Structured analysis of the current corporate situation, e.g.:

Our Business Review provides a structured overview of the dimensions of the pending problems and indicates their causes.

The immediate liquidity protection actions initiated by us, together with the results of the Business Review, form the backbone of a Turnaround Master Plan, which quantifies and summarises all the major cornerstones required for successful crisis handling, along with a strict time scale.

We believe restructuring to extend beyond pure cost-reduction, incorporating the aspect of revitalisation
Restructuring involves all parts of the company and is aimed at not only ensuring the short-term survival of the company, but also setting the course for its long-term success. A sustainable strengthening of the company’s competitive position generally requires strategic realignment.
In this way - our way - the restructuring and revitalisation processes are no consecutive processes. Instead, the two processes go hand-in-hand to transform the opportunities - created by the crisis - into competitive advantages and ultimately into long-term, healthy growth.

Generation of Liquidity Creates Room for Manoeuvre
The consistent generation of liquidity is, above all, aimed at direct crisis containment and at the heart of the activities. Our restructuring launch programme includes the following standard items:

Cost-Reductions must be Effective in the Short-Term
Cost-reducing measures with short-term effectiveness are primarily required in the case of a drop in turnover, with all cost-types - without exception - under scrutiny.

It is in times of crisis, in particular, that the savings leeway for both internal and external expenditure is exercised far more than during „the good times”. Often unavoidable personnel release measures within the core workforce are „the last resort“, with each individual case requiring careful examination for possible negative post-crisis effects (a loss of expertise and experience). It should be borne in mind that the achievable cost reductions do not usually become effective in the short-term and are mostly coupled with a negative liquidity effect (social plans, redundancy pay-offs).

We summarise all cost-saving potentials and options in a stage-by-stage plan, drawn up in accordance with clear, company-specific criteria (e.g. the term until effective, necessity for the company survival, influence on the company’s competitiveness etc.) and annotate these with fixed decision points on the time axis, according to the development progress.

Using the Opportunities Uncovered by the Crisis
It is in times of economic recession, in particular, that intelligent restructuring offers the opportunity to considerably improve one's own market position. Competitors disappear from the market and the market share is reallocated. The chances of profiting from this situation – using the right measures – are particularly good.

We examine business area and product portfolios in terms of the criteria profitability, mid and long-term development opportunities and necessary restructuring costs, with the proviso: „invest in the strong, disinvest on the weak“.

Strengths can thus be bundled and selected strategic aims focussed upon, in order to, e.g. tap new customer groups with targeted marketing and sales promotions or speed up promising product innovations by focusing on R&D capacities.

While production lines are not running at full capacity we can use the time to optimise the production process, to optimise the depth of added value or for specific investments aimed at increasing flexibility or decreasing lead times.

Concentrating on the company’s strengths allows more room for manoeuvre, the realisation of which is often made easier, and perhaps even for the first time made possible, by the very existence of the crisis.

Decisive action and professional assistance form the basis for a healthy future!