the chip shortage, threatening revenues and profits in the second half of 2021.

The dramatic acceleration in the electrification of motor vehicles is putting pressure on the cashflow needed to fund this transformation of the industry. In the foreseeable future, the margins on electric vehicles (EVs) will not achieve the same levels as those on ICE vehicles.

Consumers expect fresh, unique experiences. The ever-increasing role of digitalization and software requires new approaches, new organizational setups and new investments in innovation and capabilities from automobile manufacturers. At the same time, complex global supply chains are vulnerable to trends such as deglobalization and increasingly frequent natural disasters, ultimately threatening car production. Vehicle manufacturers, whether in Germany, Japan, China or elsewhere in the world, must reconfigure themselves in line with climate change in order to increase their robustness.

Step changes in customer experience, improved efficiency, reduced complexity, lower costs and supply chain robustness are needed in order to boost car sales. In parallel, players in the auto industry must establish new hands-on capabilities and develop new technologies centered on the connected car and on-demand, real-time services. The industry faces a truly Herculean task.

Progress: Renew the corporation

To stay relevant for customers, employees and investors, it is not sufficient anymore for players in the automotive industry to focus on product innovations, revenues and profits. A radical rethink is required, from the assembly line to the dealership, from automaker to automotive technician.

The obvious signs of climate change, growing demands for social justice and rapidly changing expectations regarding work-life balance require a dedicated effort to renew the corporation. Consumers are increasingly weighing up auto manufacturers' commitments to sustainability and ethical standards when making their vehicle purchase decisions. Large institutional investors have started to ban investments in companies in the industry that don't meet stringent ESG standards. And new talent, which is critical to attract to enable the transformation, increasingly factor sustainability, climate action, DEI, purpose and the flexibility of work environment into their long-term employment decisions.

Slowing growth, consolidating consuming markets, product commoditization, shortening product life cycles, shale gas, potential digital disruption. These are just a subset of the issues facing the global chemicals industry. Serving nearly every sector of the global economy, the chemicals industry is extraordinarily complex even in "normal" times.

Today, while the challenges are high, opportunities are immense. Over the last three years, Roland Berger's Winners Analysis has identified chemical companies demonstrating returns on capital ranging from well below zero to above 15%, with growth ranging from well below zero to over 40% per year. There is clearly room for substantial value creation should one truly understand the strategic value drivers and best practices for execution.

At Roland Berger, we support chemical companies, private equity firms and industry associations in all aspects regarding the increase of company value – from strategic direction to performance improvement. Our global chemicals team conducts over one hundred engagements per year in the chemicals industry. We bring sector expertise across the petrochemicals, polymers, and the diverse specialties sectors as well as in agrochemicals, fertilizers and biologics

Our well-proven tools

Our teams understand your issues, work side-by-side with your team and offer pragmatic advice and insight. With our representation in 36 countries, including all major chemicals production and consuming regions, we can serve you seamlessly around the world. We can help company management to:

• Develop organic growth strategies based on a true understanding of a firm's capabilities married with a robust view of future industry scenarios
• Execute inorganic growth plans, including target identification, due diligence and post-merger integration
• Get the most out of existing assets via Commercial Excellence, Procurement and Supply Chain management, Capital Project execution, Organizational Design and Effectiveness and Complexity Reduction
• Leverage innovation for competitive advantage, both in traditional chemistry as well as across the rapidly growing field of digitization

We help you better lead your business

We regularly produce insightful analyses aimed at providing chemicals industry management with an outside perspective of best practices and ideas for realizing exceptional value creation.

In our practice group Civil Economics, we work on major challenges we face as a society, and we support our public, private and non-governmental clients in addressing issues such as

• finding answers to demographic changes and an ageing population,
• dealing with migration,
• developing digitalization strategies for states, regions, cities and governmental agencies,
• transforming social security and health systems,
• supporting the reform of labor market policies, and
• making work and family life more compatible.

For governments and the public sector, the challenge is one of continuous development and adaptation to meet public needs. We meet this demand by combining rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis, intensive stakeholder interaction, and agile implementation support. Thus, we ensure high acceptance and implementability of our concepts and recommendations.

We work in a multi-disciplinary team. Our emphasis is on integrating expertise and experience from consultants with diverse educational backgrounds – such as economics and business administration, natural sciences, the arts, the social sciences and law.

Trend and economic analysis and public policy

We live in a world that is dominated by an increasing speed of change, some of which is drastic and unforeseen. We live in a "VUCA" world which is volatile and uncertain, but also complex and ambiguous. We can observe an increasing speed of change and need for adjustment, and sometimes drastic and unforeseen developments.

Our work on trends, economic analysis and on the support of policy development is based on this perspective and addresses them in particular study designs and in providing scenario analysis for complex situations

Social change and modernization strategies

New trends (e.g. demographic changes) require the adaptation of established systems and strategies to guarantee their sustainability. Therefore, governments and institutions are amending, renewing and revising their policies and processes. Roland Berger supports decision makers in reaching accurate analyses of current standpoints, and to develop strategies when it comes to agenda setting, fact based communication and effectively reaching specific target groups to initiate change.

Our experience has been won over many years through the successful implementation, evaluation and communication of important political reform projects. We are expert advisors and companions for your projects.

Migration and refugees

According to the UNHCR, more than 65 million people were forcibly displaced in 2015. In Europe, unprecedented numbers of refugees have arrived since the beginning of 2015, seeking safety and protection. Long before the current refugee crises, Roland Berger paid attention to the subject of migration and supported various government led integration initiatives.

Our expertise and knowledge has assisted European nations in successful policy making and effective governance. This includes timely processes, and daily efforts to clarify the government's viewpoint. For integration to be successful long-term, we believe in a holistic approach across all levels of government, industry and community.

Digitization and smart networks

Information and communication technologies are penetrating private and professional lives to an ever larger extent – and the public and NGO sectors need to adjust to this development.

Government bodies need to react in two ways: firstly in devising strategies on how to shape digitization from a national and regional perspective down to the city and community level. Secondly, in making sure that government institutions undergo necessary digital transformation.

We support our clients in both approaches: We help to shape and implement national and regional digitization strategies, for example with the "Smart networks approach" focusing on the digitization of key sectors such as education, healthcare, energy, transport, and public administration, or by developing adequate "Smart city" strategies. And we support government agencies in creating awareness for digital changes, in designing digitization approaches and in the implementation of digital solutions.

Strategic and organizational transformation

The public sector is constantly rewriting the book when it comes to new processes and tasks, i.e. the complex reorganization of unemployment benefits, and novel governance for the integration of migrants.

Here, our clients benefit from our decades of experience in the realization of large strategic and organizational transformation projects. We support our clients through the various phases of important reform projects. On the journey from strategic restructuring, through to the planning of organizational processes, as well as practical implementation, we are the right contact to have by your side through all phases of your project.

Stakeholder management

Early action guarantees the success of large projects, in-depth strategies and organizational restructuring. All too often, this action is undertaken when it is too late. Countless projects fail, or exceed budgets and time frames because the relevant interest groups are not engaged with early enough. This applies to big projects, as well as organizational restructuring: creative solutions that work.

Strategies for NGOs and foundations

The significance of non-governmental organizations, particularly charities, is growing. Large international foundations are becoming increasing involved in the public sector, where they assume responsibility and provide impetus for change. Here, the question of accountability arises.

We support non-governmental organizations and charities in negotiating their new roles. Together, we develop strategies for identifying topics and internal streamlining. We also support the development and implementation of new areas of activity.

Our many years of experience in the public sector have seen us support governments, local authorities and private sector organizations in the European Union and across the world. You will benefit from our networks and experience, as well as our expertise in the implementation of political programs and organizational transformation projects.

Booming Asia, slowing Europe. Real estate management and facility services are primarily concerned with reaching capital and cost efficiency. Given the highly saturated markets in many countries, realizing economics of scale and efficiency gains is at the top of every CEO's agenda.

At Roland Berger, we are equipped with the necessary toolkit to help you reach your financial goals. Our renowned expertise and broad experience encompass both undertaking performance improvements and restructuring projects, making us an ideal partner when it comes to securing business.

Construction Startup Radar

We expect startups to be a significant driver of the digital disruption. We understand their perspective. Our Construction Startup Radar provides a comprehensive overview of an industry in the midst of transformation.

Construction Materials and Supply

If producing or supplying construction materials is your business, you know that remaining profitable has become more challenging than ever before. Technological advancements on the development of new building materials and manufacturing processes have resulted in increasingly fierce competition amongst existing and well established market leaders.

We support our clients by enabling them to become technological leaders that create the construction materials of tomorrow and possess innovative, potentially disruptive business models. In addition, we don’t just look at the product itself, but also at the way it is sourced, assembled, and produced: an intelligent and interconnected production process—Industry 4.0—is key to our consulting approach. Our strong ties to renowned experts from the market, industry associations, universities, and financial institutions guarantee that our clients will be able to implement innovative, yet feasible solutions.

Retail/Builders Merchants and DIY Market for Construction

Customer preferences and global supply chains are shifting. The set-up of effective buying centers, as well as the smart integration of inbound purchasing and outbound sales processes, is crucial for survival to many retail and DIY construction companies.

Our consulting approach is based on two basic principles: know your customer and optimize your cost structure. By following this approach, we have gathered valuable project experience in strengthening online-based sales channels and increasing marketing efficiency as well as reducing working capital, optimizing purchasing processes, and managing supply chains and logistics.

Construction and Civil Engineering

Traditional growth opportunities for companies in the construction and civil engineering segment have largely vanished. Today, mastering cost and time efficiency at the building site has become the first priority. In addition, market leaders are seeking to expand their business by investing in M&A activities and bundling shared resources across their often decentralized and scattered organizations.

At Roland Berger, we equip our clients with the ideas and tools they need to sustain their market position within this changing environment. Be it through our expertise in developing digitally connected building sites, integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) into the planning process, undertaking a buy-side or vendor due diligence and consolidating business units during a post-merger integration phase, or setting up Shared Service Centers, consider us a reliable partner in identifying new growth opportunities.

Construction Machinery and Automation

Whereas previously the market for construction machinery was not especially influenced by external trends, the effects of digitization and automation are now changing the entire industry. When it comes to construction, machines are required to communicate and interact with other machines and to integrate seamlessly into a fully automated value creation process.

We support our clients in taking profits from this transformation process. At Roland Berger, our cross-industry expertise in the field of digitization enables us to integrate best practices for automation into the context of construction. We understand that the building site of tomorrow will also rely on flying drones and 3D-printers.

Real Estate and Facility Management

Reaching capital and cost efficiency are the main goals when it comes to real estate management and facility services. Faced with highly saturated markets in many countries, realizing economics of scale and efficiency gains are on the top of every CEO's agenda.

At Roland Berger, we are equipped with the necessary toolkit to help you reach your financial goals. Our renowned expertise and broad experience encompass both undertaking performance improvements and restructuring projects, making us an ideal partner when it comes to securing business.

Turning challenges into opportunities for firms in consumer goods, retail, and agriculture. Population growth and rising income levels are driving global demand for consumer products. However, businesses throughout the value chain also face a growing variety of challenges, from shifting demands and rapidly evolving technologies to the role of sustainability and increased margin pressure.

