Project Experience

Analysis of market for coal based chemicals (China)

Project description: Analysis of Chinese market for different coal chemicals based on supply and demand, technology evaluation, and other factors. Forecast for future of coal chemicals.

Project included a number of expert interviews as well as a detailed analysis of available literature. 

Analysis of customer requirements in the agrochemical industry (China, India)

Project description: Analysis and determination of customer requirements, customer profitability and customer segments in various markets of the agrochemical industry in China and India

Project included large-scale interview program with major agrochemical companies in India and China followed by moderation of workshops to develop implementation measures

Analysis of customer requirements in the chemical industry (China)

Project description: Analysis and determination of customer requirements, customer profitability and customer segments in various markets of the chemical industry in China. The project included development and implementation of conjoint survey and large-scale interview program followed by moderated workshops to develop implementation measures

Similar projects were run for different units of the same client as well as for two other global chemical companies in China, for a total of approximately 1.5 years overall experience

Analysis of major flavor company (China)

Project description: A global leader in flavors and fragrances was considering entering a cooperation with a major domestic player in China. The project provided an in-depth report on the products, strengths and the management of the company as well as detailed information on potential critical issues and weaknesses. The report also gave recommendations on how to proceed with regard to the planned cooperation

Analysis of market position of chemicals distributor in China

Project description: Analysis of market position of the chemical distributor in its key markets. Analysis of profitability, key requirements and future developments including growth rates for key markets of the distributor.

Board Presentation for unit of global chemical company (Singapore)

Project description: Development of a board level presentation on the strategy and future tasks of a Singaporean subsidiary of a global chemical company. 

Concept development and implementation of large-scale hiring project for global chemical company (China)

Project description: A business unit of a global chemical company wanted to switch its main distribution channel in China from indirect (dealers) to direct sales. They therefore needed to expand their sales and support staff from approx. 10 to approx. 50 within the period of a few months. Attracting and selecting the new staff was the target of the project. To this end, an assessment center was developed based on the (also newly developed) job descriptions. This full-day assessment was conducted approx. 10 times at several different locations, resulting in the hiring of the necessary highly qualified staff

Consulting work for China CEO of global chemical company (China)

Project description: Support of the CEO in a number of tasks including development of various company policies (e.g. car policy) and setup of a China council 

Corporate strategy development (China)

Project description: A global chemical company set up a small corporate development department in China. This department is working on a variety of issues targeting synergies across business units, e.g. relationship management, experience sharing, joint BU site selection, development of Asia strategy etc.

Project comprised coaching and case-by-case support of the corporate strategy staff in China for one year 

Development of customer-specific offerings (China)

Project description: Based on the identified customer requirements as described above, customer specific offerings were developed that take into account both local Chinese conditions and the client´s request to limit complexity caused by too large a number of variables. This was solved by assigning customers to a limited number of service levels

Development of HR strategy for global chemical company (China)

Project description: A global chemical company wanted to change from a business-unit based assignment of HR responsibilities to one in which the HR was split by different HR subtasks (e.g. recruiting, personnel development). Project target was to identify and describe the target organization in detail as well as to provide coaching of various mid-to-high level Chinese HR managers in development of guidelines 

E-Business strategy for global pharma and chemical company

Project description: The company required development of a strategy on how to adapt the company to the internet and utilize the new opportunities provided. The project identified the best approaches for individual parts of the company depending on their specific situation 

Establishment of liaison office of global chemical company (China)

Project description: A global chemical company with strong business interests in China sought to improve its relationship with the Chinese government by setting up a dedicated liaison office. The project involved interviews with major internal stakeholders as well as research and the development of roles and tasks of the office. These were suggested to and agreed with the CEO in regular meetings 

Evaluation of consequences of European Chemicals Policy (REACH) for the BDI

Project description: The BDI (Association of German Industry) wanted to assess the effects of changes in the European Chemicals Policy on the German industry and specific industries. The assessment was done using an economic model applying the different parameters of the suggested policy as well as a large amount of input from the industries. The industry data was collected by collecting information in a large-scale interview program and workshops.

Consultant was main report writer and model developer for the study, with additional high involvement in conducting interviews and moderating industry workshops as well as presenting the results to selected audiences in the chemical industry and in other circles

Growth areas in protective coatings in China

Project description: A major global player in protective coatings wanted to extend its business in China and was looking for appropriate segments of the overall market to focus on. In the course of the project, a number of segments were analyzed, ranked by their attractiveness and fit with the client´s capabilities, and recommendations were given for the individual segments. The study was utilized by the client as a guideline for its future activities. 

Lessons learned during major chemical engineering project (Singapore)

Project description: A global chemical company wanted to collect and analyze the lessons learned during the initial phases of a large-size chemical engineering investment project in Singapore. This was done via a large-scale interview program of major project participants followed by a workshop with the core team of the project. The analysis pointed out several potential areas of improvement for future projects and for the next project phases.

Consultant developed the interview questionnaire and conducted all interviews, then prepared workshop structure based on the interview results. Consultant moderated the workshop and prepared a documentation and summary of the results. 

