Ginkgo Management Consulting conceptualized the IT Shared Services Center for the APAC region of a leading automotive manufacturing company and supported the initial set-up as well as the service transition from more than 20 legal entities in the Asia Pacific. The concept of main value drives were standardization, centralization, and modernization of IT services. While service quality could be significantly improved and professionalized the achieved financial benefits case was substantial. One key success factor was the successful establishment of an IT service delivery model which integrated outsourcing, out-tasking, and in-house service delivery.

The client had previously emphasized the global template of its sales processes and IT system landscape and went through a harmonization and standardization process for the strategic markets. Focus markets, such as the German market, were on top looking into additional possibilities of supporting the sales processes digitally. Having been involved deeply in the process and system template of the client Ginkgo was asked to analyze such digital opportunities with respect to creating benefits on retail sales as well as on OEM level. As such we selected most relevant customer interaction points that could be enhanced through digitization. We listed potential technological and digital features stemming from competition, digital industry leaders as well as from interviews with the clients’ dealers themselves (who had been inventive with creating their own features like apps, customized handhelds, etc). After a strategic evaluation of the resulting options, we identified focus use cases and their digital potentials and went back to creating a framework for it that could hold for OEM and Retailer interests alike. Key aspects here were time-to-market, benefits evaluation within the sales journey, compliance with OEM standards / integrate ability as well as scalability. Various options of an organizational, as well as technological framework as a basis for a digital path forward, were presented to management and our recommendation was chosen for implementation.

This car manufacturer faced a series of challenges, including limited visibility of sales and after-sales performance. This was mainly due to a missing global standard for dealerships with regards to processes, reporting, and supporting tools – making steering and decision-making difficult. Ginkgo collaborated closely with the client to standardize tool-supported retail- and wholesale processes for sales and aftersales on a global scale, thus enabling the client to increase visibility and ability to steer markets. Implementing these processes globally within dealerships required a detailed rollout approach to ensure adherence with standards defined. The rollout approach covered an overall framework ranging from project management, requirements analysis, budgeting and contracting, change management, communication, and training to IT-implementation. The approach supported the rollout of new processes and tools on a global scale, helping the client to enhance the visibility of the sales- and aftersales data to support decision-making.

The client, an international automotive OEM, experienced a lack of controllability of one of their main suppliers for a point-of-sale retail system. Required KPIs were not fully defined nor agreed or monitored and tracked. Collaboration with the supplier was unsatisfactory and controls very limited. Ginkgo Management Consulting was asked to develop a new collaboration model with the supplier including distinct KPIs (bonus/malus system applicable) and a corresponding governance model. Required collaboration processes and roles were defined, a new organizational structure was created including an implementation-concept and a growth plan. The complete new collaboration model was tried out in an initial European wide role-play workshop together with the client and the supplier. A set of real-life use-cases was walked through with future owners of defined roles. After verification, the new Governance Concept was rolled out globally and is the basis for ongoing successful collaboration between both parties involved.

For our client, an international automotive OEM, we enabled new digital business models and innovation based on open APIs. Starting from scratch Ginkgo Management Consulting conceptualized and led the iterative buildup of an API platform to monetize digital assets via open APIs. By delivering the basis for digital asset monetization including a comprehensive operation model, the new business model was implemented into the existing corporate environment. A process for API product development was successfully developed and our consultants took over the interim role of product management for API products provided via a portal to 3rd parties. In alignment with the client, the business model was established together with first customers within only 18 months.

The client, an international automotive OEM, invested into a new, digital Aftersales system. At the same time, a strategy was required on how to transform the existing application landscape into the new world. Ginkgo Management Consulting was asked to develop a new collaboration model with the supplier including distinct KPIs (bonus/malus system applicable) and a corresponding governance model. Required collaboration processes and roles were defined, a new organizational structure was created including an implementation-concept and a growth plan. The complete new collaboration model was tried out in an initial European wide role-play workshop together with the client and the supplier. A set of real-life use-cases was walked through with future owners of defined roles. After verification, the new Governance Concept was rolled out globally and is the basis for ongoing successful collaboration between both parties involved.

The client in the manufacturing industry was challenged with a multi-module SAP template implementation. After a severe delay in schedule and a subsequent change of the implementation partner, Ginkgo Management Consulting was entrusted to perform a Program Management role. The small, high impact team was introduced as a managing Program Management Office (contrary to a purely administrative one). The PMO was driving and actively dealing with several ad-hoc workgroups to master the challenges which were mainly caused by a lack of business process maturity and insufficient IT Operations planning. Based upon a short baselining assessment the original “Big Bang” Go-Live date was still met, but with a change of the initial scope. Now the complete functionality was realized in a second step two months after the Go-Live.