At Roland Berger, we can help you transform these challenges into opportunities for your organization. Our teams blend expertise in strategy, innovation, operations, and implementation to create tailored solutions for businesses around the world in consumer goods, retail, and agriculture.

A key component in many offerings is the transformative power of artificial intelligence. Our experts help clients to harness this power, ramping up their AI capabilities to deliver impactful results. Our goal is not just to score quick wins, but to build a foundation for your enduring success.

At Roland Berger, we're not just envisioning the future, we're helping you create it.

Roland Berger’s expert consultants offer bespoke solutions for companies in a range of sectors:

Retail and wholesale

Rapidly shifting demands, technological advancements, supply chain disruptions, and growing margin pressure – just some of the challenges faced by organizations in today’s retail and wholesale sector. To navigate these complexities, businesses must embrace innovation while upholding the core principles of customer satisfaction.

Roland Berger’s global retail team can help. Thanks to a wealth of experience advising international retailers, we have in-depth understanding of the industry, enabling us to offer tailored solutions for unique challenges across numerous sectors: Food (including groceries, drugstores, restaurants/QSR, and convenience/petrol stations), Non-food (including DIY, consumer electronics, furniture, and department stores) and Lifestyle and luxury (including fashion, luxury, sporting goods, and beauty).

Our solutions cover a range of areas, including category management, format strategy, and operational excellence as well as AI and digitalization. Whatever your challenge, we have the expertise to elevate your business.

Lifestyle and luxury

Are you ready to redefine industry standards? Roland Berger’s wide range of tailored solutions can unlock your brand’s full potential. From production to commercial operations, we specialize in implementing transformative initiatives along the entire value chain for clients in sporting goods, fashion, luxury goods, and jewelry and watches. We offer experienced advisors on both a global and local scale, fusing strategic insights with operational know-how to propel your business to new heights.

Consumer products

Rising populations and income levels in many regions are continuing to boost demand for consumer products. However, the sector also faces a variety of challenges, including diversifying consumer needs, an increased focus on sustainability, the role of AI, and inflated raw material costs, to name just a few. Roland Berger’s dedicated consumer product experts can help turn these challenges into opportunities. Whether it’s designing future-proof strategies or implementing new processes, we’ll help your business to thrive.

Agriculture and ingredients

Amid rapidly changing industry dynamics, and macroeconomic and environmental challenges, Roland Berger offers a wide range of solutions for agriculture and ingredients businesses. In markets across the globe, we have delivered results in commodity sectors like meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, sugar, and dairy, as well as for firms in the flavor and fragrance industry, and bio- and aggrotech. From strategy development and performance improvement to value chain restructuring, portfolio alignment, or growth management – we can help you reach your goals.

Consulting services for the power and utility industries: purposeful growth and sustainability. The energy industry – from fossil fuel, nuclear and renewable energy to the generation and distribution of power – underpins the economic development of countries, companies and individuals. But the business of power is currently undergoing a global transformation on a scale never before seen. Factors such as decarbonization, floated capital markets, sustainability, the circular economy, new energy infrastructure markets and digital operations, combined with the fresh challenges thrown up by COVID-19, mean that industry players need the support of experts who can see the bigger picture. At Roland Berger, our energy consulting team is well placed to provide insights and advice that is strategic, practical and entrepreneurial.

#1 Decarbonizing the energy value chain

Oil and gas companies, utilities, investors, energy merchants and policymakers around the world are making bold commitments to decarbonization. But can they deliver on their promises in their day-to-day work? At Roland Berger, our energy consulting specialists help top management rise to the strategy challenges posed by climate change and position themselves for a post-carbon era. We help you understand the opportunities, build sustainable advantage and turn your commitments into reality.

#2 Finding gold in green

In recent years, we have seen a dramatic rise in the valuation of businesses offering renewable generation, energy storage, electric mobility and green hydrogen. This trend continues today. It is driven by factors such as growing policy and popular commitment to decarbonization, abundant and cheap capital, and maturing technologies and markets. Our energy management experts help investors understand the real value – and real costs – of specific investments and the implications for asset portfolios. Should they take on more risk to achieve target returns? Which sectors and technologies are currently undervalued? And what are the regulatory, technological and commercial risks? We also offer services such as commercial and technical due diligence, support during negotiations and assisting post-merger integration.

#3 Moving towards a circular economy

Closed resource cycles protect the environment and create financial value. However, properly organizing water, waste and recycling processes remains a huge challenge in many countries. For the oil and gas sector, moving towards a sustainable and circular economy means actions such as reducing GHG emissions from well to burner tip and redesigning processing and refining processes to minimize waste. Even in "clean energy" sectors such as photovoltaics and electric mobility, product design and business models need to focus increasingly on asset re-use and recovery. We offer a wide range of consulting services in the area of the circular economy and sustainability. They range from designing ESG strategies and efficiency programs for operators and carrying out portfolio screening and investment diligences for investors to reviewing energy savings in areas such as billing, supply contracts and energy use.

#4 Rethinking energy infrastructure and markets

Radical changes are taking place in energy infrastructure, from new transcontinental gas projects and the transmission of offshore and onshore renewables to the increased electrification of transportation and expansion of microgrids. These developments are accompanied by changes in market design. Players are finding themselves forced to rethink how they manage risk and price their products. Our market knowledge and expertise in orchestrating major capital projects helps our clients around the world build infrastructure, deal with regulation, procurement, construction and maintenance, and develop effective pricing and commercial strategies.

#5 Advanced analytics and the power of data

B2B and B2C front-to-back office automation, machine-learning for load forecasting, DER project screening and configuration, preventive maintenance... The list of areas where data analytics can generate value appears to be endless. But doing so requires deep expertise in Advanced Analytics. Our hands-on experience dealing with the underlying business challenges and context, our rich set of digital tools and technology partners, and our years of experience in change management projects and strategy can help clients close the gap between expectations and reality.

Demand for top-end management consulting in financial services is strong. The industry is facing unprecedented challenges: uncertain markets, regulatory pressure, increasing competition, ground-breaking innovations and diminishing margins. New technologies and startups are developing innovative products and channels, challenging established and traditional players, both in B2B and B2C. Financial customers of today are increasingly sensitive to cost, yet unwilling to compromise on quality. The question is, what do you do about it?

Are you looking for solutions to your challenges? At Roland Berger, we are continuously developing unique and proprietary solutions which can be applied in various fields of the FS industry. Through our solutions, we enable our clients to significantly improve their position and drive change within their industry.

Accompanied by strong sector expertise and building on the vast thought leadership we have developed in the field, we complement our offering through our open architecture model, in which carefully selected former senior executives form an integral part of the core partnership and leadership groups, thus supporting our client service teams from end-to-end.

Offering honest, straightforward guidance through an increasingly complex regulatory environment and competitive landscape, we not only contribute to a superior shareholder return but are also committed to taking a broader stakeholder perspective by enabling sustainable growth. We can help you rethink your strategies and incorporate new technologies into your business models. Outstanding know-how in restructuring and efficiency is in our DNA. Do not wait for the future to happen. Let us show you ways to shape your own sustainable future.

We provide top-end management consulting for financial services firms

Our experienced finance experts supply managers and decision-makers with insights into the latest trends and key developments in the world of financial services, both B2B and B2C. These span disruptive industry developments, such as FinTechs, cryptocurrencies and platform business models, as well as global trends like the sustainability focus and the new opportunities that big data brings. With our interdisciplinary team of finance, technology and data experts, we are continuously developing unique and proprietary solutions for use cases right across financial services.

Retail Banking

Increasing regulation and digitalization coupled with persistently low margins have raised the competitive pressure in retail banking across the globe in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic further ramped up the pressure on financial institutions. Customers themselves are increasingly demanding new types of advisory services and solutions along with individualized contact and personalized offerings. And FinTechs are coming in with innovative offerings in many areas, like current accounts and financial investments, leading to a further acceleration of the digital transformation and the rise of new trends like cryptocurrencies/digital assets and the demand for sustainable investment opportunities. Our expert consultants can help you turn these developments to your advantage.

Consumer Finance

With the way people shop having pivoted towards e-commerce and m-commerce and payment methods and habits changing, consumer finance is also undergoing a transformation. Customers expect to be given a choice of ways to shop online fast and easily with payment in installments or on credit. Flexible payment methods such as BNPL (buy now, pay later) are booming and are going to have a massive impact on the financial services sector in the upcoming years. Banks need to rethink their customer journeys and will have to partner with integrated payment solution providers to offer better customer experience alongside improved merchant experience.

Likewise in private mortgage lending, where platform solutions are now dominating large parts of the market and driving innovation: here too, financial institutions need to work out what their strategy should be and adopt a clear positioning. Our financial consulting experts can guide you in the right direction.

Payments and Cryptocurrencies

Payments

The global payments industry is in the midst of a radical transformation. Changing customer behaviors, new technologies and new competitors combine with an increase in regulation to put pressure on incumbent banks and traditional service providers alike. State-of-the-art payment options and cashless payment instruments will become even more relevant in the future, opening up additional revenue potential. Yet most banks still lag behind Big Tech on innovation, normally limiting themselves to providing certain financial services or parts of the payment infrastructure. Financial institutions will need to adapt their strategy to stay relevant in this key market of the future, either by evolving their offering – building their own solutions – or by partnering with or acquiring other payment providers. Our financial services consultants will help you navigate through the maze of choices.

Cryptocurrencies

Crypto and digital currencies have generated a great deal of interest in the market, with some of them being traded as alternatives to traditional currencies. The market has grown rapidly since the first Bitcoin transaction in January 2009. Even central banks are looking into issuing digital currencies. However, there is still no standardized regulation. Virtual currencies built on a blockchain basis not only offer an explosion of innovation for the financial services industry, they also open up new use cases for companies across the economy. Nevertheless, cryptocurrencies come with a raft of new challenges, including operational and regulatory compliance risks as well as financial reporting considerations. Banks, financial service providers and other companies should already be gearing up for the challenges ahead because the importance of cryptocurrencies and crypto tokens will only continue to grow, transforming global markets and the business models players operate today. Our experts in financial consulting can help you make the right strategic decisions.

Corporate Banking

Corporate banking has long been a stable source of income, but since the COVID pandemic it is increasingly feeling the effects of a lack of digitalization within products and processes. Being more complex and multi-layered than retail banking, the corporate banking business continues to be largely built on services that demand specialist expertise, global networks and a high level of risk provisions. Developments like sustainable finance, the growth of the platform economy and FinTechs' incursions into corporate banking also bring new demands. Financial institutions have no option but to act fast and push ahead with the digital transformation in corporate banking. Secure your competitive advantage by consulting with our financial services experts who can help you double down on your strengths like product expertise and longstanding client relationships in the face of the competition and build new client loyalty that lasts.

Commercial Real Estate Finance

Real estate has been booming for years on the back of low interest rates. But with high inflation forcing central banks to raise interest rates, a downturn is on the cards. Government plans to increase capital requirements for banks are also in the offing and alternative providers of real estate finance like insurance companies and debt funds are gaining significance. New players and new instruments increase both the complexity and the competition in the market. Our expert consultants can help you future-proof your business by accelerating your efficiency gains and scaling your business model faster with digital processes.

