Consulting is seen as the standard in many industries when it comes to process improvement. But traditional models reach their limits. Projects take too long, cost too much, and often deliver reports instead of results.
Albert Schiller explains why a structured, product-based approach is better suited to industrial realities.
Mr. Schiller, why do traditional consulting projects so often fail?
The main reason lies in the nature of the method. Traditional consulting works project-based – with custom concepts, many workshops, endless alignments, and often an unclear focus. In a factory where decisions on shift planning, materials, or maintenance are made daily, this slowness is a problem. Results arrive too late to be relevant. In addition, the client usually bears the full risk: even if nothing is implemented, the daily rates still apply. This leads to frustration. The need today is different – clear workflows, transparent outcomes, and methods that can be repeated quickly.
How does the XPNX approach differ from this?
We do not see efficiency as a consulting service but as a product. That means: standardized steps, defined phases, clear expectations. There is no “custom” analysis reinvented every time, but a proven methodology based on extensive industrial experience. This saves time and reduces uncertainty. Importantly, standardization does not mean that all plants are the same – it means the path to insight is equally reliable.
What is required for such approaches to succeed?
Above all, acceptance. A plant must understand that transparency is not a risk but an opportunity. When data is visible, trust in the method grows. It also requires consistency – not just a one-time analysis, but ongoing review. This is the essence of productized models: short cycles, fast learning loops.
Practical Example
A mid-sized chemical plant invested €450,000 in a traditional efficiency consultancy. After one year, there were many presentations – but little implementation. OEE improved by just one percentage point – a fraction of the potential. With a productized approach, the plant could have achieved measurable quick wins within three months while risking significantly less money.
Conclusion
Traditional consulting delivers concepts. Productized approaches deliver orientation and comparability. In a time when resources are scarce and markets move fast, that matters more than volume and slides.
Outlook
The future belongs to approaches that are low-risk, fast, and transparent. Companies are becoming increasingly critical of long projects without a clear ROI. Anyone serious about efficiency improvement must have the courage to move beyond traditional consulting and embrace new, productized models.
