A medium-sized German family business in the plastic film and packaging sector saw interesting expansion opportunities in the American market. It therefore planned to export to the USA via a sales company as a first step and to produce locally as a second step. The interim manager was commissioned to plan this project and implement it in the USA.
Detailed market study and business plan developed - foundation initiated
After carefully analyzing the product portfolio and conducting a detailed market study, the interim manager worked with the company's management team to create a detailed business plan. As a permanent resident of the USA (green card), he was able to become active on site immediately.
The interim manager then commissioned a specialist lawyer and an international tax and auditing firm in the USA to set up the company. When selecting the two law firms, he made sure that the fees remained within an acceptable range. When selecting the legal form, he attached great importance to choosing the most advantageous options in terms of tax and liability law.
In order to keep costs as low as possible, the interim manager did not rent an office, but booked an office service package with the German-American Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta. He organized all the necessary administrative tasks, such as taking out the necessary insurance policies, opening bank accounts and a lockbox for the cheque payments that are still customary in the USA. He used an external service provider to process the payroll.
Driving forward the development of an efficient sales and logistics organization
With the help of HR consultants and his extensive network, the interim manager then built up a sales organization consisting of permanent employees and brokers. The sales strategy quickly led to significant increases in turnover. As all products were imported, but the transport routes were very long, the interim manager rented a warehouse and organized the handling of all transport logistics, including customs clearance.
Canadian company identified for production and due diligence organized
In order to prepare for the planned establishment of US production, the interim manager had already searched for strategically located land for a plant via various channels at the start of the project. Alternatively, he was also on the lookout for acquisition targets. Through his network, he learned of a small company in Canada that was for sale. The product portfolio was a good fit. After an inspection by the German company owner, he agreed exclusivity with the seller. This prevented the purchase price from being inflated in an auction.
He then organized the due diligence. He engaged a Canadian law firm and a tax consultant and coordinated the individual steps of the due diligence. He supervised the provision of documents in the data room and coordinated all steps between the seller, the specialist departments and the buyer's external consultants. He commissioned a specialist company to prepare an environmental and building appraisal to determine the value.
New production site acquired for the client
The interim manager conducted the purchase negotiations on behalf of the owner family. He agreed with both parties that the two sons would take over the management of the company and sales in Canada. An employee from the parent company was seconded to manage the sales and logistics organization in the USA. This brought the project to a successful conclusion for the interim manager and the client.