Captive Finance and Leasing

Being affiliated with automotive OEMs, captive banks and leasing companies are dependent on the development of the automotive sector and the financial services industry, both of which are currently undergoing their most radical transformation in decades. While automakers are turning themselves into mobility service providers and developing new electric vehicle generations, financial services companies are grappling with low margins, complex regulation, legacy IT systems, changes in customer behavior and innovation pressure exacerbated by FinTechs. Customers, too, increasingly expect to be presented with "one-stop shop" solutions and more flexible offerings such as pay-per-use or subscription models. Leasing and captive finance providers must adapt their product and service portfolios to the new demands and become more agile to remain relevant to younger generations of customers going forward. Besides requiring more customer centricity and flexibility, this will also necessitate the use of new, digital sales channels. Our financial services consultants can help you build all this into your organization.

Asset Management, Wealth Management and Global Markets

Asset Management

Despite operating in a part of the financial services sector that has been in a consolidation phase for years, most asset managers are still suffering from an excessively high cost base and the impact of FinTech innovations, increasing regulation and changing investment behavior on the part of their clients, who are moving towards low-margin passive products. Added to that, there are new challenges to contend with, like managing alternative investment opportunities, such as ESG-compliant investments and digital assets, or dealing with rising inflation and New Work. As asset managers, you will need to use AI and blockchain to realign your products and investment strategies to remain competitive going forward. Moving into additional sales channels will also allow you to optimize resources and serve existing clients and approach potential new ones with greater efficiency. Our financial consulting experts will show you how.

Wealth Management

The high net worth individuals market has changed dramatically in recent years. Like all financial services, the wealth management business has major challenges to deal with owing to new and stricter regulation, pressure on margins, legacy IT systems, changing client needs, and new business models coming from FinTechs (such as platform models and robo-advisory). Direct contact with clients remains one of the keys to success in this segment. However, wealth management is yet another area of banking where financial institutions need to digitalize processes and drive forward partnerships with other players in order to make the product range more attractive, enable efficiency gains and provide clients with a more personalized service. Our experts in all aspects of financial services will give you the guidance you need.

Global Markets

Global markets have seen an unprecedented transformation over the past decades – everything from digitalization to high-frequency and algorithmic trading to new regulatory compliance frameworks. Players in this market, from stock exchanges to investment banks, need an agile mindset and organization, end-to-end digitalized business processes, and a clear strategy to attract and keep the best talent in order to be able to compete in this highly dynamic environment. Our financial services experts can help you achieve it.

Development Banks

Development banks have an important role to play in advancing specific public policy goals or supporting wider social and economic development in the countries they operate in. But megatrends like digitalization, globalization, climate change and migration or the COVID-19 pandemic, energy security and energy grid conversion are giving rise to new priorities and changing the market environment for development banks. Even though your development mandate means you are not in competition with other financial institutions, you will still need to adapt your business model to the new reality in order to continue to fulfill your public mission. Our financial services consultants can show you how.

Central Banks and Regulators

Central banks apply their monetary policy to ensure price stability and help stabilize economic development. Now central banks are facing their biggest challenge in decades: containing the rapid rise in inflation worldwide. And expectations are high – from the business community and policymakers alike. What central banks need to do now is strike the right balance between stabilizing the economy and fighting inflation.

Furthermore, digitalization represents a major opportunity for central banks and regulators in the context of enabling better operations, supervisory processes and so on, but it is also a challenge for them to keep pace with the ever faster speed of change in the market. The possible introduction of central bank digital currencies (CBDC) is not the least of the items on the agenda with potentially far-reaching implications that central banks will need to manage. Our financial services experts can guide you in the right direction.

Insurance and Reinsurance

Insurance

Change has been a constant in the insurance sector for years, with providers operating against a continuously evolving backdrop. Insurers must prepare for a phase of general economic consolidation and adopt a more visible role in social sustainability and social protection. What this means is that insurers need to have the capability to react flexibly and must be well prepared for change. Our expert consultants can help you digitalize your products and processes faster, adapt your product portfolio to new client needs and be ready to invest in partnerships. With the benefit of our guidance, you too can ensure a stable business model going forward.

Reinsurance

COVID-19 was the third most expensive event in history for the global reinsurance industry after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. But industry players are also having to deal ever more often with risks stemming from artificial intelligence or cybersecurity loopholes. These social and technological developments and the consequences they bring make the early detection and quantification of potential losses increasingly complex for reinsurers. Our financial services consultants can help you use big data and agile teams to improve your analytics capabilities. Benefiting from our expert guidance, you may also find that partnering with alternative investors can enable you to accelerate your product innovation and diversify your offerings to include primary insurance products and new ancillary services.

In one of the most competitive industries on the planet, you need to stay sharp. We can show you exactly how to cut through your competition.

In light of industry 4.0 and advancements in digitization, automation, and the development of new eco-friendly technologies, the engineered products and high tech sectors are surging forward. Additive manufacturing, for example, is a maturing technology and the industry is now preparing to install large printing capacities. For companies that can adapt quickly, revolutions like this are a chance to claim technology leadership. It also represents a huge opportunity to reclaim ground that’s been lost to emerging regions. How can you align your strategy to turn these developments into long-term profit and growth?

Roland Berger offers comprehensive advice that combines industry and technical expertise from a worldwide network of experts and consultants. We’ve worked on a multitude of international projects and can provide you with the assistance you need to capitalize on emerging opportunities and create long-term value for your company, from top-management consulting and strategy development, to operational performance enhancement.

Aerospace and defense

Increased competition from new market players, volatile budgets for North American and European defense manufacturers and technology suppliers, and the resulting shift in focus towards emerging markets in Asia and Latin America—these are just some of the challenges industry players need to address to remain competitive, not to mention the diversification trend towards non-military markets such as homeland security and civil applications. How are you responding to the mounting pressure to develop greener, more cost-effective products?

Roland Berger understands the unique questions these industries are facing, and we offer individualized strategic, organizational, and operational support to industry players confronting these fundamental transformations. We’re here to support OEMs and suppliers of military and commercial systems all along the value chain, delivering experience-based solutions to optimize your operations, costs structures, and business model.

Basic materials

Basic materials are indispensable to manufacturing, but often limited in supply. This makes vulnerability to price fluctuations a considerable challenge to overcome, and companies must continuously adjust their operations and business models to accommodate changing market conditions.

Roland Berger can help your company protect itself from market variations by implementing resource conservation strategies, environmentally efficient technologies, as well as developing dynamic pricing models and alternative manufacturing routes. With our expertise, we can help you reduce costs, improve your operations, and achieve long-term sustainable growth.

B2B electronics

Whether in the automation technology, industrial software, or microelectronics, the B2B electronics industry is undergoing fundamental transformation. Customer requirements are changing, business is shifting to new geographic regions in emerging countries, and automation is becoming more and more software-intensive. With prohibitive cost structures and high R&D demands, businesses need to react by changing just as fast as the industry itself.

We’ve worked across all of the B2B electronic industry's sectors and offer our clients relevant, experience-based advice on issues ranging from increasing efficiency in R&D management to designing sales and service networks. With consultants positioned across the globe, we have a unique perspective on this dynamic environment. In addition, we know how to adapt your business model for effective, long-term solutions that capture the complexity of digitization.

Construction materials

European markets have been seeing a slow recovery from the economic crisis, while a shortage of living space and urbanization in Asia caused a market boom. There's no way to avoid it; no matter where you are in the value chain, the dynamics of the construction industry are volatile and specific to a country's underlying economic situation. There are, however, ways to shield your business from the impact of a downturn by adapting to the "new normal". Which strategies does your company employ?

At Roland Berger, we work with construction firms of all sizes, from large publicly-listed corporations to family-owned SMEs. We understand global trends, and we know that every company faces challenges specific to their own market environment. From business model development and performance improvement, to digitization and organizational cost benchmarking, we deliver customized strategic solutions to increase your position.

Electrical engineering and manufacturing

In this highly competitive market, established players are experiencing stiff competition from emerging markets. Rising raw material costs are complicating the game. Due to the diversity of the industry, there is no single "correct" approach. However, intensifying R&D and penetrating new markets or market segments are a few ways established players are staying ahead of the game. How are you planning to remain innovative and retain your competitive edge?

Whether you're an established firm or a new player, we can find an individual solution to your problem. Our experience across a number of international projects has taught us to take a wide view of the industry. Global footprint design, purchasing, innovation, differentiation and sales boosting programs, or service strategies, we keep an eye on the industry and market developments to deliver the most functional solution for your company.

Energy equipment

The energy landscape is undergoing rapid change. Conventional energy is facing regulatory and environmental pressures, aging plants and delivery systems, as well as rising costs and unstable political situations in certain OPEC countries. How can your company profit from the shift towards renewable and efficient energy sources , distributed generation, and smart devices, turning growing demand into secure sustainable revenues?

Roland Berger has always seen the industrial potential of renewable energy. As early adopters, we now have extensive experience implementing change strategies across all segments of the energy sector. We keep track of all levels of the value chain, from strategic business considerations all the way down to smart grid technology for the distribution of electricity. We can help your company rethink the way it does business and prepare to compete in the energy industry of tomorrow, where digitization and big data will be key levers to achieve sustainable competitive advantages.

Long lifecycle products

There are few hard and fast rules in today's long lifecycle products industry. Machinery is declining in established markets, but rising in China. Environmental technology, on the other hand, is experiencing tremendous growth and shows excellent potential for countries to reshape segments of their industrial landscape. European players in high tech systems currently enjoy a comfortable position, but shouldn't take this for granted.

With regard to the many variables at play, you need to approach this industry with a solid growth strategy tailored to your unique competitive position.We can help you analyze your market and design a long-term strategy that builds on your individual success factors. Whether your particular concerns are focused on fending off low-cost producers, penetrating new markets, performance improvement, or M&A and R&D projects, we keep a global perspective of competitive factors across the industry to provide day-to-day support for your implementation efforts.

Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering is a cyclical industry that is used to rethinking business, streamlining processes, retargeting sales and marketing efforts, and realigning cost bases. The 2007-2009 period, however, went far beyond any normal cyclical fluctuations. Now that the dust has settled, it’s imperative to develop new strategies to grow existing markets, enter new ones, and capitalize on changing consumer habits and trends as well as technological advances.

At Roland Berger, we offer strategies to mechanical engineering players aimed at expanding business fields and boosting sales. We can help you coordinate your product portfolio, develop new service business models, further professionalize your sales organization, and optimize your cost base. With a plan tailored to the specifics of your company, we do everything to make sure you emerge from cycle fluctuations even stronger than before.

Strategic infrastructure is the backbone of modern societies, and this means that significant investment in energy, transport, utilities, and ICT will be required around the globe in coming years. These projects, however, are marked by increasing complexity in an ever more volatile world. Our experts support both public and private clients in planning, financing, delivering, and operating infrastructure more efficiently, helping them save billions on these necessary projects.

Successful execution of large infrastructure projects requires breaking new ground in planning, financing, construction, and management. Together with our clients, our highly experienced teams develop tailor-made solutions along the entire infrastructure lifecycle. Our integrated approach covers all disciplines: commercial, technical, regulatory, environmental, and stakeholder-related issues. We offer specialized services for each phase of the project lifecycle based on our expertise with large infrastructure projects around the world.

