«Success by shared knowledge and experience»
Jürg Schmidli, Senior Manager
Success Stories
In a nutshell: examples of Consenec’s success.
Welldone
Globally successful
Mastered in brilliantly
Interim Management
Client: A major international technology company
Job: Leading the European business, a unit with 17 factories and approximately 4,000 employees
Duration: June 2020 until further notice
The Consenec senior manager is responsible for merging regional units Central and Southern Europe and Northern Europe and establishing efficient management practices. The merger also involves streamlining structures, consolidating locations, relocating products, and further expanding the sites in Eastern Europe. At the same time, an engineering service center with 250 well-qualified engineers is being set up in India. Thanks to the improved cost structure, the unit sees significant growth and a substantial increase in earnings. During the same period, the senior manager oversees the carve-out from the former group and leads the integration into the new company for the units reporting to him. The introduction of a global, company-wide ERP system is scheduled for the coming year.
Client: A major international company for liquid filtration technologies
Job: Leading the company in the role of general manager with the aim of improving business structures and processes and to further develop the company
Duration: 12 months
The Consenec senior manager is in charge of operational activities in collaboration with the key staff at the company. He introduces a new organizational structure with clearly delineated duties and responsibilities and adjusts structures to enable the realization of ideas for developing new product applications, including marketing measures. He works with the newly recruited finance officer to optimize administrative processes. In addition, monthly reporting and talent management processes are established.
Client: A founding company
Job: Management of supply chain, logistics, and compliance during a phase of growth and change
Duration: 18 months
In addition to managing operational activities of the five business units on site, the Consenec senior manager is in charge of strategic projects. Together with the local team, he further develops skills and know-how, analyzes processes, and implements improvement strategies. As interim manager, he is also responsible for the total cost of ownership in the supply chain as well as for logistics, for securing the availability of materials in production, and for observing trade and compliance requirements.
Client: A founding company
Job: Interim management of unit for supply chain, management and logistics Member of unit’s management team
Duration: 8 months
The company produces tailor-made bushings for international clients. The Consenec manager joins the unit’s management team and takes on leadership of the division. He is responsible for optimizing processes and introducing new suppliers; in addition, new approaches to replacing key components must be evaluated. At the same time, the SAP migration must be successfully completed. In the area of logistics, the Consenec consultant works with inhouse and external resources to plan and implement the 2020 warehouse concept, which requires some 12,000 square meters of space to be reorganized, both on site and at external locations. Regarding human resources, the job is to hire and train new purchasing and logistics staff as well as employees for leadership positions.
Client: A global industrial plant manufacturer domiciled in Switzerland.
Job: Process analysis. Identification of weaknesses up to the production of turnkey systems (EPC). Leading plant engineering during the restructuring phase
Duration: 10 months
The company is undergoing a major restructuring – shifting from delivering products to becoming a global supplier of turnkey systems (EPC). The Consenec senior manager verified the management processes with the business units involved and identified weak spots. Together with the company CEO and the project manager, he analyzed recommendations within the current projects. Overarching interfaces of business units in general, with a focus on engineering (basic and detail), were strengthened or newly designed. Following the restructuring of the company, the Consenec senior manager was involved in daily business as interim head of the division plant engineering. He shared responsibility for recruiting and onboarding the new head of division as well as for hiring specialists for the individual engineering divisions.
Client: A larger international Swiss company
Job: Managing research and development
Duration: 20 months
As interim head of R&D with five locations in Europe and Asia, the Consenec senior manager introduced stricter oversight of costs and project progress, and initiated regular meetings for the management team. Project management and capacity planning were improved, processes were newly structured, and quarterly reviews for company management were organized. All measures led to a marked increase in transparency and a major reduction of errors in planning and forecasting.
