Growth through innovation & category management in retailing

Industry: Consumer goods & trade, retailing

Annual sales: Over mCHF 150 in sales p.a.

Challenges:

• Collapse of EBIT as a result of reduced sales and increasing capacity costs
• Purchase department determines assortment
• No separation between innovative and operative units, unclear roles

Approach:

• Clarification of strategy and design of a business model in accordance with strategy
• Development of an innovation generator with a market-oriented assortment and customer management
• Design of a business model with outsourced logistics

Results:

• Establishment of capability to innovate as precondition for future growth
• Implementation of innovation & category management with clear roles, responsibilities, interfaces and processes

Coach for business design in public transport

Industry: Public Administration

Challenges:

• Allocation of tasks to three departments with different objectives, high coordination effort and cumbersome financial planning
• Adjustment of various perceptions (public transport, transport safety, infrastructural aspects) necessary

Approach:

• HPO as methodological coach and sparring partner
• Definition of core processes based on the defined tasks of the organisation
• Design of the business process model (Macro Design) with proven HPO methodology 5M©
• Deduction of a process-oriented organisational structure

Results:

• Concentration of tasks in the newly designed divisions Mobilitätsbedarf (mobility requirements), Verkehrsplanung (traffic planning) and Verkehrssteuerung (traffic control)
• Processes formulated in detail with clear roles and responsibilities
• A highly efficient organisation thanks to a lean business process model from which the organisation has been derived

PD Dr. Dominik Egli Secretary of construction, Department Basel-Stadt

«Ready to go» – Redesign office for mobility

«The process-based organisational design is not yet widespread in public administration. Therefore the project team initially had shown a little scepticism concerning the chosen approach. However, in the course of the project it became apparent how efficient a self-consistent and process-based approach supports target achievement. Essential contribution to the success of the project has been the commitment and change management competence of HPO.»

Initiation of patient-centered process model

Industry: Healthcare

Key figure: Appr. 700 full-time equivalents, care for 220 beds

Challenges:

• Historically based organisational structure with high complexity
• Not standardised and specific courses of action according to special fields
• Mixture of organisational and medical competences especially for specialists

Approach:

• Design of an optimal patient-oriented process model
• Derivation of the optimal, process-oriented organisation with the help of a process model
• Standardisation and optimisation of leading, core and support processes regarding the interaction with the patient and avoiding interfaces
• Monitoring of the adaptation of the processes in everyday life with the help of balanced score card

Duration:

• 36 months

Results:

• Introduction of the new organisation
• Implementation of high performance processes such as the introduction of case management, professionalisation of an interdisciplinary emergency unit, definition of steps in the treatment in order to reduce the planning and coordination efforts
• Practical attendance of the teams during the implementation of the high performance processes

Dr. Peter Eichenberger Head of St. Claraspital

Thanks to HPO the Claraspital successfully will master challenges of DRG

«Financial pressure on the hospital will increase with the nationwide implementation of cost based lump compensation (DRG). In plain language this means cost per patient distinctively has to be reduced since with DRG cost refund will be replaced by service fee.
We have been looking for a partner with a command of industry expertise necessary in order to support us in turning the organisation fit for DRG. Thanks to the intuitionally clear HPO methodology we were able to implement a process oriented hospital organisation. As a result, patients even more moved to the centre as basis for our success – simultaneous realisation of distinctive cost cuts commonly is not being perceived as contradiction. HPO has been a great help in a persuasive as well as tactful manner to dissolve organically grown organisational structures. Without healthcare expertise of HPO it had not been possible to replace weak interfaces by High Performance processes. And HPO does not lose drive when High Performance Processes need to be implemented».

Sustainable cost reduction through performance improvement without quality forfeits

Industry: Special Steel production and -trade

Annual turnover: > mCHF 500

Challenges:

• Building of a strategy conform and efficient organisation with minimal complexity and significant cost reduction
• Maintaining of daily business during reorganisation 

Approach:

• Strategy check
• Design of business model (Macro design)
• Microprocess design: Mirco processes, organigrams and interface definitions in detail
• Deduction of necessary measurements for a sustainable cost reduction

Duration:

• 8 months

Results:

• New Business model with roles, responsibilities and KPI’s plus deduced from it a new organisation Ugitech
• Sustainable cost reduction through job cuts and efficiency improvements without quality reductions or diminution of costumer satisfaction

Patrick Lamarque d'Arrouzat CEO, Ugitech S.A.

