Turning a signed deal into a working operation

The value in a manufacturing acquisition is rarely created at signing. It is created in the 12 to 18 months that follow, when the acquired operation either becomes part of the group with its systems, processes, reporting and culture aligned or drifts as a standalone entity and underperforms the investment thesis. Post-acquisition integration is where most of the deal risk lives, and where most of the synergies are either realised or quietly lost.

When you need this engagement

PMI mandates typically come from two sources:

Private equity sponsors backing platform or bolt-on acquisitions in the industrial sector, who need an operator to execute the value-creation plan the investment committee approved. Day One readiness, 100-day plan, synergy delivery and investor reporting all in a form the sponsor’s operating partners and CFO can trust.

Strategic acquirers industrial groups or OEMs who have closed on a target and need integration capacity beyond what their internal M&A or operations teams can provide. Often the acquiring company’s own leadership cannot be pulled off the core business to run the integration, and a dedicated interim operator is the cleanest answer.

In both cases, the engagement begins either just before closing to ensure Day One readiness or in the weeks immediately following.

What I deliver

A PMI mandate is built around the specific value-creation plan agreed at deal approval. Typical workstreams include:

• Day One readiness and 100-day plan. Ensuring critical operational, financial and legal continuity from closing. Detailed plan for the first 100 days with named owners, deliverables and milestones.
• ERP and systems integration. Coordinating with IT and finance on migration to the group ERP (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics or similar). Defining the data model, cutover approach and go-live plan. Interim reporting workarounds during transition.
• Process harmonisation. Aligning core processes, S&OP, procurement, quality management, HSE, HR with group standards where it creates value, and leaving local variations where it does not.
• Cultural integration. Managing the human side of integration. Leadership team assessment, retention of key staff, communication cadence, alignment on ways of working. This is typically where deals fail, and where an experienced operator earns their fee.
• Synergy delivery. Tracking the cost and revenue synergies committed in the deal model, week by week. Clear accountability, clear reporting, clear escalation when targets slip.
• Investor and board reporting. Monthly reporting structured the way a PE sponsor’s operating partners, or a group CFO, expects to see it value creation plan progress, KPI tracking, integration milestones, issues and risks.

Typical timeline

What clients take away

• Acquired operation fully integrated into the group operationally, financially and culturally
• Synergies delivered against the deal model, with variance explained
• Permanent management team in place and engaged Investor reporting history suitable for mid-hold review or sale process
• No nasty surprises, issues surfaced early, addressed transparently