Client: A Swiss real estate company (SME with 80 employees)
Job: Management
Duration: 12 months
Following a departure in upper management at the real estate company, the Consenec manager temporarily took on the leadership role. To ensure robust daily operations and healthy customer/client relations, the interim manager first introduced confidence-building measures and actively cultivated client contact. Finding a new manager was one of the major tasks – a task that was successfully concluded with the hiring and onboarding of the new company head. Other priorities included framing a road map for information processing and modifying the organizational structures in view of responsibilities and succession planning as well as implementing decisions in the area of human resources. In addition, the annual report was given a new basis. To guarantee the continuity of the new measures, the Consenec Senior Manager was appointed to the real estate company’s board of directors.
Client: An international technology group
Job: Management
Duration: 12 months
It’s just a little over a year ago that the long-serving manager of an international technology group joined Consenec. Unfortunately, his successor at the previous firm has been forced to take leave due to illness. It’s not yet clear how long the new CEO will be absent — or whether he’ll ever be able to return to his post. The technology company contacts Consenec and just one week later, the senior manager is sitting at his old desk. He’ll be leading the company until the new CEO returns. Or until another successor is found.
Operational Excellence
Client: A founding company
Job: Technical support during testing and approval phase
Duration: 3–4 months
The new long-distance trains of Switzerland’s federal railway system are required to pass special tests before they can be approved for use. A key aspect is testing the interaction between the traction control system and the torsion vibration behavior of the wheel sets. The interrelationships are very complex, with the behavior of the system depending on the degree of friction between wheels and tracks – which, in turn, varies according to location, time of day or year, and the weather conditions. Thanks to his extensive knowledge of these systems, the Consenec senior manager was able to introduce more efficient and reliable test drives and analyses. This led to substantially better planning, which was of major importance to the client because the test phase and approval process followed a tight schedule. The entire task was conducted in close cooperation with experts from the client’s team, which enabled a targeted transfer of know-how and promoted system-specific skills within the company.
Client: A medium-sized high-tech company
Job: Assessment of management procedures and coaching individual leaders
Duration: 3 months
The client is a relatively young and innovative company whose founders had sold and withdrawn from the business. The new owner charged a team of long-term employees and new hires with leading the company. Although the strategic position of the business improved significantly after being sold to a global organization, expectations increased massively.
Rapid growth and several infrastructure projects placed high demands and heavy pressure on the entire company – specifically on the new management team whose members had assumed extremely demanding tasks and often new responsibilities. In addition to the large challenges, internal tensions hampered the management processes.
Konrad Wirthensohn was asked to draft a situation analysis and to develop measures to realize improvements, which he delivered within four weeks. For the rest of his mandate, he focused on providing support and coaching services to individual members of the management team.
Client: A founding company
Job: Project management and controlling
Duration: 12 months
The Consenec manager analyzed project management and controlling in several of the client’s business units and located the optimal “best-in-class” processes. He acted as a know-how hub in the individual units and communicated his “best practice” experiences in the form of successful methods. This was done quickly and efficiently with the result that, due to prompt recognition and reactions, a significant increase in quality was registered in project reviews. In addition, the improvements in opportunity and threat assessment lowered the amount of reserves required. The cost of error was reduced, leading to better gains and ultimately to strengthening the business units in global competition.
Client: A pan-European automotive supplier
Job: Support for the expansion of IT, development and production
Duration: 6 months
The client is a family enterprise that produces mechanical parts widely used in the European automotive industry. However, recent years have seen a drop in sales, while the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the procurement of components and raw materials. In addition, the company patron has decided to retire and hand the reins to the next generation, which plans to modernize and grow the firm’s IT, development, and production units. One focus is seeking additional suppliers to minimize the risk of material shortages. Other goals include developing new products and accessing new markets. The Consenec senior manager advises the new management team, which benefits from the broad experience he gained at a technology company — from setting up and managing a new factory, for example, or in his role as production manager in Europe and Asia.