Way paved for a sustainable transformation with HPO 

"The steel industry is in permanent change. Stainless steel products are also subject to the rules of a globalised and highly competitive market. Ugitech as a market leader aims at improving its competitiveness in particular by a sustainable low cost structure. HPO with its profound and well approved methodology has helped us apply the project on our support area as well as the structures on our production area. A determined internal team and consultants with a high availability and readiness to commit themselves to our processes have contributed to the team's performance increase of 25% after only 6 months of cooperation. The secret: Believe in it! And above all work in a detailed way on the functions in order to simplify profoundly and efficiently. In this regard I trust HPO because only sustainable progress counts."

New organisation with business model conforming to strategy

Industry: Industry, plant construction and equipment

Client size: Over 300 million in sales p.a.

Challenges:

• High losses due to inefficient processes
• 4 corporations in 3 countries, operating quite independently, insufficient exploitation of product synergies

Approach:

• Design and implementation of a business model in accordance with strategy
• Redesign of corporate processes together with client teams from all locations worldwide
• Coaching / support during implementation

Results:

• New international organisation approved
• Quick wins of 1% of revenues identified and reflected in the budget
• Midterm cost reduction of over 10% of revenues identified

Riet Cadonau Managing Director, ACS Transport Revenue

With a competitive business process model well-prepared for the future

"Thanks to our qualified and committed people and our broad and highly-available portfolio of customer solutions, clients trust us all over the world. Their trust is the foundation for our above-average growth rates. Our turnaround has proven to be sustainable – clearly confirmed by our business results in 2002-2005. The consequent and excessive changes in the years 2002 and 2003 have been far-reaching indeed; nonetheless, they are an important basis for our highly competitive position today. One of these changes mentioned has been the fact that we are operating in accordance with defined processes today.
HPO has offered striking support in the implementation of process management. In doing so, HPO made a valuable contribution to our track record."

Set up of competence centers with mutually steered innovation

Industry: Industry

Annual turnover: >60 m€

Challenges:

• Grown complex structures difficult to break
• Lacking coordination in development projects and performance portfolio
• Sense of urgency among the managing directors of the companies hardly existing due to booming business
• Innovation process unclear - usually customer specific requirements

Approach:

• Derivation of a common market performance architecture and clarification of the roles of the various companies
• Common elaboration of a business process model with consistent processes for all the companies of the product segment
• Clear separation innovation - daily business
• Detailing and implementation of the business process model

Duration:

• 6 months

Results:

• Formation of competence centres on the basis of common processes and structures
• Commonly steered innovation engrained in the organisation
• A consistent entry in the product segment defined for external distributors and subsidiaries of the group

Reduction of complexity and clarification of interfaces through new organisation

Industry: Insurance

Key figure: Ca. 1.9 million insured people

Challenges:

• Incongruence of process & organisational structure (matrix organisation)
• Need for separation of sovereign and additional services in the context of prevention
• Challenging preconditions for the delivery of non-sovereign operations
• No systematic innovation

Approach:

• Clarification of interfaces according to requirements
• 'Business Process Model Delivery' for the delivery of sovereign tasks as well as for additional business operations defined and implementation supported
• 'Business Process Model Innovation' defined and operationalised

Duration:

• 8 months

Results:

• Complexity reduced through implementation of a congruent process & organisational structure
• Separation of powers between sovereign and other operations reflected in the organisation
• Innovation management anchored in the organisation and thereby synergies in the development of both areas of operation reaped

Edouard Currat Head of Department for Safety & Occupational Health, Member of the Executive Board, Suva

With HPO compliance with legal requirements assured, complexity reduced and effectiveness & efficiency enhanced

«One precondition from the revision of health and safety at work regulations and a result of Suva strategy has been the task for the prevention department to establish clear separation of powers between sovereign enforcement of safety & occupational health regulations and additional services in the context of prevention.
HPO not only has supported us in organisational implementation of this task which required initial clarification of roles within the prevention department. We took a step forward and noticeably reduced complexity of the prevention department with a positive effect on manageability. Results of the reorganisation are reflected in process- and organisational structure today. In order to assure effectiveness & efficiency of prevention in the future, development of prevention has been anchored in the organisation.
The support of HPO consultants based on proven methodology has been highly valuable in the concept phase as well as in implementation of the “optimal business process model prevention” – particularly since HPO emphasised the balance between methodological approach and specific requirements of the prevention department. Thanks to experience in implementation as well as good cooperation with HPO consultants, first results already have been realised during the project.»

