Integrated transformation from a single provider
Operations, SAP and leadership are not separate projects. We take responsibility for them together, in the plant and in the system, until the result is delivered.
Assignments in aerospace and defence, MedTech and pharmaceuticals, automotive, mechanical engineering, electrical and drive engineering, and renewable energy.
The problem
When every discipline does its job properly but the result is still missing
Delivery capability declines, the SAP project is delayed, a plant misses its targets. You bring in support: an SAP partner, an operations consultant, perhaps a recruitment provider for the vacant plant manager role.
Everyone delivers sound work in their own area. And yet nothing moves forward, because the real problem lies between those areas. The SAP partner points to the process. The operations consultant points to the system. Production is caught in the middle, waiting.
The most expensive discussion in any transformation project is not the technical one. It is the one about who is responsible.
The overarching discipline
The real value lies in connecting the parts
Transformation rarely fails because of a lack of expertise. It fails because of missing connections: between process and system, between strategy and shop floor, between decision and implementation.
Making these connections is not an additional service. It is the discipline that matters, and it cannot be bought by commissioning several specialists to work alongside one another. It only happens when one party holds all the threads and takes responsibility for the overall result.
That is exactly what SMART iNTERIM is built for.
From a single provider
Four levels, one point of accountability
Operational transformation
Restructuring, turnaround, plant setup, plant relocation, footprint and operational excellence. Delivered on the shop floor, not in the status report.
View service areaSAP and enterprise transformation
S/4HANA, process harmonisation, PDM, master data and system architecture. Built around the process, not the system configuration.
View service areaInterim leadership
From plant management to executive management. With accountability for results rather than recommendations, for as long as the assignment requires.
View service areaFilling key roles
If the gap remains, we fill it permanently. From a network of executives who have hands-on operational experience themselves.
View service areaYou do not commission four service providers with four contracts and four versions of the truth. You have one point of contact, one set of priorities and one figure against which performance is measured.
Across industries
The best from every industry, tailored to yours
A cleanroom standard from medical technology sometimes solves a quality problem in mechanical engineering. A production launch concept from the automotive industry accelerates the ramp-up of a hydrogen plant. A documentation standard from the defence sector brings order to spare parts logistics that have evolved over time.
Those who know only one industry repeat its habits. We work across six core industries in parallel and transfer what has proven effective elsewhere, rather than reinventing the wheel.
Transfer
Renewable energy, hydrogen and e-mobility
New plants scale faster than their processes and systems can keep up.
- Ramp-up management from Automotive and suppliers
- Cleanroom discipline from MedTech, pharmaceuticals and chemicals
- Compliance documentation from Aerospace, Defence and unmanned systems
Aerospace, Defence and unmanned systems
Documentation requirements and long procurement cycles clash with short-notice ramp-ups.
More about the industryMedTech, pharmaceuticals and chemicals
Regulatory requirements tie up capacity that is then unavailable for production launches and scaling.
More about the industryAutomotive and suppliers
Volume fluctuations meet cost pressure and ongoing relocations.
More about the industryMachinery and plant engineering
One-off production and historically accumulated master data make on-time delivery a matter of luck.
More about the industryElectrical and drive engineering
Electronics procurement and engineering changes outpace the production schedule.
More about the industryRenewable energy, hydrogen and e-mobility
New plants scale faster than their processes and systems can keep up.
More about the industryWhat sets us apart
Why divided responsibility does not work
Traditional consultancy
Analyses, recommends, hands over. Responsibility ends with the presentation.
Individual service providers
Optimises its own area. At the interface, the question of responsibility begins.
SMART iNTERIM
Takes on the role and accountability for results, across all areas. Responsibility ends when it works.
Getting both from a single provider saves you the most expensive debate in the project.
Evidence
When others had taken over and things still were not working
SMART iNTERIM has been engaged on several programmes where leading international consulting and implementation firms had previously been involved. Each engagement followed programme delays, ineffective governance or threats to operational stability. The task was not to develop a new concept, but to deliver structural stabilisation and implementation.
Group-wide SAP programme, defence and aerospace
Starting point
Technically dominated programme management, lack of process integration, increased schedule and budget risk.
Outcome
Rebuilt governance, end-to-end process visualisation, on-time completion of the first phase, controlled transition to routine operations.
SAP PDM setup in a safety-critical environment
Starting point
Contractual requirements with significant regulatory implications, complex coordination between engineering, logistics and IT.
Outcome
Audit-proof processes, contractual requirements met, sustainably embedded in routine operations.
Personality First
Competence is a prerequisite. Personality makes the difference.
We take professional competence as a given, it is the entry requirement. The success of an assignment depends on something else: attitude, the ability to handle conflict, cultural fit and whether the team is on board.
That is why we appoint people based on three criteria: contextual fit, performance fit and personality. And that is why many of our people come from hands-on operational roles, not from a distance. Our founder started in goods receiving.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What does integrated transformation mean in practice?
It means that process, system, organisation and leadership are developed together under a single point of accountability, rather than managed in separate projects under separate contracts.
How does this differ from traditional management consultancy?
We take on the role and accountability for results. Consultancy ends with a recommendation; our assignment ends when the solution is working in routine operations.
Why should one provider cover both operations and SAP?
Because a process that does not work on the shop floor will not work in the system either, and vice versa. Divided responsibility creates the debates over accountability that make projects expensive.
What sizes of company do you work with?
With manufacturing companies ranging from larger mid-sized businesses to international groups, focusing on the DACH region and Europe-wide programmes.
How quickly can you start?
Usually at short notice. A few days on site are enough for an initial assessment, after which a prioritised action plan is in place.
Do you also take on individual areas?
Yes. Not every assignment needs every discipline. What matters is that responsibility also covers the interfaces, rather than leaving them unattended between service providers.
Let’s discuss your situation
A thirty-minute conversation is usually enough to establish whether your issue is one we can help with. If not, we will say so.
Arrange an initial consultation