Market analysis of a major flavor chemical (China)

Project description: The global leader in the production of a specific chemical flavor was uncertain about the domestic market for the flavor in China. Primarily via phone and face-to-face interviews along with analysis of available data, the project created transparency with regard to players, market size, market growth and customers. This gave the client a solid base for further penetration of the Chinese market

Market and company analysis of global dental company

Project description: A private equity company interested in buying the company requested a detailed analysis of the market for dental materials (including forecasts and trends) as well as a thorough analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the company. This commercial due diligence formed the basis of the decision whether to make an offer for the company

Market and company analysis of global leather chemicals producer

Project description: A private equity company interested in buying the company requested a detailed analysis of the market for leather chemicals (including forecasts and trends) as well as a thorough analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the company. This commercial due diligence formed the basis of the decision whether to make an offer for the company 

Market and company analysis of producer of PVC additives

Project description: A private equity company interested in buying the company requested a detailed analysis of the market for PVC additives (including forecasts and trends) as well as a thorough analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the company. This commercial due diligence formed the basis of the decision whether to make an offer for the company 

Market study and market entry strategy for chemicals supplier for the printing industry (China)

Project description: A supplier of materials for the printing industry intended to enter the Chinese market and asked for a study on the market size and the customer requirements. Based on the study results (desk research and interviews), an entry strategy for the Chinese market was developed and fine-tuned in a management workshop 

Opinion Leader Concept for dental company (Germany)

Project description: For a leading global dental company, MCC prepared a concept on how to establish and conduct relationships with academic opinion leaders in the dental area along with the corresponding templates and procedures.

Optimization of R&D process of chemical startup company (Germany)

Project description: For a chemical startup company in the area of memory-shape polymers, the R&D process was analyzed, structured and optimized. As a result, the effectiveness and efficacy of R&D efforts was substantially improved.

Similar projects were done for other companies in the areas of dental materials and of specialty chemicals.

Overview of chemical distribution market (China)

Project description: a client needed an overview of the chemical distribution landscape in China, focusing on mid-size companies. We prepared a report on approximately 150 distribution companies with their contact details, annual sales and areas of specialization. Based on this initial report, the information on a limited number of distribution companies was detailed further, e.g., with regard to management, company history and profit

Restructuring of analytical department of global chemical company

Project description: The analytical department of a large specialty chemicals company required restructuring due to its fragmented multi-site structure and its shrinking internal customer base (due to divestments of the parent company). Apart from managing the restructuring, a project target was to find ways to enlarge the external analytical business of the department, requiring an extensive analysis of customer requirements

Setup of country council China

Project description: A global chemical company wanted to leverage synergies between different business units operating in China. The project established a cross-functional country council which serves as a communication platform for the business units to share experiences and best practices 

Strategic customer survey for market leader in food raw materials (Europe, USA)

Project description: Analysis of customer requirements in several key segments of the food market based on an extensive number of interviews with international customers. The final project report did not only summarize these requirements but also gave clear suggestions regarding required measures as well as information on market trends 

Strategic customer survey for producer of flavors (Europe, USA)

Project description: Analysis of customer requirements in several key segments of the flavors market based on an extensive number of interviews with international customers. The final project report did not only summarize these requirements but also gave clear suggestions regarding required measures as well as information on market trends

Strategy and business plan for medical/chemical start-up company

Project description: A start-up company based on a novel chemical technology wanted to develop a strategy and a business plan to develop and commercialize the technology. In the project, target customers for the technology were identified and linke

d to communication and other measures. A business plan was developed and utilized as a basis to secure further funding from the private equity owner. A number of highly relevant related issues (e.g., IP strategy, partnerships/alliances etc.) were also adressed 

Strategy development for a Chinese specialty chemicals company (China)

Project description: As part of the preparation of an IPO, a leading Chinese specialty chemicals company needed to prepare a mid-term strategy. MCC contributed substantial expertise with regard to specialty chemicals segments and the opportunities in each segment to the strategy development process

Strategy development for major Asian PE/PP producer (Korea)

Project description: A major integrated producer of polyethylene and polypropylene was concerned about the sustainability of its business in the face of growing competition from Chinese and Middle Eastern producers. A strategy was developed to enter promising new business segments and to focus on the inherent strengths of the company

Supplier search for selected basic organic chemicals (China)

Project description: The client, a major German chemical company, looked for suitable Chinese suppliers for a number of basic organic chemicals. The products to be sourced were both for Chinese and for German sites of the client. In the project, supplier criteria were determined, and several suppliers were evaluated via site visits.

Target search for specialty chemicals company (Asia)

Project description: A European specialty chemicals company was looking for suitable Asian acquisition targets in several of their business areas. We provided a shortlist of candidates for further evaluation

Technology and site evaluation for British chemical site

Project description: A British chemical site needed to be evaluated for the prospects of its individual production plants. The project therefore analyzed the technology, market situation and forecasts for all major chemicals produced at the site 

Technology evaluation for polymer film producer

Project description: A major producer of cosmetics and polymer films sought to move into a new data storage technology based on its existing polymer films. However, the target markets and their requirements were extremely vague. The project clarified these issues primarily by extensively discussing the technology with different industries and summarizing their demands and needs

Training on management in China (China)

Project description: For a major German specialty chemicals company, MCC conducted a training focusing on the specific aspects of being a manager in a multinational company in China. This topic was covered both from the perspective of Chinese and of foreign managers in China. The training universally got very positive feedback from the participants

Workshop on Growth and Pricing (Asia)

Project description: A business unit of a leading German specialty chemicals company wanted to explore ways to increase growth and optimize pricing in Asia. Via preparatory interviews and a workshop with relevant management, options to achieve these goals were identified and prioritized. The workshop got very positive feedback from the participants 

Workshop preparation / moderation for global chemical company (China)

Project description: Preparation of a 3-day strategic management workshop for a leading fluoropolymer producer including development of workshop structure. Moderation of the workshop and documentation of results