Return to profitability and swift handling of deficit orders
Company for special engineering / plant automation (plant manufacturing, feeder and test technology)
Period:
06/2018 to 05/2021
Turnover:
> 30 Mio. €
Workforce:
Approx. 250
Client situation leading to appointment of Interim Manager:
- Losses over years threatening the survival of the company
- Massive problems in project acquisition and
-realization - Shortcomings in terms of order accounting and assessment of technical and commercial project risks
- Shortcomings in the “mindset” of the organisation and its processes
Customer base
- Medical technology
- Automotive
- Elektronics
- Fittings manufacturers
- Special machine manufacturers (feed and test technology)
Assignment:
-
- Return to profitability
- Swift termination of deficit orders
- Assuring of proper accounting and creation of a timely and correct reporting / order calculation system
- Revision of the order acceptance, risk assessment and order processing process
- Preparation of the divestment of the company
- Participation in the M&A negotiations
Measures:
-
- Reorganisation of the Finance and Controlling department (timely, meaningful reporting, definition of KPIs)
- Tight cost and liquidity management
- Revision of preliminary, ongoing and post-calculations
- Establishment of a compliance structure in Accounting and Production
- Strict tracking of technical and commercial project handling (technical / commercial order control)
- Involvement of credit insurers as part of risk management
- Alignment of insurance policies with the risk profile of the company and market requirements while simultaneously reducing costs
- Complete redesign of the technical IT infrastructure
- Elimination of maintenance shortcomings in production
- Introduction of ISO 14001 / 9001 re-certification
- Changing the “mindset” in the company to an open transparent management culture across all management levels
- Streamlining the organisation by the removal of a management level
- Reorganisation / reduction in personnel to lower structural personnel costs
- Preparation for the sale and supervision of due diligence
Special challenge:
- Coping with the coronavirus crisis in a high-risk area
- Changing the “mindset” and management culture
- Alteration of the IT infrastructure after a cyber-attack