Sales und Marketing
Client: Business unit in a founding company
Job: New product line
Duration: 25 days
This job was to introduce a new product line. First, a needs analysis was required, for which the Consenec manager developed a professional marketing and production strategy. Because the company plans to transfer production to a local unit at a later date, a detailed plan was designed for this purpose. At project completion, business was going according to plan – both the introduction of the product line and the production transfer.
Strategy
Client: A Board of Trustees
Job: Advising while implementing a change of business model
Duration: 4 month
The company is withdrawing from providing occupational pension plans; in the future, the company will focus on semi-autonomous solutions in which participating companies bear investment risks. Chronic low interest rates, increasing cross-subsidization of pensioners by active employees, and investment restrictions led to the reorientation. Consent was required not only from management but also from the Board of Trustees of their Foundation for Occupational Benefits. The Consenec senior manager supported the Board in the various issues surrounding the change..
Client: A Swiss City
Job: Plan for provision of services
Duration: 3 months
The City is working to position its educational institutions so that qualified employees for the local economy can be secured. As part of these efforts, the city works with economic stakeholders and educational institutions to create optimal conditions for vocational further training, higher vocational education, and adult education. Thanks to his experience in these areas, the Consenec senior manager was able to develop a strategy for the professional provision of services.
Project Management
Client: A founding company
Job: Preparation, mediation, and follow-up of a team workshop
Duration: 1 month
In 2014, a business unit defined its “Strategy 2020” in the context of the company’s overarching strategy. At the start of 2018, a workshop for leaders was held to reassess and recalibrate the existing plan. In collaboration with the head of the unit, the Consenec senior manager prepared the workshop, took part as moderator, and summarized the results and action plans. In the process, he relied on his broad experience in designing and implementing strategies; during the workshop he kept the team on track. The feedback session showed clearly that the outside perspective offered by an experienced senior manager was a great advantage.
Client: A founding company
Job: Managing a large international bidding process
Duration: 12 months
India’s state railway is planning the acquisition of passenger trains over the next 20 years, in cooperation with industrial partners. The Consenec senior manager oversaw the bidding team, which was distributed across several continents. At the same time, he directed the comprehensive service package vis-à-vis suppliers and Indian Railways, in direct collaboration with the partner responsible for the comprehensive service package.
Client: A Swiss power supply company
Job: Development of a potential analysis for acquisitions
Duration: 6 months
The Consenec senior manager worked with the staff responsible for acquisitions to analyze the status quo. Based on a needs and a SWOT analysis, they determined the acquisition procedures and located cost-saving potential. Various courses of action were designed, and “low-hanging fruits” were named for immediate implementation. The project results were summarized in an acquisition strategy paper.
Client: A large Swiss company
Job: Implementation of a free-trade agreement
Duration: 6 months
In mid-2015, EFTA and the GCC states signed a free-trade agreement that, among other things, foresees preferential treatment of goods of Swiss origin. The client ships a large part of its products to the Gulf countries and required support in implementing the new agreement. In a first step, the Consenec senior manager analyzed the agreement and took stock of all potential projects as well as potential savings in current and future dealings. Then, he worked with the various project managers, their superiors, and the representations from the countries involved to develop client-specific strategies with the aim of optimizing the benefits of the free-trade agreement. In individual projects, the Consenec manager was personally involved in the negotiations with the purchasers of the goods. Already before the job was completed, it was clear that the client would realize significant savings.
Client: A regional electricity supplier
Job: Risk analysis
Duration: 3 months
“Can we guarantee that our customers have access to an uninterrupted power supply?” To answer this question, the management of a regional electric company commissions a risk analysis. A Consenec senior manager leads the project team with the aim of reviewing — and, where necessary, optimizing — existing partnerships and supply chains.
After four months, the senior manager is ready with a detailed risk report that includes pragmatic solutions, which he presents to the client’s management team and board of directors. He also draws up a provisional plan of action and a communication strategy for the worst-case scenario of a blackout. The client is so impressed with the Consenec manager’s work that he’s asked to remain in an advisory capacity during the implementation process.