Project Incubation

Elevating project ideas from a rough conceptual outline to an investable proposal is the foundation of every successful infrastructure venture. However, many projects get stuck in the early planning phase and fail to take the decisive step from idea to concrete planning and financing solutions.

We support our clients in growing projects from an idea into investment decisions, covering commercial, political, technical, environmental, social, as well as legal and regulatory dimensions. As a result, we provide a commercially viable business case and a customized commercial structure that aligns stakeholder interests. This enables our clients to swiftly take the project forward to successful implementation.

De-Risking

Most infrastructure projects face political, commercial, regulatory, technical, and environmental risks that fundamentally endanger project implementation and pose significant hurdles to financing.

We support our clients in analyzing and mapping the risks inherent to their infrastructure projects. Based on the results, we craft a tailor-made de-risking architecture, set up an implementation plan, and support negotiations with project partners. We always take an integrated approach that covers all risk dimensions.

Project Set-Up

Many infrastructure projects around the world end up behind schedule and over budget. This is often due to structural weaknesses in project organization, inappropriate governance and flawed planning.

We support our clients in getting it right from the start. This requires strong sector experience and an in-depth understanding of the project's stakeholder environment. We help our clients set up a fit-for-purpose project organization in order to both strategically govern their project from the start, and to keep it on track throughout implementation.

Turnaround

Large infrastructure projects are highly complex and vulnerable to crisis situations, including large budget overshoots and delays. These kind of developments can cause projects to derail financially and endanger the reputation of project owners.

Our experienced team sets up a crisis Project Management Office (PMO) to stabilize a project in distress. We bring together experts from different fields to swiftly address all bottlenecks. To keep a tight grip on implementation, we set up an integrated project plan and manage day-to-day implementation hands-on. By taking a holistic view and driving for pragmatic solutions, the PMO rapidly puts the project back on track.

Regulatory Change

Legal and regulatory frameworks are crucial for the commercial success of an infrastructure project. However, these can change during the project’s lifecycle, creating risks as well as opportunities for infrastructure investors and operators.

We support our clients in effectively preparing or adapting their infrastructure projects for the challenges and opportunities of regulatory change. We start by assessing the robustness of business cases using scenario planning and sensitivity analysis, then develop flexible strategies for coping with shifts in regulatory conditions. Our team helps clients to actively manage stakeholder coalitions and shape the regulatory environment to seize opportunities arising from regulatory change.

Asset Productivity

Existing infrastructure operations often do not yield sufficient revenues or free cash for reinvestment. Operations are often inefficient and leave opportunities for value creation untapped.

For integrated infrastructures such as airports, seaports, or industrial sites, we identify new opportunities to optimize the way they operate and do business. We cut through the complexity of integrated operations and create transparency on different sub-businesses and their underlying business models. We help clients understand the potential for value creation in their portfolio and optimize each business activity accordingly. This approach boosts revenues and efficiency, freeing up equity for new investments.

We support life science companies and health insurers in mastering the challenges of tomorrow. In a world where healthcare is the most indispensable industry of all, Roland Berger advises companies that care about our health.

Healthcare companies are facing a changing environment: new, disruptive technologies are entering the market, new levels of treatment individualization are being achieved by means of stratified medicine, digital technologies allow the creation of new opportunities to demonstrate the practical effects of pharmaceutical treatment methods and medical technology companies are being challenged by increased regulatory and market access requirements. At the same time, manufacturers and suppliers are under great cost pressure. Digitization enables health insurance companies to take advantage of new opportunities to design care pathways and strengthen their customer relationships.

At Roland Berger, we help navigate the industry through these problems and move it forward. We focus on innovative market strategies and international expansion as well as careful management of the supply chain and production sites, enabling the transition to individualized medical care with the patient at the center.

Pharma

Management & Organizational processes

Customer-oriented and lean processes are the key to future growth and yet, many companies operate on a country-specific basis with little external benchmarking or independent supervision.

Roland Berger works with your company to develop suitable commercial operating models that standardize processes for all key levers and functions. These include segmentation and value proposition development, execution quality, organization and internal collaboration, KPI, people and performance. Through our experience with clients from around the world, we have a proven assessment approach and understand how individual strengths and weaknesses can be effectively leveraged. We are ready to apply our long years of experience also for your company.

Competition between the various pharmaceutical segments is increasing, with greater pressure on profit margins. Consisting of the process steps "procure - make - deliver - plan", the "integrated supply chain" has become the focus; an area in which Roland Berger has a long track record of successful projects in the pharmaceutical industry. We can combine this concept with best practices from other step-by-step industries to strengthen your position.

Research & Development

Developing a new drug is expensive and regulations are strict – circumstances that put great pressure on R&D. New technologies and players are constantly emerging. Innovation processes have changed. To plan a successful R&D strategy, it is therefore not enough to know what the market currently demands. Imagination and lateral thinking about how the market will develop are just as important. What will drive the pharmaceutical industry in 20 or 30 years? When so much of your investment is tied up in R&D, your company cannot afford to make misjudgments about the future.

We have decades of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. It is true that the past cannot provide reliable guidance for the future. But this experience has equipped us with important analytical skills. We have seen trends come and go and observed how products become successful or fail. We have studied in detail how management strategies work and understand why they sometimes do not work. If you work with us, we can put this knowledge to work for you.

MedTech

Continuous cost pressure in the healthcare system is making it increasingly difficult for MedTech companies to achieve the traditionally high growth and profitability figures. At the same time, the increasing challenges that hospitals are facing and the digitalization offer vast opportunities for MedTech companies. These are just some of the reasons why MedTech companies have to constantly question their business models and take on the role of healthcare providers, for example by extending their value chain towards the patient. At the same time, these trends mean that the performance of all corporate divisions, from development to production and sales, is becoming increasingly important.

Roland Berger regularly assists MedTech companies with our comprehensive functional know-how and our deep understanding of customer needs to meet the following challenges, among others.

Growth

The overall market growth in the MedTech industry is slowing down, but there are opportunities for growth in many areas and regions. We will work with you to find these opportunities, match them with your core competencies and thus realize profitable growth together. In this context, we often accompany our clients in the development of new (regional) markets and the acquisition and integration of M&A targets.

Innovation

Permanently accelerating innovation cycles and more individual customer requirements are increasingly challenging the "classic" R&D process of MedTech companies. With our customer understanding and access, we can help you to align product development closely with the customer and thus efficiently develop innovations demanded by the customer. At the same time, we can bring new impulses to your company by integrating young companies and thus further expand your innovative power.

Performance

Stagnating growth and rising costs are putting the traditionally high margins of MedTech companies under pressure. As the market leader in restructuring, Roland Berger brings extensive experience in improving economic results and regularly achieves sustainable success with our clients. We usually focus on sustainable optimization across all value-added stages - for example, optimizing production, sharpening the product portfolio or increasing sales efficiency.

Implementation

You can measure our jointly developed strategies by the results achieved. From the strategic decisions we have made, we derive precisely the organizational and process changes required. By closely monitoring the organization, we then help to turn these into reality. Our clients regularly confirm in independent surveys that this leads to sustainable implementation success.

Digitization

Digitization is a constant companion and an essential lever of our cooperation. How can new business models and added value for customers be derived from all the generated data? Where can RPA solutions enable significant short-term efficiency increases? We know where digitalization can support and how and we use it for our clients in multiple ways.

Healthcare and Hospitals

The landscape of service providers in the health care sector is subject to increasing dynamics, especially considering the constantly changing regulation. Market conditions for healthcare providers are generally considered favorable. The healthcare market is growing steadily due to increasing patient numbers and higher per-patient expenses. But in many countries, we have been seeing sustained economic pressure on hospitals and a high investment backlog for years. This economic and financial pressure is further intensified by increasing outpatient care and a multimorbid patient structure. This patient structure also affects nursing home operators, who must ensure the care of people in need of nursing care while being challenged by staff shortages and increasingly strict minimum legal requirements.

Roland Berger has many years of experience in healthcare consulting to help your company navigate through this complex landscape. We offer a comprehensive range of services and support you in various areas.

Strategy development

We help service providers to solve the most diverse strategic problems. Against the background of a changing regulatory environment, which also creates new competition, we advise service providers in questions of medical strategy. Within the environment of location, network strategies and structural assessments, we analyze to what extent a consolidation of locations or the establishment of centers with selected medical specializations can be beneficial. In this process, the challenge of a very high investment requirement often arises. In this case, we also advise together with our partners in the areas of construction and investment strategy. We also advise university hospitals in particular on the development of a targeted research strategy. Digitalization is also becoming increasingly important for healthcare companies. With our digital experts, we are on the forefront of digitization and advise on various issues across the entire value chain.

Performance improvement

In hospitals, personnel and material costs increase often faster than the fees generated by patients. Hence, many healthcare providers are under an increased cost pressure. Roland Berger therefore supports healthcare providers in profit improvement programs. To achieve sustainable effects, we take a holistic view of hospitals in a contribution margin logic and optimize everything from medical services (e.g. optimizing length of stay), medical services (e.g. optimizing operating rooms) and non-medical services (e.g. cleaning and catering) to administration.

In the event of acute liquidity crises, we also carry out restructurings as well as reorganization reports. Within the scope of this we consider liquidity optimization measures as well as economic and financial restructuring measures.

Transformation

The healthcare market offers attractive investment opportunities even as consolidation increases. Here we bring transparency to the upcoming transaction in the context of vendor commercial due diligences and commercial due diligences or support the purchase or sale process in a leading role. After a successful M&A transaction, we help healthcare companies to smoothly integrate the acquisition in the sense of a post-merger integration (PMI), so that after successful integration not only the economic result is right, but also the new corporate culture wins over employees.

In addition, we help service providers to adapt their organization to the new environment even after a transaction, growth or consolidation phase. Both on the operational and on the management level.

With sustainable change management and coaching, we also ensure that our work is sustainable and that knowledge is transferred into the organization.

Hospitals & rehabilitation facilities

Hospitals in many countries are under ongoing cost pressure and legal cost-cutting measures in the health care system will sometimes exacerbate the general conditions. While staff shortages and the associated collective bargaining negotiations will lead to a further increase in personnel expenses, medical progress and digitization will require high investments, revenue growth is often significantly slower. Additional pressure results from a multimorbid patient structure and a shift towards chronic diseases, coupled with a growing awareness of the need for high quality care.

In order to meet these challenges and to cope with the pressure on costs and earnings, hospitals must not only continuously improve their operating performance but also position themselves optimally in the market from a strategic point of view. With this in mind, Roland Berger works with service providers of all sizes and all sponsors. Roland Berger supports private, public as well as general and specialized hospital operators in questions of strategic medical development, performance improvement and cost-cutting measures, including procurement optimization and digitization initiatives.

Outpatient facilities

The outpatient sector is the largest or second largest area of health expenditure in many countries. In addition, the outpatient sector has been growing disproportionately fast compared to the inpatient health market in many European countries for years.

