Private Equity

Zimmertec AG partners with private equity groups to accelerate measurable and sustainable value across procurement, operations and logistics throughout the investment lifecycle.

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A Proven Partner for Private Equity

Throughout 40 years of consulting, private equity has emerged as the only practice area Zimmertec serves with an industry focused practice. Why industry agnostic everywhere else and industry focus in private equity? It just makes good sense, and great savings. With its emphasis on buying and improving companies, private equity is a natural fit and aligns seamlessly with our core practice lines – Supply Chain & Procurement, Logistics & Transportation, Manufacturing Efficiency, and Sales & Marketing. These are the biggest-impact opportunities for reducing costs and increasing revenue – and the very work private equity firms are most eager to tackle in order to move the needle fast on the balance sheet.

Delivering Superior Results for Top Private Equity Firms

A significant number of Zimmertec’s partner group come from private equity backgrounds, as do many of our clients. We have lived it and loved it for most of our careers. In fact, we’ve proudly served 25 of the top 50 private equity firms in North America, and 12 of the top 25 in Europe. Our services offer the best value equation in the field – second only to the discount of the original purchase.

Our Approach at a Glance

1. Zimmertec Partners with private equity firms throughout the full investment lifecycle
  1. Pre-Acquisition, conduct data-driven analysis on target’s commercial and operational opportunities
  2. Executing operational improvements, define and execute focused value creation strategies for first 100 days and beyond
  3. Post-Acquisition, provide market & industry assessment to optimize exit value
2. Together we accelerate execution of financial results (EBITDA growth)—investment guaranteed
  1. Rapid mobilization – remotely or onsite
  2. Develop detailed roadmap & achieve quantifiable results
  3. Prioritization of quick wins to target in first 100 days
3. Always focused on driving value creation through sustainable operational improvements
  1. Reduced lead-times, increased on-time delivery, strategic sourcing, outsourcing, offshoring or reshoring or re-allocation, aftermarket optimization, value engineering, available capacity, risk assessment
  2. Assess skill sets & provide skill-based training curriculum to ensure repeatability
  3. Implement & track measurable benefits
4. Global industry & operations expertise
  1. Cross-functional teams integrated globally
  2. Comprehensive knowledge of industry trends and benchmarks
  3. Industry specialists within supply chain, procurement, operations, & logistics
5. Leverage value across portfolio
  1. Effectively leverage portfolio spend to maximize overall total benefit
  2. Quickly integrate subsequent investments to harvest opportunities common across portfolio
  3. Create a defined & disciplined proven methodology synchronized across portfolio

We Tailor the Approach for Every Client

Our process first addresses indirect costs – everything from telecom to car leases to the maintenance of office supplies, furniture, and computers. By centrally coordinating these categories, we give your firm valuable buying leverage across your holdings, which generates a modest but substantial return. We then delve into the individual select holdings that are the biggest and most problematic, which is where the returns become significant – in many cases doubling bottom-line profits.

  • Due Diligence

  • Operational Improvements

  • Continuous Improvements

Assess Value, Opportunity & Risk
  1. Data collection
  2. Management interviews
  3. Industry analysis & market benchmarking
  4. Past industry experience & supplier intelligence
  5. Data validation
Develop Roadmap
  1. Category selection & prioritization
  2. Establish metrics & tracking methods
  3. Identify sourcing initiative team
Operational Improvements
  1. Develop & distribute Request for Proposal (RFP)
  2. Detailed qualitative & quantitative analysis
  3. Supplier due diligence & negotiations
  4. Develop selection & implementation strategy
Implement Selected Strategy
  1. Implement selected suppliers
  2. Institute new processes & tools
  3. Track & report implementation
Improve the Process & Results
  1. Realize sourcing & operational savings
  2. Manage alliance partnerships

Zimmertec’s detailed assessment begins with due diligence to create a roadmap delivering sustained improvements throughout your portfolio.

