Current situation in the industry

The high raw materials and energy prices on one hand and the new requirements of the OEM's to the technology expertise and investment willingness of suppliers on the other hand combined with a trend to declining margins lead to an increased wave of consolidation and thus increasing mergers among suppliers. M & A transactions require careful preparation and support, especially in the so-called post-merger integration phase. Studies on mergers and acquisitions show that the failure rate due to cultural differences and management failures in the integration phase amount to 50 - 60% of all transactions.

Typical projects (Examples

• A responsible accompanied integration of an acquired commercial mid-sized vehicle manufacturer into an international, publicly traded Automotive Group (in particular with regard to the harmonization of business processes, IT landscape, controlling systems, the organizational structure).

Achievement

Crucial to the success of integration was the harmonized interaction of "strategy", "culture" and "structure" as a holistic change management approach. This approach was based on a self-consistent implementation of the management-, controlling- and IT-system with clear responsibilities, management by objectives and performance measures. Another important success factor for the post-merger integration was an effective early-implemented project and communication management with a consistent integration of planning and a visible involvement of top management.

Why ABTF?

Integration projects do not usually include the daily business and experience of business, also the necessary management resources are often not available. Here ABTF as an external, neutral management service provider for the program or project management adds value to be a relevant practical know-how partner to solve complex transactional tasks!
 
A key finding is that practical, tailor-made concepts and measures for the integrated problem solving of transaction phases require the early involvement of employees in the planning and implementation process in order not to allow any change resistors to come up. Therefore ABTF takes particular care in the selection and integration of responsible Interim Managers that they have the necessary, long-term operational management experience and social skills! Here we differ fundamentally from traditional management consultants!

Our range of services in the context of the monitoring of pre-and post-company transactions includes:

• Financial increase in value (so-called "financial engineering")
• Operational appreciation
  
  • Increased efficiency
  • Business restructuring
  • Sale of non-core businesses (spin-offs / spin-offs of company divisions, formation of "pool companies")
• As part of the transaction phase and business valuation:
  
  • Support for the "Commercial and Technical Due Diligence" by our commercial and technical industry experts
• In the context of post-merger integration also:
  
  • Support for the development of the integration strategy
  • Redesign of business processes (including compatibility of the core activities)
  • Optimize the management structure and processes (including controlling)
  • Support for the unification of the corporate culture