Corporate and Business Strategy

Setting a five-year strategy for a Swiss family-owned manufacturer

THE CHALLENGE

A [second-generation, family-owned] Swiss manufacturer was under pressure from several directions at once. The strong franc was squeezing export margins, customers in the EU were asking for faster delivery and digital ordering, and core systems were [more than 15 years old]. A new generation was taking over leadership, and the board faced a major investment decision: modernize the business in Switzerland, move part of production closer to EU customers, or both. Opinions inside the company were divided, and there was no shared picture to decide from.

WHAT WE DID

Built a shared picture of the business

Interviewed the board, management and key employees to understand priorities and concerns

Analyzed margins, customer and product profitability, and the cost of serving each market

Assessed operations, supply chain and IT to identify where the business was losing time and money

Developed and compared strategic options

Defined [three] realistic options, from focused modernization in Switzerland to a partial move of production into the EU

Built a business case for each option, covering investment, payback, risk and impact on people

Ran workshops with the board to test assumptions and agree on selection criteria

Turned the decision into a plan

Set a five-year strategy with clear priorities and targets

Built a phased transformation roadmap covering [ERP replacement, supply chain changes and digital ordering for customers]

Defined governance, budget and ownership for each initiative

Supported the change

Designed communication for employees, customers and partners

Planned the change management approach to bring long-serving staff along

[Stayed on to oversee the first phase of implementation]

RESULT

The board reached a unanimous decision in [X months], backed by a clear business case

[Investment of CHF X approved, with payback expected within X years]

[Margins improved by X points in the first two years]

[Delivery times to EU customers reduced by X%]

A strategy that the new leadership owned and could communicate internally