By the Numbers

Annual COGS savings ranged from 5% on pure commodities to greater than 30% on complex categories

ROIs from 200%
to in excess of 1,000%

5 to 10X
multiple improvement

Long-Term Results, Not Quick Fixes

We know that time is of the essence when buying and selling companies. Our process is at its best with an average run time of 12-18 months. We’re not here to oversee a quick-fix dress-up for sale, but rather to identify a clear strategic course of action that we can implement alongside our clients. Only through real, hard work and immersive knowledge share can we generate repeatable results across your portfolio.

Mutually Beneficial Relationships

Building long-term relationships with our private equity clients starts with finding cost savings in manufacturing and distribution. Our track record here is unparalleled, and when private equity firms see success in these areas, they’re quick to recognize how valuable our service can be across multiple aspects of their businesses.

Passion for the Private Equity Industry

Zimmertec’s specialties are Supply Chain & Procurement, Transportation & Logistics, Manufacturing Efficiency, and Sales & Marketing. When we pair these practice lines with decades of experience invested in understanding the unique needs of private equity firms, our Private Equity practice becomes a niche offering that very few firms – if any – can match. Perhaps that’s why nearly half of the world’s top private equity companies have invited us to sit at the table with them and help solve their biggest challenges.

These are the relationships we’re most passionate about, because the potential for savings and generating growth across multiple holdings compounds the opportunity. At Zimmertec our biggest measure of success is the satisfaction of our clients, and we have been able to make our friends in private equity smile quite a bit over the course of 40 years. Our process is proven again and again in private equity, put us to the test.  Don’t take our word for it, listen to what a few of our clients have to say.

Client Testimonials

  • "…I've never experienced a more professional and methodical process. I wish all of my top customers were this organized…"

    Chief Operating Officer
    Chief Operating Officer Ryerson

  • "…Prior to working with this firm, we had never structured a CRU based Stainless Steel agreement with any of our customers, but they sold TK on the value proposition of stable earnings & volume over the course of the next 5 years…"

    President YKS
    President YKS ThyssenKrupp AG

  • "…I have worked with Zimmertec for over ten years at three Fortune 500 companies. At Textron, they transformed our purchasing into a profit center, rather than a traditional cost center. We made purchasing and global sourcing a sustainable competitive advantage with their help…"

    President & CEO
    President & CEO Textron Industrial Products

  • "…They have introduced to Vale a training academy that is simply first class. We have good people at our company, but our people need to develop essential skills in order to execute process at the highest level. Execution quality separates the best companies from the rest of the pack…"

    Chief Procurement Officer
    Chief Procurement Officer Vale

  • "…They understand and appreciate the cultural sensitivities that exists in building a true global partnership with a multinational company…"

    Executive Vice President Worldwide Sales
    Executive Vice President Worldwide Sales Nippon Steel

  • "…I have worked with these folks representing three different global companies. They are head and shoulders above the rest…they understand People, Process, & Technology…and they get results."

    Executive Vice President
    Executive Vice President Dover Corporation

  • "…This 11-gate process is very data driven and revolutionizes how we go to market with our strategic suppliers. We would have to conduct a thousand LEAN manufacturing projects to equal the value of one sourcing project."

    EVP & Head of Global Operations
    EVP & Head of Global Operations Bucyrus

  • "We have a staged and gated process for new product development and process improvement…but we didn't have a gated process for sourcing of materials and services which is 65% of our total cost…"

    Director of Global Operations
    Director of Global Operations Terex Europe

  • "…The skill-based training has made me a better executive…I have taken many training courses over my career and nothing compares to how real this training is…it is execution based…"

    Head of North American Operations
    Head of North American Operations Caterpillar, Global Mining Division

Let’s Start the
Conversation On Private Equity

How can we help?

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Our partners have saved
$10+ Billion across 2,000 Categories

500,000+ supplier profiles. 5,000+ supplier negotiations. 1,000+ executive training sessions. Our consultants hold the tools and experience to deliver results.