Successful reorganisation in a timely and thematically challenging environment

Industry: Telecommunication

Annual turnover: About CHF 9,5 bn. (group)

Challenges:

• Totally new orientation of the organisation
• Merger of different divisions and cultures
• Challenging timing

Approach:

• Detailed analysis of process & organisational models
• Elaboration & acceptance of target process map and organisational structure
• Management of the reorganisation process

Duration:

• 3 months

Results:

• Target process map defined along with interfaces and responsibilities between the organisational sectors
• Reorganisation process implemented in a complex environment according to time targets

Establishment of clear roles and interfaces within the organisation

Industry: Telecommunication

Annual turnover: About 9,5 bn. CHF

Challenges:

• Totally new orientation of the organisation
• Assignment of responsibilities of the previous areas to the new organisational areas
• Clarification of the cut off issues between the new organisational areas

Approach:

• Development of a reference model with the help of core processes of the areas
• Identification and classification of interfaces topics
• Development of the basis of decision-making, coordination and tracking of the decisions
• Coordination of the clarification concerning the system impacts

Duration:

• 2 months

Results:

• Clear interfaces and responsibilities between the organisational units
• Creation of the conditions for the design of the organisation of the various areas

Transformation from product-oriented towards customer-oriented organisation

Industry: Telecommunication

Annual sales: ca. 9,5 bn. CHF

Challenges:

• Fundamentally new organisational arrangement
• Allocation of responsibilities of previous divisions to the new organisational units
• Clarification of open system engineering-specific topics between new organisational units

Approach:

• Development of a reference model on the basis of core processes of the specific divisions
• Identification and classification of interface issues
• Formulation of a basis for decision making, coordination and tracking of decisions
• Coordination of clarification of open issues in relation of system impacts

Duration:

• 2 months

Results:

• Clear interfaces and responsibilities between organisational units
• Creation of the frame for the organisational design of the divisions concerned

Christian Petit Head Private Customers, Member of the Executive Board Swisscom AG

With HPO from product- to customer-oriented Swisscom

«We have been looking for somebody we had confidence in his ability to reliably support implementation of our new strategy within the given tight timeframe. The new Swisscom strategy can be described by a single word: proximity.
HPO understood our intent as immediately as challenges of this reorganisation which has been essential as profound. We had a great benefit from methodological support by HPO in all phases of strategy implementation - from definition of cornerstones of the new organisation beyond the business process model of Swisscom (Schweiz) AG to implementation of new principles and structures in the individual business units of the Private Customer department.
The integral approach to providing consulting services to business organisations has been crucial to implementation success. Since all solutions have been developed within the team, they not only find high acceptance and backing within the new organisation. By coaching activities, HPO has made an important contribution to the integration of different cultures within Swisscom as well.
In this way we have managed changes essential for the transformation from product- to customer-oriented organisation. With help of the new organisation, we have provided the basis for our superior objective: to enrich and simplify the life of people within as well as external to Swisscom by boosting proximity.»

New business process model inclusive organisational integration

Industry: Telecommunication

Annual turnover: About 9,5 bn.CHF

Challenges:

• Development of a contemporary and powerful best-in-class multi-channel sales organisation conform to the strategy, with minimal complexity and clear addressing of the customer experience
• Organisational as well as cultural differences of the acquired competitor

Approach:

• Analysis of the existing responsibility structures
• Development of a new logic of the cooperation and the underlying organisational units
• Intensive attendance during the implementation as far as the process descriptions and definitions of interfaces

Duration:

• 3 months

Results:

• New business process model with roles, responsibilities and key performance indicators incl. the derived organisation
• Frictionless integration of the acquired telecommunication retail company
• Enabling of a consistent Swisscom customer experience by an organisational anchoring

