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Medium Merger & Acquisition Profitability

Eurotech

#Technology #Audio-Visual #Hardware Manufacturing

Practice this intermediate merger & acquisition case interview question in the Technology sector. Includes detailed problem prompt, clarifying questions, structured framework, and expert recommendation. Part of ProHub's 835+ consulting case library.

ProHub Comment

This is a comprehensive M&A synergy case requiring candidates to analyze a cross-border merger in a declining hardware industry. The case tests structured problem-solving around cost and revenue synergies, with emphasis on identifying that Poland's superior profitability profile (higher R&D investment, lower labor costs) should drive consolidation strategy. The quantitative analysis is moderate in complexity but requires careful ratio calculations.

Estimated Time 26 minutes
Difficulty Medium
Source IESE
19 / 100
Two technologic firms within the audio-visual tech industry have decided to join forces. Their market: manufacturing of Hardware components for audio-visual transmission has been declining at a 14% rate and this has affected their profitability jeopardizing their future operations. Both of their CEOs have agreed on contracting a consulting firm to help them navigate the process. Your job is to size the potential synergies that the operation may yield for the NewCo in the future

Clarifying Information

  1. If the interviewee asks to know more about the audio-visual industry, show exhibit I
  2. The companies work on a per project basis, mainly for hospitality segment (75% of their revenue)
  3. Their operations are limited to the manufacturing & assembly of the Hardware components, the installation is done by a third party
  4. The companies are not based in the same country, one company is in France and the other in Poland
  5. They are both of similar size and have similar operations
  6. The French company owns two plants (one in Southern France and the other next to Paris) while the Polish part owns one bigger plant near Warsaw
  7. The objective is to improve their common profitability by a 10% of the aggregated revenues
Mock Interview
Interviewer

Two technologic firms within the audio-visual tech industry have decided to join forces. Their market: manufacturing of Hardware components for audio-visual transmission has been declining at a 14% rate and this has affected their profitability jeopardizing their future operations. Both of their CEOs have agreed on contracting a consulting firm to help them navigate the process. Your job is to size the potential synergies that the operation may yield for the NewCo in the future

You

Thanks. Before analyzing, I'd like to clarify a few key questions...

Interviewer

Good question. Let me provide some background information...

You

Based on this, I suggest analyzing from these dimensions...

AI Score
Structure Analysis Communication Business Sense Quantitative
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Practice this case with AI Mock Interview

Two audio-visual hardware manufacturers (French and Polish) are merging to combat industry decline (14% annual drop). Candidates must quantify synergies targeting 10% profitability improvement on combined revenues (~€155M). Key levers: production consolidation to Poland, R&D centralization, and cost optimization, offset by significant French termination costs.

Key Insights:

  1. Industry context is critical: declining hardware market (-17.5% over 3 years) driven by customer shift to software services justifies the M&A rationale
  2. Financial asymmetry reveals strategy: Polish company’s lower labor costs, better profitability (€23M vs €5M), and higher R&D spend (€15M vs €10M) indicates Poland should be the operational hub
  3. Synergy calculation requires balancing gross potential (~€28M) against execution reality (70% consecution target = ~€20M) and one-off costs (€10M French termination), yielding net year 1 loss of €8M
  4. Risk management essential: French employment law constraints, production relocation feasibility, and integration complexity must be addressed with mitigation strategies

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