Advanced Technology

New technologies are the key to progress and rising prosperity. Innovations in the fundamental technologies like semiconductors , batteries, sensors, actuators and artificial intelligence (AI) are what made modern achievements such as smartphones, electric cars, robots and other autonomous systems possible in the first place. They also form the basis for new business models driven by data and software. But innovations are often accompanied by unexpected changes in value chains and massive disruption for entire sectors of the economy.

This is precisely where Roland Berger’s advisory services come in. Our internationally experienced consultants support automotive, industrial, and technology companies in achieving new growth through innovation and adapting their business model, organization and processes to the new demands they face. Working closely with an international network of experts, our consultants provide the tools, ideas and expertise businesses need.

Turning disruption into new growth

In the past, innovations were mostly specific to a single industry. Now, technological breakthroughs often trigger upheavals across entire sectors. Massively parallel processor arrays (GPUs, TPUs), for example, originated in the world of computer gaming - yet now they are increasingly replacing industry-specific solutions for things like infotainment in vehicles. Motors and power electronics in electric cars are setting new standards for industrial applications, while low-cost sensors are generating the volumes of data needed for machine learning. The development of highly efficient energy storage systems is driven by the huge demand in the automotive industry , but it is also bringing costs down for other use cases.

Roland Berger’s consulting expertise also includes electronic hardware (particularly semiconductors, sensors/actuators, and power electronics), embedded software, power generation and storage (including modern battery technologies and other electrochemical methods); autonomous mobility; and other applications that are moving industry forward.

The advice we offer our clients centers on identifying how new technologies are impacting their business models, strategies, and organizational structures, and how to turn challenges into opportunities and new business growth.

Novel e-mobility scenarios, including autonomous driving, digitalization, and electrification are evolving from new technologies , new market entrants, and new approaches from traditional industry players - and catalyzing unprecedented disruption in the process.

With increasing environmental concerns and ESG goals, consumer demand, and rapid adoption prompting subsidies and commercial investment, electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more commonplace. Traditional OEMs are providing competition for pure play BEV OEMs, with commitments to increased EV production, or plans to convert entire passenger and/or commercial vehicle lines from ICEs to EVs. As a result, the EV battery market is growing and demand is accelerating, with sustainability and raw material availability as top challenges.

Vehicles also require ever-increasing amounts of software , and OEMs are moving to a Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Approach, where vehicles are built around software platforms. Digitalization and software have become differentiators, pressuring OEMs and suppliers to develop new software-based products and services, and even innovative software business models.

While the semiconductor shortage continues to impact automotive and industrial companies , it also presents opportunity to rethink near- and long-term strategies. In Roland Berger’s report on the state of the chip industry, “Semiconductor Shortage: A Different Kind of Trouble Ahead,” we offer recommendations on what industry leaders can do to improve future outcomes. In conjunction with leading industry partners, Roland Berger also regularly publishes industry reports including our EV Charging Index ,and co-publishes the Automotive Disruption Radar (ADR) platform, a web-based tool that helps OEMs and suppliers to better plan their business strategies.

The car of the future – the autonomous vehicle – has arrived. While highways ruled by driverless cars are still a few years away, autonomous players are testing cars and taxis on the streets of major cities around the globe, and their promise to revolutionize the way we commute is quickly coming closer.

The cars, which rely on sensors, actuators, complex algorithms, machine learning systems, and powerful processors to execute software, create and maintain a map of their surroundings based on a variety of sensors situated around the vehicle. As a result, the automotive industry is facing a disruption driven largely by the tech industry – and technologies needed to realize digital immersion constitute a new playground for incumbent automotive players, startups, tech companies and infrastructure providers alike. Autonomous vehicle technology has been around for years, in the form of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), now, many ADAS features are found in new mass market vehicles. Passenger drones , in the form of air taxis and shuttles, are emerging as a new autonomous mobility mode known as Urban Air Mobility (UAM) - and offer a highly promising future to make travel more time-efficient.

