FAERBER Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH – Home

Services

Taking responsibility where the course is set.

Executive leadership, growth, transformation, M&A and advisory boards: Friedemann Faerber takes responsibility at the top – as CEO or managing director, with full P&L responsibility.

01

CEO & Executive Leadership

At the top – responsible for strategy, team and results.

Friedemann Faerber takes overall responsibility as CEO or managing director: strategy, growth, internationali­sation, organisation and results. He leads through clear priorities, reliable figures and a strong management team – with the aim of developing a company over the years. Ideally in a permanent role, on an interim basis where needed.

Typical situations

  • Succession in the executive team, including in family businesses
  • Realignment after a change of shareholders, an acquisition or an investor’s entry
  • International growth with new markets, customers and sites
  • A vacancy or special situation that needs leadership experience immediately

My contribution

  • A strategy and business plan that shareholders and banks support
  • Building and leading a strong management team
  • Profitable growth and internationali­sation
  • Reliable communication with shareholders, banks, works council and customers

Experience: more than eight years as CEO and managing director of international automotive suppliers – most recently with around 1,500 employees in Germany, Poland and Morocco, and sites in Europe, China, Canada and Morocco.

02

Growth & Internationalisation

Setting up growth internationally – and aligning the production footprint with it.

Growth happens where customers, costs and capabilities fit together. Friedemann Faerber helped build markets in Italy and China, set up a plant in Morocco from site selection to series production and relocated the production of three European plants in Germany, Poland and Hungary there – including specification of the greenfield site, line transfers and customer re-certification.

Typical situations

  • Opening up new markets and customer programmes
  • Setting up a best-cost location, e.g. in North Africa or Eastern Europe
  • Consolidating or relocating plants
  • Cost pressure at high-wage locations

My contribution

  • Market and site analysis, business case
  • Working with authorities, free zones and development banks
  • Line transfers, ramp-up and re-certification
  • Building local leadership and qualification

Track record: greenfield plant in Tanger Automotive City – first production around five months after groundbreaking; at Bosch, sales in the Chinese market more than tripled.

03

Transformation & Turnaround

Strengthen earnings power. Realign structures. Secure liquidity.

Transformation succeeds when costs, organisation and performance are addressed together. It starts with an honest assessment of the situation – without sugar-coating. From that, a programme of measures emerges that is implemented consistently and steered through a few clear KPIs – in phases of development just as in a crisis.

Typical situations

  • Shrinking margins and rising costs
  • Liquidity squeeze and difficult talks with banks
  • Losses at individual plants or subsidiaries
  • Sustained price pressure from OEM customers

My contribution

  • Liquidity and earnings planning
  • Reduction of overhead and structural costs
  • Operational excellence, lean and productivity
  • Working capital: inventory, receivables, purchasing
  • Profitability and cost allocation, e.g. activity-based costing and budget planning
  • Price negotiations with customers

Results: successful turnaround in more than 90% of the restructuring projects he led as a consultant; overhead and structural costs at Suprajit Germany GmbH reduced by more than 50%.

04

M&A & Post-Merger Integration

From the investor process to integration that works.

Transactions decide a company’s future – and only create value after closing. Friedemann Faerber has led an international investor process from preparation and due diligence through to the sale to a strategic investor, and then managed the subsequent integration himself as CEO.

Typical situations

  • Sale to a strategic or financial investor
  • Talks with buyers, sellers or financing partners
  • Acquisition, carve-out or distressed M&A
  • Integration after closing
  • Preparing financing or refinancing

My contribution

  • Business plan, equity story and data room
  • Guidance through due diligence
  • Reliable management materials: commercial logic, risks, operational KPIs
  • Integration plan and day-one readiness
  • Clear responsibilities and process harmonisation after closing
  • Realising synergies in organisation, purchasing and production

Track record: investor process of the SCS Group through to the sale to Suprajit Group (2024); integration as CEO of Suprajit Germany GmbH (2024–2026).

05

Advisory Board & Corporate Governance

An independent sparring partner at eye level.

Owners and shareholders of mid-sized companies need someone who understands figures, technology and people alike – and who is willing to ask uncomfortable questions. FAERBER Verwaltungs­gesellschaft takes on advisory board mandates, supports management teams on strategic questions and is active in investment management.

Typical situations

  • Setting up or renewing an advisory board
  • Strategy, growth and internationali­sation
  • Succession and governance in family businesses
  • Supporting investments

My contribution

  • Strategic corporate development
  • Advising and overseeing management
  • Investment and portfolio management
  • Network in industry, finance and consulting

Perspective: experience on every side of the table – as managing director, as consultant and as shareholder.

Further focus areas

What goes into every mandate

Profitability & Cost Structures

Analysis and improvement of profitability and cost allocation – with activity-based costing, budget planning, accounts receivable management, production optimisation and clear product development processes.

Automotive & Mechanical Engineering

Operational experience in the automotive supply industry – from technical springs and Bowden cables to the systems business –, in mechanical engineering and in international sales. The perspective connects technical products, supply chains, customer requirements and industrial earnings logic.

Stakeholders & Execution

Support for complex programmes involving banks, shareholders, management, works councils, customers, suppliers and specialists – with a reliable network in Germany, Morocco, Poland and Hungary.

SMEs & Smaller Mid-Caps

For companies that need quick clarity and execution in complex situations – with CEO experience instead of a consulting machine.

Approach

How I work

  1. Assess

    Figures, plants, customers, people: an honest picture of the starting point – quickly and without sugar-coating.

  2. Decide

    Clear priorities and an action plan that shareholders, banks and the team can support.

  3. Implement

    Leading rather than just advising: taking responsibility and steering progress through a few KPIs.

  4. Develop

    A company that grows profitably – with managers who take responsibility.

Industries and regions

Where I am at home

Industries

  • Automotive suppliers (Tier 1/Tier 2)
  • Technical springs, Bowden cables, systems business
  • Mechanical and plant engineering
  • Metalworking
  • Industrial goods
  • Family and owner-managed companies

Regions

  • Germany
  • Poland
  • Hungary
  • Morocco and North Africa
  • Experience in Italy, China and Canada

FAQ

Good to know

How does FAERBER differ from a classic management consultancy?

Friedemann Faerber takes on responsibility himself – as CEO or managing director, permanently or on an interim basis. Instead of handing over concepts, he implements measures together with the team and stands up for the result.

Which companies is FAERBER the right partner for?

Industrial mid-sized companies and smaller mid-caps – in particular automotive suppliers, mechanical and plant engineering companies and metalworking businesses – as well as their owners, shareholders, advisory boards and investors.

Does Friedemann Faerber also take on executive leadership permanently?

Yes – that is his focus: leading an industrial company permanently as CEO or managing director. Where an interim solution is needed, he also takes on interim mandates, always with full P&L responsibility.

Does Friedemann Faerber serve on advisory boards?

Yes. Advisory board mandates and supporting management teams on strategic questions are core activities of FAERBER Verwaltungs­gesellschaft mbH.

In which countries does FAERBER work?

The focus is Germany. From his own plant and leadership responsibility, he has experience and a reliable network in Poland, Hungary and Morocco, as well as market experience in Italy, China and Canada. Conversations are possible in German, English and Italian.

What does a first conversation look like?

You describe your situation by phone or email. In a confidential first conversation we clarify the situation, the objectives and the possible role. You then receive a concrete proposal for the next steps.

Ready for change?

Let’s talk about your situation.

Whether an executive role, a mandate or an advisory board seat: confidential, without obligation and at eye level. I will get back to you promptly.

Get in touch +49 171 370 4546