Jean-Louis Mathez Head Swisscom Own Channels, Swisscom AG

With HPO to an optimal distribution organisation with own sales channels

«We were facing the challenge to map the multi-channel sales strategy for Swisscom with own sales channels in a traditional shop organisation in terms of processes and organisation. Simultaneously, a merger with a former competitor in the Swiss Telecom retail market had to be considered. Those changes triggered the search for a partner able to support our business not only in strategic realignment but also in implementation.
HPO understood to pinpoint substantial levers and potentials of this reorganisation as well as concrete value of these. Providing methodology and as project manager, HPO supported us in the design of the process landscape beyond the business process model to definition of new tasks in a powerful way.
Besides support in terms of methodology, HPO‘s integral approach to consulting has been of great importance. Due to common development in teams, solutions have been easily accepted within the entire organisation. This has simplified the smooth integration of the former competitors with different company cultures as well as quick implementation of the new organisation Swisscom Own Channels.»

Reduction of complexity and quality improvement thanks to a high performance business model

Industry: Publishing house

Annual sales: ~1,400 mCHF p.a.

Challenges:

• Slow recovery of advertiser’s market
• Continuous squeeze on margins by publishers and advertisers
• Decreasing marginal utility of cost cutting

Approach:

• Strategy and performance check-up
• Design of the ideal business process model in the Macro design phase (ModelingPlan 5M©)
• Optimisation of business processes and IT-systems in the Micro design phase (ProcessPlan 7P©)

Results:

• Performance gaps and levers for performance and quality improvement identified
• High performance business model defined
• Business processes and IT systems optimised

Otto Meier CEO, PubliPresse AG

With a high performance organisation operating for our customers in a profitable way

"Requirements in our services significantly have grown with regards to comprehensiveness and specification over the last years. At the same time we feel obliged to give consideration to publishers as well as advertisers with our high quality standards. It is our aim to be the benchmark in the market for advertising space here in Switzerland. Simultaneously, we have to present attractive financial results within the PubliGroupe in order to remain a rewarding investment for our shareholders. Our way to integrate these partly diverse requirements is the establishment of a high performance organisation PubliPresse. We have deliberately chosen this name in order to send a clear message.
Inclusion of the external consultants from HPO as provider of methodology and project manager has been very beneficial to our intention. Most likely, the result would have been worse otherwise as we had no internal knowledge of the methodology applied. Our expectations with regard to the achievement of our objectives have been excelled by far."

Merger of strategic business units and realisation of cost savings

Industry: Airport owner and operator

Annual sales: >500 mCHF p.a.

Challenges:

• Unclear areas of responsibility and post-merger problems with interfaces
• No division between innovative and operative activities

Approach:

• Development and implementation of a business model according to strategy
• Active know-how transfer by HPO through tutorials on methodology
• ‚Right Sizing‘ of the organisation after the Swissair grounding

Results:

• Post-merger integration (reduction of redundancies, alignment according to market requirements)
• Flexible, scaleable organisation
• Ability to survive after the dramatic market break in the course of 09/11 and the grounding of Swissair

Josef Felder CEO, Unique

With HPO successful airport development- and innovation processes started

„In 2000, Flughafen Zürich AG (Zurich airport) was founded under the name Unique merging Flughafendirektion and Flughafen Immobilien AG (FIG).
One year later we have expanded and transformed Unique to a powerful organisation with the help of HPO. Thanks to newly-gained efficiency and flexibility we succeeded in building up a solid organisation despite of the challenges and set-backs of 09/11, Swissair Grounding, SARS and restrictions of the civil aviation regime.
Just in difficult times, handling of changes and readiness to innovate are crucial. An airport’s product and service offering needs to continuously adjust and in international business, being able to align general experiences in airport operation to specific local requirements it is of importance. Both are crucial for the development of an airport.
We have benefited from HPO not only having designed operative processes but also airport development and innovation processes in detail.
My colleagues in the executive board and myself appreciate in particular the gain in transparency allowing for a faster and more efficient development of our organisation.“

Reduction of process-related and organisational complexity

Industry: Industry

Annual sales: > 80 mCHF p.a. (product segment process instrumentation)

Challenges:

• Missing coordination and cooperation of business units and sales units
• Historically grown organisation with significant distance and cultural differences between business units
• High complexity in processes, organisation and products
• Insufficient customer orientation in processes

Approach:

• Check-up phase with interviews in all three business units (France, Denmark, Switzerland)
• Development of a business process model as basis for discussion & clarification of process segmentation, interfaces and key tasks (sales, innovation)
• Development of detailed descriptions of main tasks (RMM, Head of CC, project manager etc.)