Roland Berger advises stakeholders in the autonomous transportation space including OEMs, startups, and tech and infrastructure providers on how to navigate both the challenges and opportunities presented by this emerging industry. Additionallly, we regularly share our industry research and insights, through publications such as our Computer on Wheels series.

Today’s healthcare patients are confronted with a wide array of new diagnostic approaches, from smartphone apps to home testing and even genetic analysis. Combined with technological advances such as wearable devices, telehealth services, and other higher personalized applications, and the use of Big Data and artificial intelligence (AI) to find the right treatment, technology-driven healthcare platforms are becoming the new normal.

This revolution is disrupting and transforming the way patients interact with and receive health-related services , empowering and giving them more agency than ever over their health. Digital health platforms are also redefining roles for insurers and providers, strengthening the position of tech companies and startups – ­and changing the healthcare market beyond recognition.

Roland Berger’s digital healthcare experts, and our Future of Health series, help stakeholders better understand new and emerging technologies, the impact of industry trends, and advise on how players in the healthcare industry should be responding.

Multiple factors, including climate change ; water, land, and other resource scarcity; invasive species and disease; the growing global population; and providing a stable livelihood for farmers continue to challenge the global agriculture industry. However digitalization is catalyzing positive change for the farm of the future, and for participants in the agricultural value chain, from independent farmers to large growers.

Precision farming utilizes technology and predictive analytics software to provide guidance on everything from soil, seed, and plant health to fertilization and pest control, and optimal planting and harvesting times, as well as automation of processes. Digitalization is helping the agribusiness industry to reduce time and production costs, address increasing demands on animal welfare, promote more sustainable food production, and produce better financial outcomes. Additionally, consumer concerns about the environment, health and wellness, and animal welfare continue to drive growth in the alternative proteins sector . Technologically-driven ingredient players are creating tasty products that help manufacturers meet consumer demand.

Roland Berger supports the farming and food industries with technology-based strategies that improve operations and deliver better outcomes for stakeholders. We also partner with farming and growing organizations on studies regarding current issues impacting the agribusiness industry.

Digitalization and smart technology continue to disrupt manufacturing . Big data, IoT, Industry 4.0, and AI are creating smarter and better-connected supply chains and enabling predictive maintenance that reduces risks, failures, and production costs. AI can also take over complex manufacturing tasks, produce more complex products,and even make supply chains more sustainable by driving greater efficiency in energy and raw materials use.

Quantum technology has the potential to disrupt and redefine manufacturing even further. For example, it could be used to monitor and operate industrial processes in real-time, making them more intelligent, safe, and reliable, and lead to the development of more efficient business models and supply chain solutions. It can also catalyize major innovation in product development and chemical discovery. Quantum computers, for example, can model chemical processes inside of batteries or pharmaceutical event chains. Properties of molecular structures and substances can be analyzed via quantum simulation, leading to the development of new and more effective solutions, and even automatic detection of diseases like cancer.

As part of our Next Gen Manufacturing platform, Roland Berger helps our clients understand the current potential for using AI and digitalization to improve their operations, resilience, and competitiveness. We are also helping them understand how the evolution of quantum technology could impact their existing business models, and to prepare for the shift as part of their strategic planning considerations.

We offer a bespoke portfolio of solutions

Technological innovation forms the basis of many of the world's leading businesses. As a global consultancy, Roland Berger has an international network of consultants spread across regional markets, covering the full range of business, strategic, regulatory and technological expertise. We also support companies and their management with the implementation and delivery of end-to-end solutions.

Roland Berger also provides advisory services for investors. In particular, we offer commercial and vendor due diligence, acquisition target search and screening, and support during the M&A process. These projects often require market and technology driven valuations of startups, highly innovative niche players or other companies with new business models and disruptive technologies, which our experts conduct with their specialized skillset.

Reach out to our global experts for more information on our specific solutions and consulting services.