After participating in 13 acquisitions over the past four years, a global leader in complete identification solutions wanted to improve their Acquisition and Integration process and create training for Integration Managers and integration team members. This was due to identifying gaps in their current process related to the communication of integrating systems and people. With more acquisitions already in progress and part of the corporate strategy, the company asked Unique Business Solutions to improve their integration process and develop an Acquisition and Integration "Field Guide" to create a more consistent and efficient process.
We met with key stakeholders from several departments, as well as past Integration Managers that had participated in prior acquisitions. We documented their existing Acquisition and Integration processes and identified opportunities to improve the process. We also introduced new tools to create a consistent and efficient process.
After meeting with individuals, we created a detailed training process for future Integration Managers and integration team members to work more efficiently for the company. This will allow integration members to be more prepared and organized since they will have a detailed process and tools to ensure success with future acquisition integrations.
The redesigned process has been used with 5 acquisitions in 6 months. Employees' time is being reduced from the process, and new Integration Managers and team members have a set of tools to use to effectively integrate newly acquired companies. This also serves as a leadership development tool for the organization as a whole.
Business Unit Vice Presidents have commented that the Integration Managers are more trained and prepared than ever before, and members of the Board believe the process is not only "best practice," but "world class." One leadership member also commented that the process is "better than how GE integrates a company."
"Unique Business Solutions' Acquisition and Integration Field Guide process provided our organization with a model to train our Integration Managers and increase our efficiencies. We searched for a third party representative to help improve our processes, and they exceeded our expectations. Unique Business Solutions made a point to thoroughly review our current procedures and incorporate them into new processes. They involved all key stakeholders a critical step to this process. Our employees appreciated that their ideas were received, and eagerly cooperated, making the transition to the new process a smooth one. The results are a more efficient process to ensure continued consistency and productivity for our organizations and all employees involved in future integrations."
"We hired Unique Business Solutions to help our company formalize its acquisition integration process, and to create a reference guide for new Integration Managers. Their expertise in acquisition integrations, and their experience creating tools for integration teams, allowed us to scope out the project accurately and to make progress quickly. They personally met with each function involved in the acquisition and integration process to define tasks and issues, and personalized Unique Business Solutions' approach to the resulting reference guide to meet the needs of our company's culture.
They have a great ability to establish rapport with people throughout the organization, which helps Unique Business Solutions identify critical issues and bring them up to the key stakeholders effectively. Throughout the project, Unique Business Solutions was responsive and available when needed, and consistently met project deadlines. In the end, our "Integration Manager's Field Guide" was a success – it provides valuable tools and templates to the people who need them, and was completed ahead of schedule and on budget."
After acquiring many companies in a short time period, a leading global manufacturer began to experience problems with the integration of systems and people. With more acquisitions planned, the company asked Unique Business Solutions to lead and facilitate a program to document its integration process and make improvements where necessary.
We met with more than 15 cross-functional employees that had participated in prior acquisitions. We documented the existing process, and used best practice benchmarking and other analyses to redesign the process to meet the client's acquisition integration needs.
The redesigned process is created to be dependent on the new procedures and standards, rather than people, so new employees can easily learn and participate in future acquisitions. This also serves as part of the company's leadership development training.
The process is already being used on a new acquisition. The Chief Financial Officer and Integration Team Leader have both commented how useful and easy-to-follow the redesigned process is. Documentation has been placed electronically on the company's Intranet site as part of future employee development and training, and the company has asked Unique Business Solutions to do the same with its Due Diligence process.
Click here for a PDF for more information on organizational culture related to Acquisitions and Integrations.
"We wanted a consistent Acquisition and Integration process that was dependent upon the integration process rather than the people. Unique Business Solutions' process met our needs. They facilitated meetings with up to 16 cross-functional employees to identify our existing procedures, and provide opportunities to improve them. Unique Business Solutions provided us with a new process and integration tools that allow employees to efficiently and effectively integrate our acquisitions. The ROI has been great."