Case Studies

Industrial Company Margin Erosion

Industry: Industrial manufacturing

Revenue: CHF 120M

Situation

A mid-market operator showed declining EBITDA despite stable revenue. Leadership believed the issue was weak sales, but the root causes were buried across pricing and production variance.

Diagnostic Findings

The diagnostic revealed scattered pricing across more than forty customer clusters. Product-line profitability had never been mapped, and production variance drove unrecognized cost leakage. The monthly close process was slow, delaying decisions.

Execution

Contribution margins were mapped across all SKUs and customer segments. Pricing guardrails were redesigned and a weekly performance cadence replaced the slow monthly rhythm. Production bottlenecks were addressed through targeted throughput adjustments.

Outcome

The work delivered a ~5% EBITDA uplift, reduced SKU complexity by ~12%. Leadership gained clarity on exactly where profit was being created and lost.

Post-Deal Integration Drag in Tech-Enabled Services

Industry: Tech-enabled services

Revenue: EUR 70M

Situation

Following an acquisition, a tech-enabled services operator struggled to unlock the value thesis. Growth was on plan, but the cost structure and commercial efficiency lagged. Legacy teams operated in parallel with unclear accountability.

Diagnostic Findings

The diagnostic revealed duplicated roles across functions, GTM misalignment, and inconsistent funnel metrics. Back-office systems were partially integrated, resulting in slow reporting and unreliable data. Cross-sell opportunities were identifiable but not operationalized.

Execution

A unified operating cadence was established between the merged teams, and the GTM funnel was redesigned with shared KPIs and explicit ownership of conversion points. Back-office workflows were streamlined, and a leadership integration room created alignment. Cross-sell motions were codified and activated.

Outcome

The integration delivered a ~6% EBITDA improvement, increased commercial productivity by ~22%, and reduced decision cycles from one week to forty-eight hours. The value-creation plan moved from concept to execution discipline.

Cash Flow Instability in a Scaling Consumer Brand

Industry: Consumer goods

Revenue: CHF 60M

Situation

A fast-growing consumer brand struggled with periodic cash constraints. Marketing spend was front-loaded, inventory planning was optimistic, and long supplier cycles magnified liquidity pressure.

Diagnostic Findings

The diagnostic showed unclear marketing ROI due to incomplete attribution, overbuilt inventory on slow-moving SKUs, and a working-capital cycle stretched beyond acceptable limits. Forecasting processes were inconsistent across finance, operations, and commercial teams.

Execution

An integrated demand–supply–finance forecast was built, SKUs generating negative cash impact were identified, and inventory governance was redesigned. Marketing spend was tied to short-cycle effectiveness reviews, and a weekly cash room created strict accountability.

Outcome

Cash requirements decreased by ~15%, liquidity stabilized without external financing, and forecasting accuracy improved materially. Leadership gained a unified forward view of operational and financial decisions.