Sika has a wealth of experience in the integration of companies. In the last 10 years alone, the company has made around 70 acquisitions, creating lasting value for all employees, customers, and other stakeholders. And yet the acquisition of MBCC Group is a special challenge, if only because of its size.
Every successful integration requires professional management of all relevant activities. It is the task of the global Integration Management Office (IMO) to provide a structure and planning for the overall integration process and to drive synergy implementation in order to support the countries conducting a successful integration.
The IMO is staffed with a core team led by Micah Sims, along with Georgiana Ene and Matthias Arnet. They are strongly supported by an extended team of regional and corporate colleagues, the aim being to closely support the country organizations and drive the projects in the various regions around the world.
“Every integration is different,” explains Micah Sims, “there is no blueprint, and we have to be very proactive to ensure that all these integration projects complement each other and move in the desired direction.” For this to succeed, the coordinating initiatives of the IMO team are indispensable. Through a systematic approach and continuous tracking, the team ensures that the process runs as smoothly as possible.
Matthias Arnet gives examples: “We help set up project organizations, coordinate interfaces and interdependencies, and provide the integration teams and functional leads with context information to drive the overall integration. We also ensure a broad flow of information.” The IMO team therefore works closely with the local integration managers and controllers, the general managers, functional experts, and other parties involved in the process – in a total of 65 countries. “Having a close exchange with the countries is key to ensuring that the integration is progressing in the desired way and to achieving the identified synergies to grow the joint businesses,” says Georgina Ene.
Micah Sims
Matthias Arnet
Georgina Ene
IMO Team Responsibilities
PROCESS, STRUCTURE AND POST MERGER INTEGRATION REPORTING
- Support in-country integration planning with guidelines and templates for Integration Master Plan
- Conduct synergy reporting with countries and provide Group Management with visibility on synergy achievement and integration progress
FUNCTIONAL COORDINATION & RISK MANAGEMENT
- Continuous alignment with Global & Regional functions (e.g. IT, Tax, HR) on key integration activities and ensure cross-functional interdependencies are resolved
- Anticipate risks and support mitigation; raise critical risks and deviations to Group Management
BEST PRACTICE SHARING & CAPABILITY SHARING
- Identify best demonstrated practices and facilitate cross-country sharing and exchange
- Act as sparring partner that guides country teams
BRAND & PRODUCT INTEGRATION
- Support countries with the creation and implementation of brand integration plans, together with Corporate Communications
- Support commercial and product line integration with relevant stakeholders