The main drivers of outpatient care are, in particular:

• Patient needs: In case of doubt, patients prefer outpatient operations to inpatient operations because they do not need to stay in hospital
• Cost advantages: In a direct comparison, outpatient procedures are usually less expensive health insurance companies are therefore interested in more outpatient treatments
• Medical progress: Treatment options are constantly evolving, and many interventions are increasingly standardized, minimally invasive and have lower-risk

For outpatient and inpatient service providers, opportunities and risks arise in this changing healthcare landscape. Roland Berger supports your company in various strategic issues, such as additional outpatient potential, digitalization strategy, referral management, revenue growth potential, or a new or adapted medical strategy.

Elderly care

After hospitals and outpatient medical care, the nursing sector is usually the third largest segment of many health care systems. This development is the result of strengthening and slowing trends that can be grouped into seven influencing factors. More elderly people and thus people in need of care are confronted with more prevention and thus, less need for care. In addition, there is more need for professional nursing care on the one hand but fewer available personnel on the other. Finally, there is a high investment backlog and, more outpatient care.

A high degree of regulation and the changing needs of the people to be cared for and their relatives increasingly ensure a more varied range of care services. In addition to the "classic" old people's homes, new living concepts such as assisted living, nursing shared flats and neighborhood concepts are being added. An adapted, varied range of nursing care that takes these needs into account is thus becoming increasingly important for nursing home operators.

Nursing home operators have a limited scope of action in the context of a highly regulated environment. Roland Berger can help you actively shape this room for maneuver, whether it's growth ambitions, which are often slowed down by acute staff shortages, efficiency gains through digitization initiatives or other strategic issues.

Homecare

Homecare companies that provide patients with medical aids in their own homes or in nursing and old people's homes are in a challenging market environment. Historically, the sector has been characterized by high competition and strong price pressure from health insurance companies. Now, medical technology companies are also developing further along the value chain, closer to the patient, and are thus moving from supplier to competitor. The increasing demands of the patients cared for in terms of service levels and the individuality of the therapy are creating additional complexity.

We help Homecare companies to formulate the right answers to these challenges and turn them into reality. We regularly supplement classic levers such as the optimization of processes and service levels with innovative, digital solutions.

If you're in the business of moving goods and people around the world, you’re facing pressure on several fronts. In response, we offer a twofold approach to your challenges: Nine topical solutions on the one hand, and industry specific know-how on the other.

This is an exciting time for the transportation industry. Globalization and trade are increasing, and novel mobility scenarios are evolving from new technologies and market entrants. At the same time, a growing focus on sustainability and environmental impact has placed new restrictions on how transportation players operate.

At Roland Berger, we understand that these fundamental changes have left numerous firms on shaky ground. Many are unsure how to balance short-term demands with long-term strategy. We help our customers to navigate complexity in the transportation industry. Our projects cover the entire value chain and each phase of the corporate life cycle — transformation, growth, and performance — as well as placing a special focus on digitalization. Our expertise covers the full range of mobility and logistics industries. We are a global team consulting the world's leading companies in the fields of airlines, airports, rail, public transport, urban mobility, shipping, ports, logistics, postal, travel and tourism.

Topical trends

1. Commercial Strategy and Steering

Companies are facing complex challenges in profitably growing their topline. Brands need to deliver outstanding value in order to keep customers engaged. Ways of reaching customers are increasingly facetted and driven by a growing network of distribution partnerships. As a result, marketing costs are increasingly variable and dependent on a broad set of parameters. On top of this, demand is volatile and technology drives disruption of business models and the rise of new competitors.

We support companies in spotting commercial opportunities and managing risk in turbulent markets. Our solutions include tools for digital yield management, specifically considering variable cost of marketing, heuristics for dealing with uncertainty, and frameworks to evaluate and implement strategic partnerships. Most companies are stretched between transforming their business models while still delivering their targets for daily trading. Here, we have a definitive answer: A pragmatic and hands on approach, supported by smart analytics.

2. Customer Experience

Airlines, airports, railway and postal operators and mobility providers all interact directly with their customers at physical touch points. Logistics and container shipping companies interact with their B2B customers via booking hotlines or tracking apps. They have to deal with commoditization and high transparency, while customer interaction is a key feature to differentiate products and services.

We have witnessed the transportation industry moving from "customer ownership" to the wider concept of "customer experience". How much value can a new service or product offer, and how can customer interaction be used to improve service as a product? We at Roland Berger are aware of how much the success of this concept is based on customer data - data that needs to be collected along the whole customer journey. We help to turn big data into smart data.

3. Sectorial reform

Many sectors in the transportation industry are subject to regulatory changes and liberalization. Disruption from new entrants, who reshape the business by introducing new business models or value propositions to their customers, is also a sign of the times. As a consequence, incumbents, in particular, are faced with a unique triple challenge: Increase efficiency, while at the same time make their offer more attractive and identify new markets to compensate for the loss of domestic market shares.

We study the impact of change, deal with communication and stakeholder management, and support our clients when it comes to reshaping their industry. We provide full support for companies when it comes to the execution of the corresponding strategic initiatives and programs.

4. Mobility and Urban Logistics

New mobility and urban logistics business models are changing our cities as we know them. With the help of new innovations, you are now able to pick up a car anywhere in many cities and drop it off at your destination. But this is only just the beginning, autonomous technology is closer than many realize. The real revolution is yet to come.

We are working extensively on the most innovative and strategic projects in the industry concerning mobility, autonomous vehicles and logistics concepts. We help our clients to build customer-centric solutions that put them on the map of new mobility and urban logistics.

5. Robotization and Autonomous Vehicles

The mass arrival of robots is no longer a question. But how soon will it happen? And how do we best prepare for it? Robotic solutions have developed at a great pace since the giants of the internet made them the spearhead of their expansion plans. Robotization differs from mechanization (or automation), as it provides a flexible and reconfigurable solution which can be integrated seamlessly into existing infrastructures with human operators.

We support our clients to manage a smart transition to robotization. We encourage logisticians of all industries to revamp their business models on the basis of this new reality.

6. Industrial Asset Management

Industrial assets remain a key element in transportation markets. The challenges are classical, including in particular financing, maintenance and optimization of utilization. However, it is critical for companies to apply new technologies and adjust partnership models to stay ahead.

We support our clients in making sure their assets translate into a competitive edge advantage in turbulent transportation markets.

7. Living digitalization

Arguing about the impact of digitalization is as necessary as bringing sand to the beach. Whereas start-ups are developing new business models free of legacy restrictions, established players both want and should leverage given capabilities and competences to deploy solutions that make a difference.

We support our clients throughout the entire transformation by formulating a digital vision and corresponding value proposition. Thereby, we bridge the gaps between the traditional and digital business world.

8. Performance enhancement

In the current competitive business environment, every mature company has been undergoing performance enhancement initiatives. Given the dynamics of our markets, striving for more efficiency is a permanent task.

To align initiatives to corporate targets, mobilize troops and ensure that the effects can be measures on the profit and loss statement, we support our clients on all relevant issues, i.e. short-term revenue growth, comprehensive cost-savings, re-alignment of investment programs, structural changes, and communication and overall program management.

9. Pre and Post Merger Integration

There are several main drivers of the transportation industry. These include the need to specialize, ambitious efficiency goals, consolidation and merging to extend both reach and scope. These are the consequences of globalization and sector reforms, often triggered by redundant capacity.

We support our clients throughout the entire merger process, by delivering pre-merger studies and due diligences, negotiation support on deal making and on the merger integration itself. Throughout the process we partner case-specifically with lawyers, M&A firms, communication agencies and other experts.

Our digital consulting services. Digital transformation can be a complex, multifaceted process. At Roland Berger we offer a comprehensive consulting service to guide you through every aspect. This could include creating a tailored digital or AI strategy, modernizing IT infrastructure, unlocking new potential via data analytics or optimizing software solutions. Whatever the challenge, our digital transformation consulting team will help you identify and implement the right solution.

Artificial Intelligence

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence raises numerous questions for CxOs across all industries. To guide organizations in implementing the right solutions, we combine our proprietary Roland Berger act.AI suite of methodologies and tools with a deep understanding of the industries our clients operate in.

Digital Strategy & Digital Organization

A robust digital strategy fosters agility, innovation and collaboration. From large language models to automation, it enables businesses to identify emerging trends, tap into new markets and deliver personalized customer experiences. By becoming a digital leader, you can secure your position at the forefront of your industry. We empower organizations to embrace transformation, leverage digital capabilities and unlock their full growth potential.

IT Excellence

Cutting-edge IT infrastructure offers a high return on investment. It is a catalyst for success across almost all industries, improving security, resilience and value creation. By improving data analytics and process automation a business can run more efficiently and generate higher margins. Our consulting team can help craft a tailored IT strategy and execute a full IT transformation, including the shift to SAP's S/4HANA.

Analytics & Platform Solutions

Powerful digital technologies can drive informed decision making. We offer a compelling blend of technical skills and business insight to help turn complex data into insightful, actionable strategies. We offer end-to-end support, from developing data infrastructure to designing and implementing use cases. Whether improving operational efficiency, creating new revenue streams or enhancing customer experience, our data-driven solutions provide the right structure for your success.

Corporate Venture Building

Corporate venturing can accelerate growth, create more user-centric innovation, and tap into emerging technologies. It can also transform an entire company's culture and mindset. Yet, these efforts often fail to succeed or fulfil their potential. Roland Berger can help. We have extensive experience of successful business building across many industries, including automotive, telecommunications, and insurance. This enables us to provide comprehensive support in identifying and implementing the right approach.

Scaled Solutions

Digital transformation requires the integration of increasingly complex technologies. Our consulting services help you assess and optimize your IT, tools and processes. We offer software consulting, due diligence services for potential investors and software building for asset-based consulting and SaaS products. Our goal: to ensure technology is a strategic asset, not a liability.

Driving value through professional transactions and M&A advisory. Successful transactions are a core component of entrepreneurial value creation. Roland Berger has its own practice for corporate sales and mergers and acquisitions, also covering related investment banking issues such as financing and capital structure advisory. Our M&A consulting experts have supported more than 250 successful transactions and financial advisory deals over the last ten years, many of them cross-border.

Our specialized consultants help companies worldwide to understand the essence of value creation through transactions, offering guidance on how to maximize the selling price and make better investment and portfolio decisions. We are a leading strategic consultancy for all issues relating to both the sell-side and the buy-side of company sales and acquisitions. We advise industrial companies on the sale of non-core assets as well as carve-outs, or the divestment of subsidiaries for strategic reasons. In addition, we support family businesses with their sale in succession situations and advise private equity investors on the sale of portfolio companies. Our advisory service portfolio also includes distressed M&A, supporting insolvency administrators, trustees and creditors in the sale of companies in special situations.

The goal of our strategy consulting in the area of mergers and acquisitions is to ensure sustainable profitability and growth through strategic corporate portfolio management. We offer the entire range of merger and acquisition-related services, from supporting buyer companies and their management in the search for suitable takeover or merger candidates, to evaluating potential target companies and checking potential synergies from mergers. Our transaction experts then calculate a purchase price and handle all further process steps involved in acquiring the asset, even supporting post-merger integration (PMI).