Results:

• Clear organisational structure of product segment
• Formation of competence centres on basis of shared processes and structures
• Clear roles, job descriptions and responsibilities
• Foundation for exploiting synergies in innovation and across product portfolio
• Sales process developed in detail and anchored in the organisation

Oliver Vietze CEO & Chairman Baumer Group

With HPO a successful integration of three business units into one high performance product segment

"Process Instrumentation (PI) is one of four product segments of Baumer Group. The PI product segment has been growing historically and comprises of three business units in France, Denmark and Switzerland. The main challenge was to integrate the three business units consistently into a single product segment organisation.

Together with HPO and its well-proven methodical approach we found a common toolbox to develop the new product segment organisation. The Baumer business process model, which had been developed in a previous project with HPO, allowed us to establish an organisational structure with clear responsibilities and interfaces.

The new organisation allows us to exploit synergies within the product segment and across the entire portfolio and helps to avoid redundancies, especially in innovation and production. Sales is now organised centrally to ensure consistent and competent support to all international sales units. The developed processes and structures make the integration of business units decisively easier and are the foundation of future international expansion of Baumer Group."

Turnaround through restructuring & purchasing cost reduction

Industry: Industry, Manufacturing systems engineering

Annual sales: Over 1 bn. in sales p.a.

Challenges:

• Performance gap of around mCHF 6,5
• Unclear strategy
• High complexity of products and processes

Approach:

• Design of a targeted purchasing cost reduction program with short term and long term effect
• Detailing of strategy and reengineering of business processes according to strategy
• Simplification of product portfolio

Results:

• Results improved by mCHF 7,5 - of which approx. mCHF 3 was purchasing cost reduction (corresponds to about 10% of purchasing volume)
• Implementation of business processes in the areas of project management and supply chain management
• Lean product portfolio reflecting customer needs with a clear and transparent pricing policy

Richard Flury Vice President Supervisory Board (VR), CEO, Kardex Remstar International Group

With HPO successful realignment of the Bellheimer Metallwerk GmbH realised

„Employment of HPO has been worthwhile for us. Within one year, the Bellheimer Metallwerk GmbH achieved a turnaround and has created a sound foundation for cost-efficient growth and continuous raise in productivity for the factory. Delivery quality and flexibility in handling an unstable order situation has been raised. Notwithstanding the fact that despite personnel has been reduced, profitability has been increased considerably and the plant has been entirely realigned.
The Bellheimer Metallwerk GmbH today is the center of reference in the group. Now, we try to transfer the findings of the realignment to the other sites. Improved transparency along standardised processes allow for a step-wise realisation of our vision of a slim network of factories.“

Return to profitability thanks to Greenfield Business Design

Industry: Financial services

Annual sales: Over CHF 1,5 bn. in customer loans

Challanges:

• High losses due to inefficient processes
• Own development of application software resulting in large risks in the IT department

Approach:

• Development and implementation of a business model in accordance with strategy
• Redesign of business processes
• Detailed process cost accounting to determine the profitability of individual clients
• Support for the evaluation of software

Results:

• New organisational structure approved
• Lasting cost reduction of over 15%
• The target processes as defined in the process handbook take into account the planned change in software

Beat Wespi Head Executive Board, UBS Factors AG

With HPO costs reduced and foundation for further growth laid

«We have been looking for a consultant ready to accept ambitious cost reduction targets along with simultaneous performance improvements together with the executive board. Questions were raised about fundamental issues, how the Factors AG was able to satisfy high customer expectations with competitive offerings regarding to pricing. Additionally, a starting position in order to implement growth- and product strategy had to be established.
Thanks to support and an open at HPO, have been touched and innovative solutions have been developed. Within 12 months, could be reduced by over 30% and a process organisation has been established which is able to address customer requirements more effectively than ever before. Results are improved profitability and innovative ability as well as customers more satisfied and employees with higher motivation.»

Steering increased with clear roles and common use of synergies made possible 

Industry: Industry

Annual Sales: ~400 mio. CHF p.a. 

