Andersch | What-if analyses

Your goal

The increasing volatility, complexity and dynamics of today’s economic system require quick reactions to relevant developments. You are looking to prepare yourself today for possible future developments in order to be able to respond flexibly and promptly, as needed. To do this, you need reliable What-if analysis and support to include its findings in your business planning.

Our services

We analyze your integrated business planning and identify which drivers are relevant for your company to be successful by combining your employees’ expertise with the methodology and industry competence of our experts. We use databases and big data analysis to calculate potential changes to one or more of the identified drivers and their impact on your company. Using our consultants’ extensive experience in the industry, their judgement and creativity as well as artificial intelligence, we work together with you to develop roadmaps for the best possible way to handle developments you may be facing.

Your benefits

A solid basis for your business planning:
Detailed simulation of possible developments is vital for a sustainable strategy.
The fastest possible response:
By analyzing the simulation, you can develop the right measures for any planning risk. This means you are able to respond whilst your competitors are still looking for solutions.
Reliable results:
Andersch has in-depth experience in identifying crucial drivers. Our proven methodology paired with innovative technology delivers precise analysis on which we base our reliable recommendations for action.

Our What-if analysis is based on integrated business planning for a period spanning several years that we develop together with you. In the first step, we analyze the individual factors or drivers that are crucial for your company. In manufacturing companies, these typically include currency rates and raw material prices, whilst the turnover ratio is important for trading companies and employee productivity is crucial for service companies.

We derive further drivers from the specific situation and history of your company, from interviews with market experts, industry trends and a large number of other external sources, which we evaluate using big data technology. Further details can be found in the FAQ section.

We determine possible forecast values and the probability that they will occur for the drivers identified as relevant. The What-if analysis quantifies the respective impact of the changes on business planning. The individual simulations then clearly show which results can be expected for key financial figures such as earnings or liquidity.

When identifying the drivers and evaluating the scenarios, we normally work closely with your experts in order to combine the specific detailed knowledge of the company with the methodological and industry expertise of our teams in a pragmatic way.

We are also happy to support you in turning such analysis into definite measures. To this end, we analyze and validate the drivers and analysis results in workshops with you, describe possible development paths, prioritize and evaluate available options, which are then converted into concrete roadmaps and catalogues of measures.

Mature methodology:
Andersch has gained special practical experience having spent more than 20 years working successfully with medium-sized and large companies, especially in challenging situations. In this context, we have developed a sound methodology for designing What-if analyses.
Practical feasibility:
Andersch What-if scenarios are particularly valuable because they are geared to possible outcomes right from the start. The results can be used directly for prioritizing and evaluating options.
Supplementary services portfolio:
In addition to the What-if analyses, Andersch can also help you with associated tasks such as business planning, the robust analysis of possible options, acquiring financing and implementing changes.

FAQ

What information is relevant for a What-if analysis?

The more measurable internal and external information flows into a future scenario, the higher the plausibility. In addition to business planning itself, important corporate information includes financial and performance parameters (e.g. products, services, contribution margins, productivity). Factors from the external environment such as industry dynamics, customer expectations or competitor behavior may also be relevant for scenario calculation along with general trends of social change or technological progress. Expert interviews, market studies, newspaper articles, blogs, M&A statistics and academic articles provide such external information. We use proven methods, innovative big data technologies and special algorithms to quickly and efficiently analyze and consolidate this wealth of information.

Which drivers are particularly important for my business planning?

The drivers relevant for a What-if analysis must be defined for each individual case. In addition to typical industry characteristics, company-specific factors may also play a role. We usually host workshops with you to determine which specific drivers, based on various internal and external sources, are decisive for your business planning.

What result does a What-if analysis bring?

Andersch What-if analyses describe not only the impact that relevant drivers have on your company, but also the possible development paths in the company’s environment. We also provide roadmaps showing how the company can best respond to future developments. The roadmaps contain all prioritized and evaluated options for the business model, value creation system and financing.

For a group of companies in the furniture industry, Andersch created a What-if analysis to anticipate various developments and to quantify the financial impact of changes to the group’s important drivers. This analysis served as the basis for solid company planning.

For a group of companies in the maritime sector, Andersch carried out a What-if analysis on the development of charter rates, ship operating costs and interest rates. The forecast model was used to validate the resilience of the business planning and the intended financing structure.

As part of a restructuring concept for a company in the entertainment industry, Andersch carried out a Monte Carlo simulation to take account of high market and regulatory uncertainties. A robust financing structure was designed using the simulation and analysis of the dynamic interaction of individual factors.

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Success stories