Our mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and financial advisory experts offer independent strategy consulting, drawing on their expert financial knowledge and deep understanding of the latest trends and innovations. Their goal is to enable the management of our clients to keep matters in their own hands. We advise both buyers and sellers, providing support in areas such as: carve-outs, the search for target companies, cross-border transactions, PE-backed deal-making, company valuations, capital structure optimization, ESG (environment, social and governance) issues, identifying refinancing levers, market trends, macroeconomic uncertainty, and claims and liabilities management, including the moderation of stakeholder groups in the financing process.

Our partners and consultants have varied backgrounds in investment banking and can draw on the support of a broad network of leading financial and strategic investors, lawyers and insolvency administrators. They are well-versed in helping firms understand the contexts behind the figures and deal with the uncertainties of the current macroeconomic environment, with soaring inflation and skyrocketing interest rates. They can also connect them with global investors, industry experts and other firms – including takeover targets – around the world in order to optimize the value creation of deals.

As a globally active consulting firm, we not only have an eye on the worldwide markets and emerging trends but also expertise in a full range of industries. We combine our experience with mergers and acquisitions with the international industry expertise of a Tier 1 business consultancy. Our consultant teams use their knowhow and years of experience to ensure that any merger or acquisition deal is the best step for your company in the current market environment and the business entity's specific situation. Because a transaction only makes sense if our clients profit from it financially, operationally and strategically.

Our M&A / Financial Advisory consulting services

Our consultants provide clients with investment banking services for sell-side/buy-side mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and with financial advisory services for financing, capital structure optimization and financial restructuring.

Sell-side advisory

Our mergers and acquisitions (M&A) sell-side advisory services involve providing guidance to firms from all industries that are looking to sell their business or a portion of their assets. Our main objective in such projects is to maximize the value of the transaction for the seller and ensure its ultimate success. Our end-to-end mergers and acquisitions sell-side advisory services include valuation, preparation (including teasers, information memoranda and equity stories), buyer identification (long list and short list), due diligence, negotiation and transaction management, right up to signing and closing. Areas where our consulting experts can provide particular expertise include distressed situations (insolvency, trusteeship, turnaround), ShaaS solutions (shareholding-as-a-service as Plan B), succession (a new owner for the next generation) and corporate mergers and acquisitions (divestiture of non-core assets).

Buy-side advisory

On the buy side, our mergers and acquisitions advisory services focus on the acquisition of companies, business units and assets. Our main objectives here are to identify suitable target companies for acquisition by investors and then to facilitate successful transactions. Our mergers and acquisitions buy-side advisory services include acquisition strategy, target identification, due diligence, valuation analysis, negotiation, financing options (debt financing or equity investment) and transaction management. We are able to oversee the entire acquisition process, bringing in the expertise of our legal and financial advisors and ensuring a smooth closing.

M&A strategy

In the area of mergers and acquisitions strategy, our strategic consulting experts can help you to develop a comprehensive plan for your mergers and acquisitions activity in line with your specific objectives and geared towards business growth. The task here is to define the strategic goals and objectives that the firm hopes to achieve through its mergers and acquisitions activity, be that market expansion, diversification, exploiting synergies or simply achieving competitive advantage within its own industry. Our strategy consulting services include portfolio streamlining, corporate development, buy-and-build and joint ventures.

Financial Advisory

Our financial advisory services focus on evaluating the firm's ability to service debts, taking liquidity and capital structure into account. This includes using our expertise to optimize capital costs and identify refinancing levers, if necessary evaluating alternative sources and coordinating the various financing partners. In our advisory work we frequently develop financing concepts for finance-raising via banks, asset-backed lenders, private debt and promissory loans and bonds, including acquisition financing and project financing. Our debt restructuring consultants advise firms from all industries on how to restructure their existing debt obligations and improve cash flow, reduce interest costs and enhance their overall financial stability. This can involve negotiating with lenders, refinancing debt or modifying repayment terms.

Operational efficiency and effectiveness make all the difference in a competitive market. 

Never has the world in which businesses operate been changing as rapidly as it is today. Structural shifts in global markets, geopolitical instability, growing resource scarcity, fragile supply chains and sustainability issues are shaping the business landscape. At the same time, we are witnessing technological disruptions from artificial intelligence, blockchain and the Internet of Things that are massively changing established ways of life and business.

Companies have to find answers to all of these challenges – from high-level strategy to the most granular details of how they operate. Operations is not an end in itself – quite the opposite, operations is the backbone of any successful enterprise. It is the engine room where day by day decisions are made and remade about how future proof the company's business models are. Without efficient operations there can be no innovations, no R&D and no products. Operational efficiency and effectiveness have long been among the most decisive factors in competitive success and their importance will only continue to grow.

But how can we prepare for a future that we can hardly describe, let alone reliably plan? For a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous – or VUCA – world? How can companies become agile without sacrificing their strength? And how can they train their operations to be fit for an unclear future?

Roland Berger's answer to this comprehensive challenge is #OPERA 2030, a consulting model within which we have synthesized the guiding principles for robust and future-proof operations. Incorporating five key perspectives on operational processes and the strategy behind them, #OPERA helps our clients remain agile, adaptive and resilient even under challenging conditions.

O-pen up operations: Opening up the operations chain

P-erfect your value chain: Optimizing the value chain

E-mbrace digital: Embrace digital transformation

R-eorchestrate value generation: Realigning the value chain

A-ccelerate the learning game: Acceleration of learning processes

Transform. Perform. Succeed. RPT@Roland Berger. The future ahead of your company is more uncertain than ever. Pressure to adapt is increasing. That's why RPT@Roland Berger gives you comprehensive support in coping with entrepreneurial challenges – in day-to-day business operations, but also in special circumstances such as industry upheavals, changes in regulations or new capital requirements.

We are the partner of choice for strategic realignment, financial consolidation and operational excellence. Our name stands for proven strategies and successful implementation. We are the clear market leader in the German-speaking countries and hold a strong position in the global arena.

RPT@Roland Berger is the only full-service provider of European origin in the market for restructuring and corporate transformation. Our expert teams deliver end-to-end solutions in three key areas:

Restructuring

Companies and management teams that find themselves in advanced earnings or liquidity crises require rapid support in order to avert impending insolvency. In that scenario, stakeholders, particularly creditors and investors, demand a comprehensive turnaround: They want their companies to be repositioned in order to restore their profitability and to secure their loans and investments. Our holistic restructuring concept includes all corporate and non-corporate assets, optimizes the business of companies through cost reductions, and improves their financial situation by adjusting the balance sheet, which of course takes into account their debt situation and secures a healthy finance structure. Never losing sight of the big picture, we also tap into new revenue streams in order to prepare companies and their corporate structures for what the future holds.

We are the market leader for restructuring services in the German-speaking world and also hold a strong position in the international arena. We have earned an outstanding reputation among our clients as well as our industry peers. Over the years, we have been able to prevent insolvencies in both SMEs and large corporations and establish new sustainable structures. Our business restructuring concept focuses on three mutually reinforcing levers for value creation: strategic reorientation, operational restructuring, and financial restructuring. We help companies and their management resolve their most pressing (liquidity) issues, restructure their business systems, and regain the trust of their financial backers. Lastly, within the framework of special audits we evaluate companies' digital maturity and prepare them for potential disruptions, even from competitors outside of their own industry.

We thereby lay the foundation for sustainable business success based on competitive cost structures, innovation, and growth.

We offer the full range of business restructuring services and also provide support for (re)financing, for establishing new preventive restructuring frameworks, for external reporting, and for implementing such measures. Our restructuring professionals are at the top of their field with many years of project experience in numerous industries and regions. The restructuring of a company thereby becomes the starting point for change that targets and achieves a strategic objective with us as a partner and a sustainable business restructuring concept at its core.

It is not merely a matter of averting acute crises – ranging from liquidity shortage to an imminent inability to pay to over-indebtedness – and thereby averting imminent insolvency, but also establishing a business model for companies in distress and turnaround situations that will be successful in the long term. We also provide support for the orderly handling of insolvency proceedings as the final option when all other possibilities have been exhausted. A procedure professionally prepared together with our experts, such as through self-administration or a safety net, helps to secure and maximize assets for shareholders and creditors even in the event of insolvency. Our restructuring experts work together with the management team to develop corresponding strategies and ultimately achieve a sustainable change and an improvement in financial as well as operational performance.

We are committed to supporting companies and their stakeholders with a holistic and entrepreneurial restructuring concept to help them become robust in the future and strengthen their competitiveness long term. To ensure a successful business restructuring and ultimately a sustainable turnaround, we utilize our comprehensive toolkit that has proven itself in numerous crisis situations. In addition to liquidity, business, and scenario planning, it also encompasses all of the levers of financial and performance-related restructuring, including the establishment of a cash office to create maximum transparency concerning inflows and outflows of liquidity or the procurement of public forms of financial assistance such as guarantees, special programs, export credit guarantees, or short-time compensation.

Together with our clients we define a strategic objective and develop a sustainable concept that will satisfy the stakeholders. We then arrange for the systematic implementation of measures and their long-term safeguarding through the establishment of corresponding early warning systems, among other things. We thereby strengthen the resilience of a company and prepare it to handle future risks, crises, and disruptions.

Performance

Leveling up your business. Most companies – from large conglomerates to SMEs – face a wide set of challenges posed by rapid changes in the VUCA world and strategic questions arising out of the digital transformation or a changed market. By the time a business is in a crisis or special situation, it will be plain to see whether or not management took the right steps to achieve a substantially advantageous position in the market and against industry peers and actually managed to improve the performance and profitability of their enterprise long term. That is because economic downturns, intensified competition, or shifts in the market magnify any internal inefficiencies and strategic risks that may have gone unaddressed. The ability to achieve continuous performance improvement regardless of the ups and downs of the classical business cycle is thus what separates the winners from the losers.

Given the dynamic nature of our VUCA world, we advise clients not to leave performance improvements and efficiency gains until crisis strikes, but to invest in growth areas while the sun shines and establish a permanent culture of performance in their organization. Every management team, every executive must be conscious of the fact that the market forces every company to continually review their business strategy and target operating model in order to compete with their industry peers. Performance improvement is thus a constant necessity and not an end in itself.

Our integrated approach covers all aspects of maximizing operational performance: from strategy and business model to cost structures and business processes (in overhead, operations, and finance functions) to implementation support for transformational and transactional challenges such as performance culture and agility. We help companies improve their profitability in any stage of the business cycle and permanently increase the value of their company. For our clients, we conduct a systematic assessment of where they are right now and develop a tailor-made program to ensure their business success going forward.

Our P&L-driven performance improvement approach keeps all KPIs and their main drivers in focus at all times. The method enables our clients to tap new revenue sources and achieve significant cost savings across all areas of their company by increasing revenue development through a consistent customer focus and by identifying digitalization and automation potential, improving the organizational structure, and, last but not least, reducing SG&A costs.

We have a long track record of successful performance improvement programs and corporate transformations. Our teams work with SMEs and multinationals alike – always in a spirit of trust and cooperation. We make your company's problem our own and offer advice and support to increase the performance and efficiency of your organization in the best way possible. Performance improvement is not just a consulting tool for us, it is in our blood. It is the basis on which we ourselves have been able to survive and thrive in the market as an agile company over the past 50 years.

