Cases of Impact: Strategy, Business and Function Development
- Five units of an automotive parts supplier, located in different Asian countries, join with a pan-Asian strategy process and systematically share resources. ➔ Gaining market share and developing new customers.
- A global automotive manufacturer globalizes the manufacturing strategy. A team determines the requirements of product segments and develops the profile of competences needed globally to gain a footprint advantage. ➔ Local plants turn into a global manufacturing network, gaining advantages of responsiveness and cost.
- An automotive supplier rebuilds the strategy process, connecting it to a quarterly global management meeting, determining and monitoring strategic initiatives. Segment-champions are institutionalized who set up and lead initiatives, creating new business results and developing processes. ➔ A global network of the segment produces large-scale entrepreneurial success.
- An U.S. manufacturer of engine parts restructures his divisions. Newly assigned business managers develop clear strategies at segment level within 90 days. Then, strategic product development initiatives are launched, producing tangible technical breakthroughs within 120 days. ➔ New segments and attractive customers are developed, position as technology leader is renewed, a seasoned strategist leads each business, forming a global management team.
- A classical construction company refocuses on a selection of attractive niches with customers who value deep service offerings. By realigning core processes with these services the profitability of projects is regained and new business developed. ➔ A turnaround is achieved, with healthy growth in a generally unattractive market.
- A publisher of learning systems redefines the business strategy with focus on only a few key segments. He concentrates sales power on the most attractive customer segments and dramatically improves service benefits for them. The company improves its position from strong to market leader role within a year. ➔ Improved profitability renews relations with investors opening new space for growth.
- A provider of diversified education services opens up new business segments and linked sales, grouping these into clusters of process related to existing business areas, defining focused goals and streamlining processes. ➔ More effective product development and customer targeting leads to growth in the targeted areas.
- A Swiss bank joins regional managers in a new strategy process for private banking, developing new processes of selling and relating to customers and redefining service packages, focusing on sustainable segments. ➔ The new focus leads to a position in attractive, formerly untargeted segments.
- An Austrian retail bank, in a fundamental strategy process, decides not to acquire banks in Slovenia, but to build a new institute from scratch, starting with four employees and crossborder business. According to a strategic plan and focused initiatives a new retail player in Slovenia is built up with cost advantages based on ideally lean processes. ➔ A value in the three-figure million € range has been created.
- The controlling department of a large retail insurer fundamentally overhauls the service portfolio, improving impact on processes of internal clients and users. ➔ Significantly increased influence of the division leads to a development of decision quality.
- A regional grocery chain turns around the profitability of a segment of convenience stores by streamlining the concept and accordingly launching a breakthrough project with high co-worker-involvement. ➔ A sub-brand is clearly positioned, the business model of the stores is refurbished, the losses are stopped.
- A packaged consumer goods manufacturer relying on a very traditional high-value brand looks for direction to develop new markets. Management teams and focused strategy groups interact and redefine purpose, segmentation and core competences. Business segment responsibility is newly defined. ➔ Increased dynamics of product development and sales, new product positioned in highly competitive segments.
- A hair care brand manufacturer with stagnating growth develops innovative strategies for each of the channels served, repositions products, clears the product portfolio and installs business segment leaders. Important strategic initiatives for customers are realized. ➔ The company becomes one of the most profitable businesses of the global corporation.
- A manufacturer of air compressors, seeking new areas for growth, launches a strategy process. The management team forms into strategy groups and identifies market potential. While managing growth initiatives, a system for leading and navigating the strategy is developed, turning into coherent practice. ➔ The strategy plan is widely realized through new initiatives and more focused processes.
- A manufacturer of vacuum pumps is strongly focused on the food packaging segment and enjoys a stable leadership position. In order to transfer concept and strengths to adjacent markets, strategy teams identify potential for new customer benefit and design matching business processes, being built up through focus projects. ➔ Significant and profitable growth in new process applications of vacuums is realized.
- The management team of a large catering systems provider sits down and overhauls the restaurant concepts for different types of customer need structures. Key types of systems are defined as platforms to develop leaner and more focused service concepts. ➔ New offerings are realized with existing customers; a new restaurant type has successfully been established.
- A public utility defines a coherent structure of seven business areas to manage the service portfolio. Business strategies are formulated and management responsibility is defined. Each business area, under the new leadership, realizes breakthrough strategic goals, corroborating the strategy. ➔ New growth is achieved, based on focused activities and dedicated segment leadership.
- A national provider of development cooperation services defines strategies to build position in newly defined business areas, building a deeper, interlinked service portfolio. Under the guidance of a team of division heads, seven rapid result projects actuate the strategies and attain breakthroughs. ➔ New position and visibility in target markets plus a new management process for strategy formation and realization become effective within nine months.
- The product development unit of a development cooperation services provider sharpens its portfolio of professional services and enhances the effectiveness for their internal partners. ➔ Service impact and partner satisfaction increased.
- A pharmaceutical manufacturer makes use of a product launch to align the strategy with the changing demand of the health system. A process for strategic definition and product launch is being defined and becomes proven practice. ➔ Success of launches and re-launch becomes a competitive advantage.
- A "big pharma“-company steps into a new business area with a new product. The market entry strategy concentrates on how the processes of treatment providers and patients can be improved with the utilization of the product. ➔ Competitive advantage through focused services beyond product benefits is realized.
- A leading national newspaper re-aligns its IT-strategy for business administration. A new level of collaboration on the departmental as well as the management level is needed. The IT-strategy process becomes a platform to bring forward the business strategy. ➔ A complex system decision becomes effective. A strategic decision process has been formed.
- A large regional newspaper develops innovative offerings in an array of fine-tuned segments of regional customer needs. A process of rapid strategizing and prototyping allows the employment of talent for proactive moves to develop new markets. ➔ Additional revenue is generated; customer loyalty is enhanced.