Challenges:

• Group grown because of acquisitions
• 4 companies with overlapping product portfolio and without specialisation
• No separation between innovation and daily business
• Lacking feeling of urgencies in the management because of booming business 

Approach:

• Derivation of a common market performance architecture in the group
• Clarification of roles of the different companies
• Common business process model with consistent processes for all the companies and product segments
• Clear separation between innovation and daily business 

Duration: 6 months

Results:  

• Consistent business process model as a basis
• Way paved for the use of synergies in the innovation and regarding the product portfolio
• Creation of competence centers on the basis of common processes and structures
• Mainly clear roles and competences

Comprehensive analysis of processes and performance

Industry: Building industry (engineering, deep mining, measure systems, test tunnel)

Staff: About 260

Challenges:

• Complexity and diversity like in a group despite a size of a SME
• Too little use of synergies within the group
• Dimensions of growth known, but not to handle within the existing structures
• Business development and innovation not sufficiently engrained on the level of the group

Approach:

• Analysis of current processes and services
• Identification of the essential business areas ‘services’ and ‘systems’
• Implementation of the model to the level of detailed processes, IT requirements and job description

Duration:

• 16 months (with interruptions)

Results:

• Business process models and detailed processes for ‘services’ and ‘systems’ defined
• Organisational optimisation implemented
• Customer acquisition & care in the area engineering established with clear interfaces to production
• Business development established and operationalised

Felix Amberg President and owner of the Amberg Group

With HPO analysis of the whole Amberg group and elaboration of the processes and structures based on the strategic cornerstones

"Even before kick-off two essential cornerstones were clearly defined for the Amberg Group. The Amberg Group should be prepared for the future by a certain growth in the two dimensions ‘International ‘and ‘Products/Competences’. In the course of the project the aim was to elaborate the appropriate processes and structures in order to make the growth scaleable and to make it work with minimal complexity. The methodically established approach ensured that the solutions which had been elaborated together with the management team were implemented and were accepted by the other members of staff. It was mainly the very profound knowledge of the various industries of the HPO consultants which lead to the fact that consultant and management team trusted each other very quickly. This resulted in the elaboration of practical and feasible solutions. In retrospect I can say that HPO was the right partner for the Amberg Group!"

Process-based redesign with culture workhop aimed at integration

Industry: Media

Annual turnover: Approx. 9 mCHF (concerned units) ; group (international)  >350 mCHF

Challenges:

• Two units with a need for close coordination are geographically split and differences regarding culture
• Loss of cutting edge in product development and innovation
• Unclear interfaces regarding different customer groups and logistics

Approach:

• Short analysis of problems and recommendation for structure / organisation of ‘new company’
• Clarification of roles and process-based redesign of the units concerned
• Design of macro processes regarding daily business and innovation incl. interface to logistics
• Culture process and workshop with all the members of staff for a successful integration

Duration:

• 3-4 months

Results:

• Levers for increase in earnings identified, prioritised and initiated
• Replacement of the previous functional organisation
• Fusion of the units under a common direction
• Responsibility regarding delivery and innovation processes defined
• Transfer of staff from different sites to one common office

Oliver Achermann Head of Corporate Center, Affichage Holding S.A.

With HPO foundation for a successful turnaround has been laid

«The starting position has been challenging: Two group companies in an identical market environment, too little sales force with correspondingly insufficient sales performance and a lukewarm product offering in combination with a clear lack of product innovation.
With HPO we took the right partner on board. The systematic and meticulous approach of the HPO Team combined with the straightforward and easy to follow 5-M model have been a great help in the achievement of our objectives. Furthermore, the HPO consultants’ insistence has played an important role in scrutinising our notions and mirroring them with reality. A demanding and instructive process for all people involved.  
Besides issue-related topics, the development of a common optimal culture in cooperation with personnel involved considerably has added to acceptance of the merger.
Thanks to support by HPO, duplications in market activities have been resolved. The new organisation is lean, efficient and successful in the first instance. Last but not least, tools for the boost of permanent innovation have been created.»