Boosting your organization - permanently. Shifting market parameters in a globalized world full of uncertainties are changing the business models of companies and organizations at ever shorter intervals. To remain competitive in the medium to long term, companies are constantly having to adapt their strategies, processes, and structures to new conditions. Digital transformation topics such as Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things, software platforms such as CRM and ERP, digital technologies such as AI and blockchain, and the new, often platform-based business models of online pure players continue to challenge business leaders to rethink their world and make their next steps transformative or even disruptive.

Other drivers of change include government regulations and new legal standards, innovative ways of working and collaborating – in line with the New Work principle – as well as employees wanting to work in a company with purpose and have constant opportunities for personal growth and continuing professional development. Added to that, growing numbers of internal and external stakeholders are demanding a sustainable strategy that complies with ESG (environmental, social, and governance) criteria, without which it is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to finance or refinance their business. At the same time, shareholders are pressing for ever better performance, higher profitability, and improved financial KPIs. Meanwhile, employee representatives and works councils are insisting on job security, good working conditions, and more co-determination. Successful corporate transformation thus requires a mastery of complexity.

To rise to these challenges, companies need to have a clear vision of their future and must work in close cooperation and alignment with all stakeholders. Effective communications across the entire team are imperative. Strong stakeholder management is the key to ensuring a smooth (digital) transformation and making sure that the management, supervisory bodies, and employees and their representatives all pull together to achieve the business's realignment.

A professionally managed process across all aspects of the transformation is absolutely essential to achieving successful change that the workforce and other stakeholders will want to get behind. With our support, you will be able to keep sight of customer needs and the business's long-term success and initiate a workforce transformation aligned with the core competencies and key skills the future demands. As consultants with the experience of hundreds of corporate transformations under our belt, we help our clients take the necessary steps towards a future-proof structure for their business. We work with management and consider the standpoints of significant stakeholders to develop strategies for the business's transformation, which we then guide and implement.

In a workshop or other collaborative setting, we work with our clients to design a suitable, lean, and agile organizational structure for their business, develop a clear HR strategy including delivery model, steer the entire organization through the digital transformation and other change processes, and build up the required leadership skills within the company, including through coaching and cultural audits. With our expertise as advisors, we also support stakeholder communications.

Depending on client needs, we either guide the processes or take the role of Chief Transformation Officer and manage them centrally. Zero-based redesign is also possible.

However, we understand that organizational challenges – particularly full-scale digital transformation – impact each company differently due to their unique characteristics, different business models, and diverse business environments. Working hand in glove with our experts in restructuring and performance improvement, we support the transformation of your organization to achieve higher adaptiveness and better competitiveness. Our transformation projects also benefit from the expertise of Roland Berger industry experts who will be familiar with the market trends, competitive environment, and benchmarks applicable to your industry and your company. With our global positioning, we cover all of the key industries and business sizes around the world and can thus offer a tailor-made solution to suit each client's individual situation.

We offer strong expertise in several areas closely related to corporate transformation. These include organization, people, and transformation and stakeholder communications. We can support you with scenario planning so that you are ready for any wild card or black swan events, however unlikely they may be. We also have essential experience of tackling the digital transformation of companies and business models, making change management work (including coaching), and working with agile methods.

Organization, people & transformation

With our seasoned team of consultants and experts experienced in the various business functions, we ensure organizational excellence for our clients by transforming their processes, workforce/HR, leadership style, and corporate culture. We can also guide the digitalization or digital transformation of your company and business lines as needed. We implement efficient overhead structures – particularly, a state-of-the-art HR function (which we can digitalize for you if required) with a modern service delivery model – and work closely with you to develop a human resources strategy that is in line with your corporate strategy and supports the business objectives. We plan staffing needs and workforce deployment using a proven approach that makes negotiations with employee representatives and labor unions easier and creates measurable P&L effects. We also keep an eye on SG&A costs and implement global business services or outsourcing models where appropriate.

Our key areas of expertise:

Strategic people management

• Talent management: All topics related to attracting and retaining employees; this includes driving state-of-the-art talent management, recruiting, learning, and development as well as establishing a strong employee value proposition. Talent Management also covers implementing a people-driven organization and enhancing the employee journey/experience
• Worforce transformation: Major global trends such as digitalization, scarcity of talent and changing business model lead to a constant need to reshape the workforce in terms of more efficient and effective ways of working - including skilles, roles, and allocations within the organization. Workforce transformation ranges from understanding the workforce demand (and supply based on strategic scenarios to performing a valid gap analysis and action planning, e.g. transformations of performance improvements, driving negotiatios with employee reps, or the feasibility / cost of reskilling / upskilling programs
• Culture and leadership: Large transformations require a shift in mindsets. Modern leadership models need to change and incentive systems are needed to foster the intended behavioral change. Culture and leadership also covers implementing a purpose-driven organization and establishing new ways of working to engage employees and their needs, e.g. across-generations
• Diversity & inclusion: Diversity and inclusion is a crucial topic requiring sponsorship and bold actions from top management. Setting clear and quantified objectives is key. Applying diversity in employer branding, cultivating corporate language, targeting work-life balance, and new ways of working are just some of the measures to embrace diversity and inclusion sustainably in the organization
• HR operating model: This aspect covers analyzing, benchmarking and designing the target operating model for the HR function, including HR strategy, products/services, processes, roles, and responsibilities, as well as the HR IT landscape and governance. The objective is to infuse people aspects with CEO/CHRO perspectives and CFO-related financial considerations to support business transformation while enabling efficiencies and automation where possible

Organizational transformation

Developing a target structure for your organization that takes into account the requirements around digitalization and the needs of the current and future business and fits the defined strategy; deriving any necessary transformation measures; guiding the change process and sharing best practices from our broad-ranging and diverse pool of consulting projects; targeted digital transformation of the entire company or individual areas such as Marketing, Engineering, or Production.

Change management

Developing and delivering interventions that encourage and empower managers and employees to behave in desired ways; promoting a corporate purpose; measuring the impact of interventions; applying a people and staff centered approach that combines practical experience with insights from neuroscience and other disciplines to create the motivation for change.

Overhead efficiency and corporate headquarters

Establishing lean, efficient, and agile overhead functions and reducing SG&A costs; applying insights-based approaches to modernize and digitalize the corporate headquarters, including establishing or optimizing global business services; state-of-the-art structures and (digital) processes for the business functions such as Finance, Marketing, and HR. This goes hand in hand with establishing or optimizing the corporate headquarters based on jointly defined needs, resizing the workforce accordingly, and ensuring the desired value-adding capabilities, such as digital expertise.

We help you make your company more efficient and powerful and support you in transforming it into a future-proof organization. We can also offer you the right solutions for your desired digital transformation.

Our in-depth knowledge on all aspects of organization, people, and transformation puts us in a position to advise corporations large and small, as well as public-sector institutions such as public utilities and hospitals.

Our goal is to make your company or organization fit for the future. Depending on project needs, the key to success may lie in reorganizing your corporate headquarters or digitalizing your processes, including workforce transformation. We help you define a transformation strategy and support you in delivering it, always with one crucial goal in mind: to ensure a successful corporate transformation.

Increased customer-centricity boosts topline performance. Successful sales and marketing organizations are the true experts when it comes to meeting customers' expectations. They know that decisions about advertising strategy, sales practices or promoting the company's products and services need to be driven by what customers really want – otherwise their marketing and sales effectiveness will be impacted.

A truly customer-centric strategy can drive top-line growth in times of increased competition and fast-changing consumer needs. As new channels for buying and selling evolve, more consumer touchpoints than ever need to be integrated into a company's sales and marketing approach. Players increasingly need a world-class marketing strategy and the ability to ensure a seamless customer journey. Price transparency, especially in e-commerce, has never been greater and customers can easily compare prices across different providers with the aid of price comparison sites. As a result, organizations need to find ways to carefully navigate their pricing as setting price points too high or too low can potentially depress revenue, today even more than in the past.

Besides focusing topline gains also generating bottom-line savings is possible: New technology can enable personalized offers for customers, better targeting, greater effectiveness in digital sales or digital marketing and lead to an optimization of the company's multi-channel strategy. Equally, smart or dynamic pricing and developments in ad tech mean that companies can achieve greater efficiency – particularly relevant given the rise in production costs across global supply chains, which are pushing up total costs for companies.

A customer-first approach

It has never been easier for customers to switch brands. To prevent them doing so, sales managers and marketers need to undergo a paradigm shift, with a new focus on providing an optimized buying process and customer journey across all relevant touchpoints. This can further mitigate the risks of rising customer acquisition costs and can also fuel top-line growth.

To cope with these profound changes, it is more important than ever for companies to have a clear strategy for their sales and marketing units and be prepared for what the future may bring. This involves defining a clear target picture for the organization, assessing the current setup to see if it has what it needs to achieve this target picture, drawing up a strategy and identifying specific levers for improvement.

As a leading consulting firm, Roland Berger can advise on a wide range of areas, from generating value-based pricing strategies, setting up a winning direct-to-customer (D2C) business model, optimizing media spend, enhancing digital sales and transforming the sales force. Below we provide a small selection of the many areas of expertise of our sales and marketing consultants.

Branding and brand purpose

What do you stand for and why should anyone care? These two questions encapsulate the importance of branding and brand purpose. The answers need to resonate with potential customers on a meaningful, emotional level. Best-in-class brands not only take a stand – for example, they take responsibility for their environmental footprint – they also tell a story that consumers can understand and clearly relate to.

Brand purpose also matters for consumers' trust and their willingness to pay a premium for the brand. Marketing teams must formulate them in concrete terms: In an increasingly transparent world, customers cannot be tricked by vague promises.

Distribution channels and omnichannel optimization

Direct-to-customer (D2C) sales are becoming indispensable within distribution, particularly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As online channels steadily grow, the potential for tapping new markets with additional offerings while strengthening the brand across channels is rising. As an addition to existing, traditional distribution channels, D2C offers a direct relationship with customers. It also generates significant amounts of valuable customer data across the digital touchpoints, which is vital for both optimizing marketing efforts and ensuring customer-centricity in a soon to be (third party) cookieless world.

However, the rise of multichannel and omnichannel connectedness also creates a strong need for touchpoint optimization along the entire customer journey. Done right, this strengthens customer loyalty and can help create greater customer lifetime value.

Digital and data-driven marketing

With higher digitalization and steady growth of D2C channels, sales and marketing organizations will have more data at their fingertips than ever before. Marketers can leverage this data to generate valuable insights into the customer journey and thereby secure significant competitive advantages, not just in areas such as personalization but also increased marketing efficiency – for example, through optimized budget allocation, an effective channel mix and automation of digital marketing.

Pricing

Our Global Center of Competence in Pricing, comprising experts from Roland Berger's Consumer and Digital & Analytics teams, has identified a number of key topics relevant for decision-makers. One such topic is the inflation and supply chain disruptions of 2022, which are pushing companies' costs up. When setting prices for their customers, players need to ask themselves – now even more than in the past – how much their customers are really willing to pay for their products and services and what share of their rising costs they can pass on to them. Decision-makers must also consider how rising costs will impact their business model long term and how they can exploit data analytics in their decisions about pricing.

