A private equity firm was considering the acquisition of two companies offering complementary services and employed August to conduct a commercial due diligence process to better understand the key success factors, market outlook and competitive landscape. Customer, competitor, industry expert and management interviews, industry publications and company financials were used as sources for the due diligence. Based on the analysis, August developed an alternative view to management’s top line and bottom line forecasts. Also an assessment of opportunities (incl. synergies) and risks related to the integration of the two companies and a definition of future development topics were performed.

The private equity company decided to go through with the acquisition and integration of the companies. August continued to support the NewCo in the launch of the integration and strategy process. The commercial due diligence project gave August a unique foundation for this work. The strategy process began with a series of workshops to define the strategic direction, but also to introduce the two companies’ management to each other’s, their business and current strategies. Also the results of the commercial due diligence were reviewed and discussion on development needs thus started. Work on specific strategic topics was then continued in smaller teams with August’s facilitation. The teams assessed potential growth markets, both by customer industry and country, began defining joint key account plans, developed the first draft of a common service portfolio, and defined the new sales and marketing organization and management model. After a joint review of the working teams’ results, August worked with top management to conclude on a group strategy and define the roadmap for strategic actions in the following year. These were reviewed with the whole management and responsibilities for the development work were agreed.

The integration of the two companies had started. They had a common group strategy and a clear roadmap for the future. The top management of both companies had been engaged in the project and was now dedicated to driving the strategy into implementation. The private equity company could trust that the company will be going in the right direction in executing the integration and strategy. Clear responsibilities, deliverables and timelines had been set in the roadmap by development stream to ensure implementation.

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A private equity investor had recently acquired a construction company with a family business background. Investor wanted to launch a 100 days program to create a thorough understanding of the company situation, clarify the strategy and targets as well as understand the need for operational improvements to increase company value.

August conducted in-depth analyses on the current market and potential markets for the company. For the current market, sales targets were also detailed on a regional level, necessary measures to improve the company’s position identified and new tools developed to better steer the regional sales force. Analyses on potential markets supported the client management team in understanding the different growth options the company had. Internal development areas were screened together with the client management team to select the most potential areas to focus on. Improving the company’s visibility among customers as well as developing offering and pricing were seen as the key tasks in the future. In addition, improvements were planned to the company’s management system to develop corporate practices. Finally, the company had long outperformed its competitors and the investor was eager to understand the underlying reasons. August facilitated meetings to identify and document the company’s strengths to enable their better communication.

As a result of the project, strategic targets for the coming three years were set and a development roadmap prepared with concrete initiatives and schedule. In addition, the project gave the owner and the management a shared view of the company situation and development priorities.

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One of our international clients, an industrial service provider, had reacted fast and efficiently to the economic recession but was now at a stage where its group strategy required updating. The focus would be on the long-term strategy update and how to be prepared for the eventual recovery in demand and to leverage market opportunities. The aim was also to review the business plans for each country organization within the group.

August was selected as the consultant for the project. In addition to overall project management and coordination and facilitating the management team work, August’s consultants analyzed new business opportunities in various different countries. The company’s clients were also involved in the project to help identify demand prospects and trends in client needs.

The outcome of the project was an updated group strategy which was presented to the board of directors and was subsequently approved by it. The deployment of the strategy on the group level and in the various country organizations were then launched rapidly.

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A building and home improvement retailer, which is a market leader in Finland and strongly expanding internationally, decided to launch a strategy development process, with August as the chosen partner. In addition to general project management, the role of August was to engage the management team, experts and external stakeholders in the development of the strategy content and to produce market and competitor analyses. The international private equity owner of the company also took active interest in the project.

The deployment of the new group strategy was launched with the CEO’s strategy road show. A number of actions leading to the implementation of the strategy were launched immediately.

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