Previously the client went through a severe downturn of its business which followed in a drastic cut in all IT expenses and investments. At the point of the Ginkgo assignment, the client’s IT was faced with high a degree of outsourcing and had a rather limited lever on IT service performance and quality. Also IT top management was on the move and new divisional CIOs were being put in place. Ginkgo supported one of the divisional CIOs in a quick assessment of relevant IT inventory (projects, assets, expenses/investments) to derive a description of the IT status quo. Through interviews with key stakeholders and site visits, we were able to assess major weak spots in the IT service delivery as well as the unmatched business expectations towards IT. Based on a set of principles and clear business expectations we were able to develop a set of strategic options that would move IT much closer to business, drive IT delivery performance short- and long-term, and build a divisional IT organization to sustain IT benefits to the business. Through a top management workshop, these options were discussed and the recommended 5 years strategic IT roadmap was approved for execution.

The client in the manufacturing industry refused the go-live of a multi-Module SAP template implementation due to a serious delay in training. Ginkgo’s due diligence revealed an unrealistic training schedule, unavailability of critical training material and qualified trainers, and a delay in change management and communication measures 4 months before planned go-live. Ginkgo managed to negotiate the training scope and priorities with the business side to keep the initially planned go-live date and adapted the change management and training approach. 20 additional consultants were brought in to prepare and run all training activities in required languages and production shifts. To keep the go-live date, substantial training & change management activities were postponed and delivered after go-live until more than a year after go-live (approx. 1/3 pre-go-live and 2/3 after-go-live). The overall success of keeping the go-live date was rated a big success by the client, as the go-live date had been seen as impossible at engagement start.

The client in the manufacturing industry aimed to set a Digital Collaboration Program based on the Salesforce platform. There was no strategy to harvest value-form that investment nor a strategy to increase Digital Services. Ginkgo managed to negotiate the training scope and priorities with the business side to keep the initially planned go-live date and adapted the change management and training approach. 20 additional team members were brought in to prepare and run all training activities in required languages and production shifts. The overall success of keeping the go-live date was rated a big success by the client, as the go-live date had been seen as impossible at engagement start.

A growing installed base and lack of transparency about components installed have become a major challenge in the wind industry​. The client required full control of the asset lifecycle​ to enable the move from selling products to selling services. Ginkgo supported the client in creating a service-specific product structure based on wind industry-wide standards​ and link all relevant information to the product structure (e.g. graphical models, bill of materials, documents, and transactional data). The thereby enabled Digital Twin supports all maintenance and service-related tasks. All required information is now available and can be used intuitively; high amounts of information are aggregated with a focus on improving decision making​.

The introduction of Mobility Services and Workflows enabled employees to faster and more efficiently manage approval processes for several business applications. Success factors for these projects were multi-device standards, an adequate security architecture as well as high usability of the User Interface. Ginkgo developed the solution concept and managed the realization of this significant business enhancement.

As part of an overall cost reduction program, the client in the mining industry was looking to reduce costs for IT service support. A new contract with a service provider was signed, incorporating all major IT services. Ginkgo was asked to manage the transition to the new contract. The Ginkgo team worked together closely with the client to define requirements and acceptance criteria to complete the transition, thus enabling the client to improve steering opportunities, enhance the quality of vendor reporting and achieve better visibility about the costs generated. The provider was then managed to deliver according to requirements, implementing the enhancements defined with the client. IT service support costs were reduced by 40% and the flexibility of delivering the services was enhanced, allowing the client to adapt IT service support to changing needs in terms of both quality and quantity.

The newly appointed business unit CIO was confronted with in-transparency, cost pressure, and a leadership team with a little strategic outlook. The brief assessment from another strategy consultancy gave insights and ideas. Ginkgo took existing and newly identified means and formulated a sound strategy which got gradually implemented by the client with sustainable long term coaching support by one of our consultants. As a result, the IT leadership team had an updated strategy and refreshed governance with a set of KPIs that got measured and drove behavior. Although the IT budget was cut by 20%, the quality metrics remained stable and overall effectiveness increased through clear responsibilities and monthly alignment meeting schedules.

IT Service Management at an MNC was costly and slow as over 27 main IT outsourcing providers had to be orchestrated through multiple systems and ITIL process interpretations. By taking over the control and forcing IT providers as well as users to communicate via a new integrated ticketing solution, the cost per ticket was reduced to a third of the original price. As a result, the standardized IT service management processes supported by one global cloud-based tool used by all stakeholders allowed to increase the visibility of the global IT service landscape produced a joint understanding and through that reduced the ticket resolution times and costs.

