07: Post Merger Integration with Restructuring and Transformation for a Private Equity-Backed RFID/Mechatronics Company
in the role of "Head of Corporate R&D"
Private Equity-Backed RFID/Mechatronics Industry Company
Technology company with global R&D, sales and production in the field of RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) products, such as inlays for bank, credit and smart cards, for tickets and labels, for passports and identity cards, as well as automotive products such as immobilizers, access systems and special RFID tags, and for other industrial and logistics applications.
Head of Corporate R&D
- Management of all global R&D locations in Europe (Germany & Finland), Asia (Thailand & Malaysia) and North America (USA), responsible for advanced development and application development, as well as for all global customer and technology projects.
- Leadership of approximately 120 employees with reporting line to the Group CEO.
Initial Situation & Objectives:
- Acquisition of 3 companies in Finland, Germany and California/USA, each with independent R&D divisions.
- The objective was the organizational and cultural integration of the existing 4 R&D locations with the 3 new R&D locations in Finland, Germany and the USA.
Activities / Measures:
- Introduction of 5 development & test centers (Centers of Excellence = CoE) for the initial structure with integration of the new companies.
- Optimization of existing structures and processes to stabilize projects, achieve synergies and increase productivity.
- R&D personnel reduced by approximately 20%.
- New R&D structure with reduction to 3 R&D centers (CoE) worldwide (EU, USA, Asia) including implementation plan for further productivity increases in R&D.
- Definition and implementation of a new, harmonized development process with defined milestones (quality gates) and R&D reporting.
- Definition and implementation of project management with clearly defined roles, tasks and responsibilities.
- Definition and implementation of a technology roadmap for long-term enhancement of competitive position.
- Development of new products and manufacturing technologies in the field of RFID inlays to reduce product costs and increase profitability (transponder design and assembly, antenna manufacturing, chip bonding, manufacturing process, material selection, standardization).
Key Achievements/Results:
- Successful organizational, procedural and cultural integration of the development units from 3 acquired companies.
- Restructuring of the R&D organization in the 2nd step from 5 to 3 Centers of Excellence (COEs)
- Reduction of R&D cost by approximately 30% in 1 year, by approximately 40% in 2 years with increased number of R&D projects and significantly higher revenue.
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