IT, Telecommunications & Media

Ready for an accelerated internet economy?

The world has changed dramatically – businesses and consumers are now virtually always online, taking full advantage of the significant innovations made possible by quantum leaps in information technology and telecommunications. The internet has revolutionised the way business is done as well as the daily lives of consumers. In this environment, innovation and change are at the top of the corporate agenda.

Social media as well as ubiquitous digital services are leading to a closer interconnection between companies and customers. Digital communication has a mobile, social but also local impact. In order to survive in the long term, companies from the TIME sectors (telecommunications, information, media, electronics) must develop strategies that ensure the innovative development of competitive products in the age of the Internet economy of the 21st century.

One focus of development of the internet economy is in the USA, where giants like Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook are battling it out to see who dominates the digitised world in which segment. The digitised and physical worlds can create amazing user experiences in the process. Closed systems dominated by one company, integrating hardware, software and services, are being challenged by open systems in which a multitude of suppliers combine different hardware, software and services using open standards. Those who are not strong enough to dominate an entire system are better advised to focus on individual elements and build partner networks.

In the networked economy, the speed of change is continuously increasing. Sound ideas about the future and the application of the best digital strategies are a major challenge that requires competent partners to master. The allocate approach combines intelligent strategies with an integrated allocation and optimisation of all central corporate resources and thus enables clients from the TIME segment to safely navigate through an uncertain future. allocate’s expertise in finding and developing the right team to meet these challenges of the Internet economy is a particularly effective lever in making our clients successful.

Uncertain primary energy supplies, associated price explosions, increasingly critical climate issues and supply chain problems have decisively changed the discussion about a sustainable energy supply of the future and necessary new concepts for energy supply.
The energy industry worldwide is facing these changes, which are derived from limited supply options, stricter regulations, growing competitive pressure, the use of fossil resources and the transformation to green energy. The cost explosion as well as increasing concerns about security of supply and environmental sustainability have reached a new level.

In recent years, our allocate advisors have supported and implemented a wide range of projects for clients from the energy and utilities sectors, particularly in the field of renewable energies and energy efficiency, and have achieved results. Our comprehensive experience along the entire value chain ranges from generation, storage, transmission, distribution and billing to technical services and is based on the many years of professional and project experience of our international consultants and industry experts.

We support energy and utility companies in Germany in their transformation to more environmentally friendly, sustainable energy production as well as in the development of new, fast-growing international energy markets.

We have extensive experience across the energy sector and have successfully supported our national and international clients in the past as independent consultants on the following issues: Strategy and business development, operational excellence and performance/profit improvement programmes, process optimisation and reorganisation projects, transformation and restructuring tasks, innovation and technology deployment as well as all HR and capacity management issues.

Energy & Utilities

Sustainable energy concepts of the future – For security of supply, economic efficiency and environmental compatibility

Chemistry & Process Industries

Chemical industry and other important process industries

Chemical industry

In a global context, the chemical industry is currently undergoing major structural changes, which, however, have very different regional implications:

  • In highly developed markets, the consolidation and reorientation of industrial structures is progressing steadily
  • The conversion to a completely climate-neutral chemical industry with a diversely modified raw material base based on renewable energies and natural raw materials, but also the use of CO2 as a raw material (CCU) has been initiated and will lead to a complete reorganisation of processes in the chemical industry.
  • In highly developed markets, innovation plays a central role in developing solutions for market requirements driven by megatrends such as resource efficiency or nutrition – also beyond existing production structures
  • In regions with favourable raw material availability, the focus is on building very large chemical complexes with an export focus. Based on the current basic chemistry, this is linked to the ambition to also produce more refined products and to use renewable energies, which are also available there at favourable prices, as a source for the production of chemical raw materials (SYNFUELS).
  • In fast-growing consumer markets, such as in Asia, local production facilities are being established that form synergetic clusters with other segments such as automobiles, consumer goods or construction.

Our allocation and optimisation approach covers all relevant levers for optimising the top line as well as the bottom line in the chemical industry. We support our clients in strategy and portfolio management, investments and international business development, optimisation of organisations and processes, human resources development and change management. But even in projects with a singular thematic focus, we consider the overall impact and synchronisation with the business system.

In this context, we also support our clients in broader transformation programmes, which include targeted initiatives for continuous improvement processes, establishing a learning organisation and achieving operational excellence. In such programmes, we typically take on a coaching role to fully mobilise the forces of the workforce.

Our broad experience in the process industries segment also includes metal-producing industries such as steel, aluminium or copper production. Here, we target specific value levers, such as energy costs, with regard to optimised production schemes, improving the purchase of raw materials and a general increase in productivity. This also includes the further development of entire business models in order to develop value-creating, new options for action, e.g. in the technology sector or in industrial services.

There are many comparable challenges in the paper and wood processing sector. One specific topic, for example, is the intelligent linking of paper or wood production with the possibilities of using waste materials as feedstock for the generation of regenerative energy. In view of the strong commoditisation in the paper market, we also support our clients in differentiation strategies including niche applications, but also in completely new location concepts such as paper parks.

Innovation is also the main driver for many pharmaceutical companies when it comes to differentiating themselves from the primarily marketing and sales-driven OTC sector or the very cost-driven generics business. Nevertheless, there are constant consolidation tendencies in the pharmaceutical sector, as in numerous countries legal framework conditions for cost containment in the health care system create price and cost pressure and force the corresponding companies to adapt their structures and processes accordingly.

Airlines, shipping companies, railways, ports and tourism providers are the central platform of global trade by continuously reducing transaction costs. This makes them beneficiaries of central megatrends such as globalisation, individualisation, growth in emerging markets and the mobile IT revolution. Turnover in the transport and logistics sectors is growing about twice as fast as the gross national product. However, not all market participants are able to transform growth into an increase in company value. Productivity leaps of new competitors with innovative business models require drastic transformation measures from established providers in order to be among the winners in the consolidation. Optimal positioning in the value chain, customised business systems and value-added services are becoming increasingly important.

allocate supports transport and infrastructure companies in the competitive design of their business systems. In line with this, we develop and implement P&L-effective strategies and increase the productivity of the organisation and processes. The implementation of the measures is secured and consolidated with continuous improvement programmes and change management methods.

Transport & Infrastructure

Value enhancement only with correct positioning