In the context of a Post-Merger-Integration Program (the client had acquired a formerly state-owned Oil & Gas company), multiple projects were set for execution also in the IT Division. Besides quick win aspects and process harmonization efforts between the old and new entities, we were asked how to organisationally harmonize and synergize the IT organizations of the merged companies. Top-level criteria for a re-organization were aligned with management (synergies of new available locations, IT service and process quality, process criticality, etc.), and an in-depth qualitative and quantitative process and resource assessment was done. A standard catalog of IT services, processes, and roles was set as a basis to compare assessment results. Top-down a target IT organization was drafted and all assessed IT activities were sorted into it. As a result, the new organization was formed with a new distribution of activities between locations. This formed a template and baseline for implementation in which a restructuring and knowledge transfer program was launched and executed successfully.

A successful pharmaceutical firm had radically revised its strategic direction and developed from a historically grown concoction of individual regional companies into a global corporation with distinct business units. Information Technology was confronted with this fundamental change and required to adjust. Ginkgo Management Consulting was asked to develop a concept for a new operating and governance model. Based upon an assessment phase a new organization was developed with a specific focus on Business-IT alignment and project portfolio governance. The implementation took less than 10 weeks and was revisited after six months. One main result was a high degree of business satisfaction with IT which was regarded by the client as the most successful outcome of the project.

The analysis of three corporate divisions of an international Pharmaceutical company for the creation of an IT strategy model was the project subject. The functional-, application- and technology- As-Is and target architectures were developed in consideration of the IT delivery and IT cost structures. The preparation, execution, and moderation of workshops as well as the documentation were also part of the tasks. An additional result was the establishment and communication of the IT strategy process. Derived from the IT strategy, action items from business demands are now the basis for annual IT investment decisions.

The globally operating retail group was facing a challenge to integrate service processes of various service providers and internal departments across countries and continents. One core finding of an initial assessment was that service processes and role models did not follow a commonly agreed model. Ginkgo helped to define a standardized Process Framework for all main processes based upon ITIL and initiated also contractual adaptations with external partners. Additionally, the governance and reporting framework was designed in order to allow for continuous improvement during operations.

The client requested a proof of concept for a complete end-2-end IT service management approach for their retail Europe business and global PLM function. Ginkgo developed a comprehensive ITSM concept, starting with a maturity statement, quantified effort & benefit potential, resulting in a business case and interdependency matrix. Design principles for the ITSM approach were derived and agreed to, implementation scenarios have been documented and prioritized and two transition planning scenarios suggested. Based on the documented PoC results an implementation program has been scoped and planned which has been agreed to. The client started the implementation immediately after PoC finalization & delivery.

Our client was 7 years locked in a sole sourcing infrastructure relationship. The end of the sole sourcing contract was used to stabilize the IT operations. Ginkgo was contracted to develop a sourcing strategy and multi-provider management framework to assure future IT operations and end to end services with the applications team. Together with the client Ginkgo developed the sourcing strategy and multi-vendor management framework. Subsequently, Ginkgo was contracted to lead the implementation and operationalization phase. Instead of a “Big Bang” approach, Ginkgo realized cost savings and operational efficiencies with the chosen multi-vendor approach in line with the client’s planning.

An international telco provider experienced decreasing Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) and Transactional Net Promoter Score (TNPS) values for its customer services especially for new mobile clients (new customer phase). Ginkgo Management Consulting was asked to analyze root-causes and design necessary actions to optimize customer satisfaction. Due to the fact that customer service operation (call center and complaint management) is fully outsourced analysis was planned and executed on-site at the customer service provider. Over a defined timespan a dedicated team of customer care representatives documented and classified the shortcomings during client contact which led to dissatisfaction of the customer. Additional data was gathered from team-manager coaching and silent monitoring of calls. An analysis of the gathered data clearly showed areas of lapse both on the client as well as on the supplier side which lead to customer dissatisfaction. In a series of joint workshops moderated by Ginkgo required measures were identified, planned, and prioritized for execution. Tracking of measure implementation and related customer satisfaction KPIs was established and monitored. The success of taken counter-measures was detected shortly thereafter.