Individual Consulting
Client: An international high-tech company
Job: Coaching and supporting a project manager during a demanding project phase
Duration: 6 months
The Consenec senior manager offered hands-on support to the young head of an internal project team during a demanding project phase. The senior manager advised his coachee in all important matters. Together, they discussed major activities and prepared meetings with the project team and the steering committee. Upon completing the project on time, the selected approaches and the quality of execution were assessed as very good.
Finance
Client: A governmental unit
Job: Leading a team to implement Covid-related measures
Duration: 8 months
The client has developed a web-based application for processing financial aid payments to companies adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Consenec senior manager takes over the team responsible for these services. He remains in charge of paying out these benefits in accordance with the relevant guidelines until the program is discontinued; all activities are coordinated with the responsible governmental offices.
Human Resources
Client: A founding company
Job: Leading a global HR business partner organization for all business and support functions
Duration: 13 months
After transferring to Consenec, the senior manager retained her former position in order to secure the change processes that covered all global roles beyond the successful conclusion of the project. She led both strategic projects as well as operative activities of an international HR organization, continued to build-up global HR competence, and coached potential successors. She ensured that two main priorities – greater “talent bench strength” and quality of services – were realized and that a future director was nominated from within the company.
Client: A large Swiss energy company
Job: Managing HR group
Duration: 12 months
During the interim leadership of the HR group, the Consenec manager reorganized the occupational pension plan, revised the strategy for remunerating the management team, and prepared a restructuring within a cost-reduction program. In addition, the manager modernized the severance package and supported the CEO in further developing the company’s business culture.
IT
Client: Unit of an international technology company
Job: Migration of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System into a new corporate environment
Duration: 6 months
Throughout the ERP migration project, the Consenec senior manager ensures that both companies are operational on day 1 – at the start of the 2021 financial year – and that there are no major interruptions in the target ERP system. Fully functional business processes with all connected interfaces must be guaranteed within the target ERP system; here it is important that the data migrated from the source ERP to the target ERP are validated and that the organization is operational in the new system. The Consenec manager ensures that key internal and external stakeholders are kept up to date on the main changes.
Client: A founding company
Job: Project management IS Workstream
Duration: 10 months
As communicated in December of 2018, the company is focusing its portfolio on digital industries and, in an initial step, selling 80.1 percent of its power grid business. To prepare for the divestment, inhouse power grid units are transferred and converted into an independent organization. A core part of the process is separating IT systems. The Consenec senior manager is charged with leading the separation of all IT systems (ERP systems, applications, and IT infrastructure).
Mergers & Acquisitions
Client: An international technology company
Job: Transfer and integration of an existing business unit into a new company
Duration: 10 months
The Consenec senior manager is in charge of transferring and integrating an existing business unit into a new company. All legal, organizational and operational aspects must be taken into account. He introduces all measures necessary for ensuring the smooth running of operational capacities and client relations during the change processes.
Client: An internationally leading technology company
Job: Project management and management tasks in separating a large business division, establishing it as an independent entity, and incorporating it in an international joint venture
Duration: 18 months
Before the division is sold, the business units affected as well as all associated responsibilities are separated into two independent divisions and incorporated into a newly created body corporate, which is transferred to a global joint venture structure. The Consenec senior manager and a colleague lead a team of specialists and subproject leaders who are responsible for the establishment of governance structures and processes, the separation of all operational roles, and for supporting future management on the path toward full operational independence.
Client: A leading global technology company
Job: Project leadership and management to separate a business division and establish it as an independent entity in preparation for a joint venture
Duration: 12 months
The company is separating a global division and incorporating it into a joint venture agreement with the future buyer. Prior to the actual sale, the affected business units must be separated and given wide-ranging operational independence. The Consenec senior manager and a colleague lead a large team of specialists and sub-project managers in Switzerland. The team is responsible for the carve-out of the various business units and for their transition into an independent legal entity. At the same time, the team works closely with the future management of the new unit to expedite operational independence.