Clear business processes as a basis for a profitable employment of modern technologies 

Industry: Insurance

Annual sales: ~300 mio. CHF turnover p.a. with > 200‘000 insured persons

Challenges:

• Several sites with inconsistent processes
• Unclear areas of responsibility (matrix organization)
• Lacking requirements of processes for the foreseeable employment of new technologies ( electronic data recording and storage) 

Approach:

• Elaboration and implementation of a business model according to strategy
• Redesign of business processes
• Detailed activity-based costing as a basis for an internal benchmark 

Duration: 9 months

Results:

• Approval of a new process organization (separation of customer care and production)
• Extensive centralization of the production at one site
• Sustainable cost reduction of > 3 mio. CHF (~15%)  

Christof Zürcher Executive chairman Atupri health insurance

Paved the way to optimal customer services with HPO

"We wanted to kill two birds with one stone. On the one hand we wanted to optimize our customer service; on the other hand the reorientation should also lead to a cost reduction by avoiding redundancies. Thanks to HPO we have reached this ambitious goal although in theory this is not common practice – optimization of customer satisfaction and cost reduction at the same time. We have reached this thanks to the professionalism by HPO. Within a short period of time we introduced a new business model – with the clear aim of a long-lasting guarantee of our service quality. In addition we standardized the business processes and made the core- and support processes fit for the employment of new technologies. The result shows that we have made the right decisions. On the one hand the customer has only one contact person – one face to the customer – and on the other hand we can react more flexibly to the changing market needs. Thanks to this model redundancies could be eliminated which is positive for the operating costs." 

 

Significant result and liquidity improvement

Industry: Production of office furniture

Annual sales: ~10 mio. CHF turnover p.a.

Challenges:

• Reduction of staff by ̃ 40% necessary to reach break-even/point of survival
• Market crisis and dangerous level of liquidity
• Stock and manufacturing logistics with high complexity and inefficiencies 

Approach:

• Strict observation of particularly imposed stock and production policy
• Extreme cost reduction (staff, purchasing and general costs)
• Correction of product portfolio 

Duration:

• 6 months

Results:

• Reduction of accounting of inventory by 45%, tightened and optimized logistics-, planning- and production processes
• Healthy cost structure, with a positive EBIT-result already in 2009, the year of crisis and reorganization, result improvement by 10 EBIT-points in the year of reorganization, even higher in the following year
• Clear strategic orientation 

Gianfranco Patelli President of the Board SARA SA

Reorganisation successfully initiated with HPO

The market for office steel furniture in Switzerland is saturated and, while readily reacting negatively in times of crisis, it only recovers slowly afterwards.

Following several challenging years for our internal structure, we decided to make a determined leap ahead. We asked HPO to coach SARA SA with regards to a strategically sound way. Mid-project, crisis struck and brought additional 35% loss in revenue.Thanks to the high efforts of our employees as well as HPO's efficiency and focus on the essentials we were able to deliver neutral EBIT already during the year of reorganisation and crisis, 2009, with project costs that were bearable for a family-owned business like ours.

HPO supported us with regards to our strategic, logistical, financial and operational challenges. Through its strict methodology and profound experience, HPO was able to contribute significantly to the success of the reorganisation of SARA SA. After the profound turnaround, the company is now financially and structurally sound and thus able to address the challenges of market growth from a stable inner situation.

New business process model with accordingly derived organisation

Industry: Private Banking

Net return: AUM 1'763 mio. / 129 bn.

Challenges:

• Quality problems and high labour costs in the backoffice & support area
• Processes and organisational structure not aligned with the new situation after the merger
• Decentralised structure of the support functions

Approach:

• Process-based redesign of the support processes and the organisational structure
• Clarification of tasks, roles and responsibilities
• Design and implementation of new micro-processes

Duration:

• 4 months

Results:

• New business process models with roles, responsibilities and key performance indicators including a derived organisation
• Partial centralisation of backoffice tasks
• Reduction of full-time equivalent
• Reduction of the lead time and improvement of the quality
• Cost reduction in the backoffice & support area

Realignment of processes concerning internal and external communications

Industry: Department of communication in the telecommunication industry

Annual turnover: Approx. 9,5 bn. CHF (group)

Challenges:

• Halving of the profit within 24 months
• Strategic aim of the development of cost-effective sales- and distribution channels not reached
• Cost-intensive logistics processes comprising several levels

Approach:

• Revision of the strategy and focus on profitable core business
• Process-based redesign of the North-American and European organisations
• Optimisation of the global in- & outbound supply chain