Another key topic for decisions-makers is the possibility of exploiting the maximum price willingness of individual customers by applying dynamic pricing online – an effective lever for improving both top and bottom line. Dynamic pricing offline is also helpful, aligning prices with factors such as fluctuations in demand.

An important lever for dynamic pricing is having data available and being able to make sense of it. Data-driven companies can use what is known as "smart pricing" to achieve greater efficiency and pricing excellence. Companies that can be considered "dynamic pricing champions" also make good use of other modern pricing systems, such as auctions and experimental setups.

Sales and marketing organizations

Sales and marketing functions within companies are becoming more specialized as the number of different touchpoints grows. Increasingly, they require digital and data knowhow alongside legal expertise regarding GDPR, for example. With this in mind, management needs to pay close attention to how they organize these functions. Also, in regards to collaborating with external stakeholders the organizational setup is a key question: No one-size-fits-all setup exists for an ideal agency model – the best agency models need to be customized and adapted to the specific client situation. Besides working with an external agency model, we also see in-housing of certain capabilities, accelerating the building of necessary skills and competencies internally.

Sales force transformation

Changes in B2B buying behavior and increased digitalization as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have had an impact not just on companies' marketing strategies but also their sales organizations, sales practices and sales strategies. B2B selling is increasingly influenced by the approaches currently observable in B2C selling, such as the spread of marketplaces, especially in certain pioneering industries. These changes will likely expand to all industries and necessitate new sales strategies.

In terms of setup, companies' front/middle and back offices are becoming much more integrated, with new roles and responsibilities in day-to-day work. Building a world-class, unified salesforce out of individuals with different backgrounds and profiles can be challenging.

A look to the future of sales and marketing

Our consultants have their finger on the pulse when it comes to new trends impacting strategy at sales and marketing organizations – and enhancing the customer experience in any industry. Where do we see key trends that might shape the future of sales and marketing?

Fundamental shifts in technology

Greater omnichannel penetration, the rise of social media, the increasing number of consumer touchpoints and an explosion in consumer data mean that new technology based on AI (artificial intelligence) has enormous potential in sales and marketing. It is particularly useful in areas such as optimizing efficiency, growing ad tech, integrating dynamic pricing and ensuring a frictionless shopping experience for consumers.

New marketing formats

Increasingly, brands need to be present in new channels, one of the most prominent being the metaverse. This requires new, interactive content and communication approaches – in particular, a shift from mass to targeted advertising when it comes to the marketing strategy. In recent months, some renowned brands have also launched their own NFTs (non-fungible tokens), building on the ongoing cryptocurrency hype. New digital marketing formats and sales channels have also spread quickly, such as TikTok, retail media and influencer marketing, requiring appropriate media spend strategies and campaign management approaches from marketers.

Blockchain

Blockchain technology has potential for broad application in marketing due to its ability to store and distribute digital information with maximum transparency. It is expected to boost the efficiency of various marketing fields, cut costs and accelerate operations. For example, advertisers can use blockchain technology to minimize ad fraud and increase levels of transparency for ad spend. It also makes it possible for management to keep up the pace when it comes to tracking ad inventory and ensure its quality – in an age where speed is a critical factor.

Our solutions help our clients strengthen their competitive advantage and accelerate their journey to net zero. Companies and organizations are facing an urgent need to improve their environmental impact. To help them rise to this strategic challenge, Roland Berger provides a wide portfolio of consulting services. Supported by our global network, our cross-disciplinary teams work with clients of all sizes from both the public and the private sector to identify how their business is impacted by environmental developments. At the same time, our experts help them spot new opportunities, facilitate their decision-making, implement proven approaches and initiatives and develop new, disruptive solutions. With our support and expertise, clients can rest assured of their future competitiveness

Below, we list the main areas where we offer innovation-driven consultancy services in sustainability and climate action. Drawing on our global resources, our sustainability consulting teams provide thought leadership, analytical insight and tailored strategic solutions for organizations. Our portfolio ranges from quick sustainability checks and fast footprinting of your Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions to holistic products, such as sustainability, circular economy or waste management strategies and deep dives into decarbonization or green value monetization.

Sustainability checks

Quick sustainability checks

We offer a number of "quick sustainability checks" to give you insight into your current progress on the road to net zero. For example, our Quick Climate Check assesses your existing sustainability and climate action strategy, identifies any risks of failing to meet related decarbonization and other sustainability targets based on your current trajectory, and helps you draw up a hands-on plan to mitigate those risks. Our consulting service portfolio also includes a Quick Regulation Risk Check, a Quick Portfolio Check to diagnose your current sustainability position and scan your organization for untapped business potential, and a Quick Climate Impact Risk Check.

Fast footprinting

We can conduct a solid but swift estimation of your organization's Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, allowing you to lay the foundations for your future corporate sustainability and

Climate action impulse

We provide you with a high-level sustainability overview of your industry and an outside-in emissions analysis of your organization, benchmarking your ambition level against global competitors and highlighting key areas for you to decarbonize across your emissions scopes.

Sustainability strategy

Our sustainability consultants can help you develop an ESG strategy by setting ambition levels within defined strategy fields, defining initiatives and lighthouse projects along detailed implementation roadmaps and establishing sustainability governance. We also help you develop an SDG strategy, that is a company-wide vision based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework. We provide relevance assessment and prioritization of all 17 SDGs for your organization, develop a holistic sustainability strategy based on the SDG framework and set up best-practice tracking tools to achieve its efficient implementation.

Waste management strategy

Effective waste management is imperative for environmental protection. Resources that can be recovered through the circular economy and sound waste-management practices are critical for our future. Green solutions are particularly critical in industries that are resource heavy. Our team work with you to co-create an effective sustainable waste management strategy, saving you money at the same time as reducing your contribution to climate change and air and water pollution.

Circular economy strategy

The concept of a circular economy involves minimizing material usage, reimagining materials, products, and services to be less resource-intensive, and repurposing waste as a valuable resource for the production of new materials and products. Our experts help you improve circularity by rethinking design, ownership and material flows across your entire value chain.

Sustainable business transformation

Fully integrating climate action into a firm's operating model, corporate culture and go-to-market approach is no simple task. Our strategic sustainability consulting experts help you bring climate action to life across your entire company, from an organization perspective, governance and HR policies to product development, the supply chain and relationships with customers and other stakeholders. We support this process with efficient progress monitoring tools – everything you need to ensure the realization of your long-term climate action targets.

Holistic adaptation strategy

Some of the effects of climate change cannot be avoided. Pressure from regulators, investors, customers and other stakeholders will also increase. We provide you with an end-to-end, holistic adaptation strategy to reduce the negative impacts of this change and to take advantage of opportunities that may arise.

Biodiversity strategy

Roland Berger supports clients in developing conservation strategies, and to establish new protected areas and nature reserves. We also support you in assessing the impact of businesses and projects on biodiversity and developing ESG strategies to mitigate it.

Decarbonization of scope 1, 2 & 3

Depending on the industry your company is in, reducing scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions may be a key challenge. Our consultants work with your management team to develop a comprehensive, data-driven climate action strategy focusing on your scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions to help you achieve your near-term and long-term decarbonization targets. We also offer a number of advisory services aimed at specific areas of decarbonization. Thus, the Roland Berger Transportation Decarbonizer supports you in tackling the challenges of logistics decarbonization while retaining business value, the Roland Berger Energy Decarbonizer helps you reduce and decarbonize your energy consumption, and the Roland Berger Supply Chain Decarbonizer aims to holistically reduce your upstream scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services.

Carbon capture (utilization) and storage

Carbon capture (utilization) and storage (CC(U)S) is not an alternative to mitigation, but a necessary piece of the global journey towards a net-zero economy. The recognition that CC(U)S has a pivotal role to play in the world's battle against global warming has come with increasing concerns and awareness around climate change. The adoption of carbon capture technologies is accelerating, with the cost decreasing and increased funding being committed to CC(U)S projects. Our experts help understand the implications for infrastructure operators and investors, and support you in leveraging the potential of CC(U)S.

Green value monetization

Decarbonizing your own products can be financially beneficial, attract investors and satisfy concerned stakeholders. Some of today's business models will not work in a decarbonized future for a variety of reasons, and at the same time new niches will appear. We help you monetize the value of carbon reduction in your products by means of CO2 value pricing. We can also help you develop a climate business model fit for the net zero economy.

De-risking clean tech investments

While the technical maturity of clean (low-carbon or no-carbon) technologies is close, commercial viability requires the acceleration of consolidated demand. Our sustainability consultants assist you in building a partner ecosystem to ensure cost-effective scale-up of investments in clean technologies.

Our end-to-end transaction service supports clients every step of the way. Transactions are an integral part of sustainable corporate value creation. From actively managing the business portfolio and preparing and executing carve-outs and post-merger integrations, to building alliances and joint ventures – we support businesses across the entire transaction lifecycle to maximize value at every step.

Post-merger integration

Every post-merger integration (PMI) is unique and needs a tailored strategy based on its specific environment, deal rationale, synergy targets and corporate culture. Roland Berger supports you at every step, from developing a tailored PMI approach to comprehensively exploiting all synergies post-closing. Our PMI consulting is centered around three commitments to help you turn your PMI into a success. With value creation at the heart of every step of our PMI approach, we help you to capture your full transactional potential. We also enable you to set up the right project governance, as milestones can only be reached, and all relevant aspects considered, with the right steering. Lastly, people and culture are every organization’s key asset in PMI; we pledge to involve all relevant stakeholders and ensure their buy-in.

Carve-out

Carve-outs are often the solution to a wide range of business challenges, from raising capital amid rising interest rates and reducing debt burden, to streamlining your focus on core business operations. Roland Berger can guide you through the entire carve-out process and ensure you fulfill your transaction objective. We unlock the potential and maximize the value of the carved-out entity with the long-term valuation and profitability of the Remain Co and the carve-out unit in mind. We assist you in mastering the complexity of the transaction with our in-depth understanding of the strategic, operative and financial separation considerations. And we also safeguard your business continuity by prioritizing a seamless transition

Alliances & joint ventures

Alliances and joint ventures (JVs) can be a key facilitator for accelerated growth, enhanced reliability and increased efficiency. Roland Berger can help you to achieve and leverage your objectives in terms of expertise and knowledge exchange, market and network access, and financial or operative flexibility. Throughout our comprehensive alliance and JV approach, we emphasize sustainable value creation for all involved parties – from strategy formulation and execution to final alliance or JV implementation. We are also your partner for handling all complexities of the transaction on the investor or JV side.

Portfolio management

Companies that regularly revise and actively manage their portfolios outperform the competition by strengthening the business areas that create the most value. Roland Berger can support you in developing a portfolio strategy aligning your vision with execution for tangible results. We help you define your target portfolio by identifying attractive growth segments and systematically analyzing strategic options based on the latest market insights. To put your portfolio strategy into action, we develop tailored buy-and-build strategies to position your company for future growth and realize synergies. We also support you in protecting competitive advantages by defining strategies on how to win in specific fields and optimizing resource allocation across portfolio businesses accordingly. For non-core businesses, we formulate exit strategies to ensure a streamlined portfolio and generate funds for investments in businesses with the highest strategic potential.