After the acquisition of a national operating cable provider, the client faced the challenge to realize a first merger milestone within Operations in a very short timeline. As a long-term partner and based on experience gained in a former PMI process of the company Ginkgo was mandated again to support the PMI process for the Operations department. Ginkgo took over the responsibility to design and implement joint processes as well as handover procedures to ensure organizational readiness for “commercial day one” when both companies started to market combined service and product offerings. Based on the results achieved in phase one several other projects were initiated to further ensure and enhance smooth interworking of all Operations processes. In parallel areas with high synergy, potential were identified, analyzed and actions defined to realize those synergies. As the coordinative body, Ginkgo was responsible to monitor, control, and report the progress of all Operations initiatives within the merger program to ensure that the financial targets set by the executive board were met.

One of the leading Global Telecommunications providers has launched new Infrastructure as a Service-based Cloud product for its business customers. The new development of cloud products also required the realignment of sales and customer approach. The modernization of sales channels and their dovetailing played a key role here. Ginkgo developed a comprehensive Omni Channel strategy tailored to the new business model, which also took into account the convergence of sales, marketing, and service. In the process, the new sales channels were developed both professionally and technically: Online Sales, Tele Sales, Direct Sales, and Partner Sales. The implementation also included the connection of the sales channels along the customer journey from awareness to the advisory, automatic ordering, and automatic invoicing. In addition, customer self-service was expanded in the online sales channel, which led to significantly improved customer satisfaction.

Ginkgo Management Consulting supported cargo trains (and its European subsidiaries) to set up an operational intelligence center for asset & maintenance improvement. Overall technical and logical architectures were designed and implemented into an operating model. A digital use case factory was set up to deliver digital solutions to the client’s organization.

Ginkgo Analytics supported in creating a prognosis model to predict the estimated arrival time of cargo trains. The working prognosis model delivered as proof of concept. Identified weak points in the production processes, where either data was found to be missing or the process results are not predictable. Demonstration of organizational potential of data-driven decision-making based on ETA use case implemented.

Ginkgo Analytics supported the setup of a center of excellence for AI implementation in a leading German railway operator on a corporate level. The goal of the unit is the ability of the individual business units and departments to use AI for specific applications. An MVP was built that automated the processing of customer orders into the SAP systems to the extent of nearly no human interaction, improving process quality and speed tremendously.

Ginkgo Management Consulting supported the client in designing and developing a new IT system to increase the profitability of transportations by improving the efficiency of the vessel capacity management by utilizing the means of Big Data, Predictive Analytics, and automated Decision Engines. The bottom line increased utilization & margin of transported containers due to streamlined processes and automation. Newly automated processes allow for significant time savings and cut down administrative overhead costs. System and forecasting models are ready to be enhanced by additional data flows from IoT devices and other external sources and complemented by machine learning.

Ginkgo Analytics supported in setting up the data pipeline and running the customer analyses. The automated data pipeline was set up, to facilitate sustainable data storage. On-premise development with the flexibility to shift ETL and analytics workload to cloud. Joint implementation of selected machine learning use cases. Several use cases are live for internal users.

Ginkgo Management Consulting identified use cases for the digitalization of mobile assets, as well as maintenance processes, to increase asset-availability, reduce maintenance costs, and to enable projects such as condition-based maintenance. Set up a business case and use case portfolio for implementation of asset and maintenance digitalization. The project increased the nationwide asset-availability, reduced maintenance costs, and enabled projects such as condition-based maintenance.

A group-intern IT service provider needed the development of a group-wide target operating model and the establishment of a retained organization. The consolidation of the provider landscape and harmonization of the IT services as well as the support for the transition of a TK service strategy, especially for managed connectivity services were also major activities. Due to an enormous cost savings time pressure, the transition of identified measures had to be carried out very quickly and with measurable results. By doing this, the following measurable results were achieved: cost transparency across countries, reduced network cost to the market price, consolidated contracts, and suppliers.

Developing the Sourcing Strategy and building the foundation for a harmonized and standardized lean and effective Sourcing. Creating the Sourcing & Supplier Process Framework across Contract Management, Governance, Service Level Management, Risk Management, Audit & Compliance, and Demand Management.

Building a Sourcing Strategy during a Merger & Acquisition focussing on Synergies, Supplier Re-Negotiations, and Cost Reduction. Supplier Consolidation and standardizing Contracts across strategic Suppliers. Merging two Sourcing Organizations and Harmonizing the Processes enabling a lean Management and introducing a Center of Excellence for Sourcing & Supplier Management across all Legal Entities.

As part of a wind power plant project, the OEM committed to delivering automated transfers of service data to the utilities back end systems. Gingko supported setting up the processes and solutions for the exchange of the data using an API cloud platform. The data comprised transactional data as well as documents. Furthermore, component traceability on the service order level was guaranteed by using a power plant-specific standard for identifying locations in turbines.