Duration:

• 3 months

Results:

• Performance improvement by 18 mio CHF (9 mCHF within 12 months from project start)
• Staff reduction of ~100 FTE
• Replacement of the former functional organisation
• Setting up the preconditions for successful sale (dress-up-the-bride)

Stefan Nünlist Head Private Customers, Member of the Executive Board Swisscom AG

With HPO from product- to customer-oriented Swisscom

«We have been looking for somebody we had confidence in his ability to reliably support implementation of our new strategy within the given tight timeframe. The new Swisscom strategy can be described by a single word: proximity.
HPO understood our intent as immediately as challenges of this reorganisation which has been essential as profound. We had a great benefit from methodological support by HPO in all phases of strategy implementation - from definition of cornerstones of the new organisation beyond the business process model of Swisscom (Schweiz) AG to implementation of new principles and structures in the individual business units of the Private Customer department.
The integral approach to providing consulting services to business organisations has been crucial to implementation success. Since all solutions have been developed within the team, they not only find high acceptance and backing within the new organisation. By coaching activities, HPO has made an important contribution to the integration of different cultures within Swisscom as well.
In this way we have managed changes essential for the transformation from product- to customer-oriented organisation. With help of the new organisation, we have provided the basis for our superior objective: to enrich and simplify the life of people within as well as external to Swisscom by boosting proximity.»

Business steering as a basis for strategic reorientation 

Industry: Telecommunications 

Annual sales: 9.5 b CHF turnover p.a.

Challenges:

• Unit 'business steering' with lacking service quality and high costs at the same time
• Integration of several former units so as to form one single unit
• Reassignment of responsibilities from all former units involved
• Ensuring the daily business in the period of transition 

Approach:

• As - is analysis as a basis for future service definition
• Clarification of strategic orders and roles (internal customers, products, service level, support tasks vs management tasks)
• Modeling of key processes and derivation of the optimal organization
• Implementation and anchoring of the new organization 

Duration: 6 months

Results: 

• Reorganization of the unit 'business steering' with a clear focus on the needs of the internal customers
• Efficient concentration of activities from different former units
• Newly created support function as lever and basis for strategic reorientation 

Dieter Bernauer Head Business Steering, CFO Swisscom Schweiz AG

With HPO the steering unit of  Swisscom Schweiz designed with a focus on customer orientation

«HPO has accompanied design of the organisational unit “Business Steering” based on requirements of in-house clients and potentials for efficiency improvement of Swisscom Switzerland in a stringent way and assured methodological consistency. The guiding idea for definition of business processes was the layout according to value-delivering and innovative business processes. Consistent alignment of services on customer requirements on the one hand and bundling of activities for efficiency improvements of the existing organisational units Swisscom Fixnet, Swisscom Mobile and Swisscom Solutions on the other hand is allowing us to improve performance in terms of quality at the same time considerably reducing costs.»

Set up of an optimised leading and support organisation

Industry: European administration

Annual sales: n.a.

Challenges:

• Lack of efficiency in support functions
• Historically grown structures
• Numerous redundancies

Approach:

• Establishment of transparency of support services (Support performance check-up)
• Design of an ideal leader and support organisation with simple interfaces fully exploiting synergies

Results:

• Transparency established
• Initial commitment for ideal support and leading organisation achieved
• Quantification of potential for improvement in progress

Victor M. Aguado Director General, Eurocontrol

HPO as a successful partner for strategy development and implementation

"EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, is facing a series of challenges that could prove daunting without solid preparation and the efficient marshalling of resources.

Senior Management decided to call on the services of a highly-recommended consultancy to help them hone the service and support functions so as to enable the Organisation to take on the future with success.

HPO worked for several months at EUROCONTROL, interviewing key staff members and redesigning internal processes for maximum synergy and efficiency.

Suggestions were put forward for introducing new structures, including one to better handle Stakeholder relations, as these are particularly crucial for intergovernmental organisations. A Corporate Business Planning Unit has also been planned to support senior management in the making and implementation of strategic decisions and in driving the organisation’s development process.

Appreciated by the staff for their quick grasp of essentials and determination to build consensus, HPO’s work will doubtless prove fundamental in underpinning EUROCONTROL’s core business."