The head of the nautical-technical division of a river cruise shipping company had left the company. The shipping company operates twelve cruise ships throughout Europe and is considered the industry leader in the German-speaking premium segment. The interim manager was hired to restructure and realign the Fleet Services division. The focal points included further expansion and ensuring the timely procurement of a new ship.
Procurement of an innovative type of ship had stumbled
After an intensive, successful consolidation phase and a change of shareholder, the management had focused the company on growth. The new shareholder, a private equity company from the UK, attached great importance to the timely implementation of the transformation. During this critical phase, the strategically extremely important procurement of an innovative type of ship had stumbled.
When taking stock, the interim manager determined that the new construction project was in worse shape than expected. Due to the patriarchal leadership of the former manager, work on the project had come to a standstill and the trust of some suppliers had been squandered. In addition, the interim manager discovered that the shipping company's specialist departments were significantly understaffed and slowed down by too much bureaucracy. The interim manager then agreed the priorities for the restructuring with the management.
Ordering of the new ship successfully completed in three months
In the first step, the interim manager reactivated the procurement process for the new build. He introduced agile project management and completely restructured the process. The interim manager held open discussions with the suppliers to explain the new objectives and procedures. Through comprehensive, proactive and ongoing communication about the project status, he was able to restore the lost trust of the existing suppliers.
In addition, the interim manager involved previously excluded, competent suppliers in the procurement process. Several product innovations were developed in cooperation with all departments and suppliers. Just over three months later, the procurement process was completed on schedule and the new building was commissioned. The company will now launch by far the most innovative, environmentally friendly river cruise ship in the world. The interim manager's successes also include the fact that he was able to significantly reduce the investment costs compared to the original offers.
Reorganization of Fleet Management aligns department to growth
In the next sub-project, he initiated the reorganization of Fleet Management. He recruited several new employees from his network. A new team assistant reorganized some operational processes. In just a few weeks, for example, insurance claims that had built up over the years were consistently processed. This resulted in a six-figure cash-in in the short term. After four and six months, two high-caliber managers took over the management of the new building and the operational area respectively. With these highly experienced managers in the industry, the company is ideally positioned for sustainable growth.
New cost tracking system set up and approvals simplified
In close cooperation with the specialist departments, the interim manager also set up a new cost tracking system with little effort. He also laid the foundations for process optimization and end-to-end digitalization in order and invoice processing by eliminating unnecessary interfaces and process steps and significantly simplifying approval processes. This freed up personnel, which could be used profitably for further optimizations in operations.
Innovative solutions developed and implemented cooperatively
The employees welcomed the interim manager's transparent and cooperative management style and active involvement in problem-solving. They quickly realized that only very agile teamwork based on clear structures, trust and targeted commitment would bring the necessary results. Everyone pulled together. On this basis, the innovative solutions and process optimizations were developed and implemented in an unexpectedly short time.
