Roland Berger buys 30-strong German manufacturing consultancy

In its first acquisition in three years, Roland Berger has picked up POLARIXPARTNER, a management consultancy with a team of around 30 staff in Germany.

Hot on the heels of Stefan Schaible’s growth-focused unveilings in Manager Magazin, Roland Berger has announced its first deal in 35 months.

The CEO of Roland Berger admitted that the strategy and management consulting firm is working towards an ambitious growth agenda, aimed at hitting €1 billion in revenues in the coming years (up from nearly €750 million today), with inorganic growth an integral part of the drive.

Kicking off its deal agenda is POLARIXPARTNER, a Saarburg-based player specialised in strategy development, product teardown, value engineering, and cost and process optimisation in manufacturing-oriented sectors such as automotive, medical technology, pharmaceutical, aerospace, and plant engineering.

The deal comes on the back of a period of collaboration between the two firms, in particular around technical cost optimisation projects in Germany. “POLARIXPARTNER strengthens Roland Berger’s value chain and broad services portfolio,” said Marcus Berret, Global Managing Director at Roland Berger.

“They not only complement us operationally, but we also share the same philosophy – we deliver measurable results to clients and help them manage the major transformations of our time. The joining of forces is a natural fit, combining unparalleled industry expertise, European heritage and a global mindset.”

For POLARIXPARTNER, the merger into Roland Berger means the firm will be able to tap into a network of 2,700+ staff worldwide, and combine with one of the leading manufacturing consultancies in the marketplace.

CEO Markus Wiederstein: “Roland Berger is the only European voice among the major international management consulting firms, so the ideal partner for us. They will boost our offerings and help open the door to new markets.”

Turning to deals is a rare move for Roland Berger, although that is rumoured to change in the years ahead. According to Consultancy.org’s M&A database, the firm only closed two deals in the past decade: Enovation in the United States (2019) and FMC Consultants in Germany (2015).

Meanwhile, Roland Berger has on multiple occasions successfully fended off hostile merger attacks from rivals, including coming an inch close to being absorbed by a Big Four firm in 2013.