Strategic business consulting for the railway and logistics industry

SCI Verkehr is a medium-sized, sustainability-oriented consultancy focussing on strategic issues in the international rail and logistics business. We support our business partners in optimising their processes and evaluating their assets. We help to analyse markets and develop sustainable and tailor-made strategies for the future. This includes, among other things: Accompanying M&A activities, realising climate targets, optimising the portfolio or existing processes, and opening up new markets and business areas.

Strategic Management Consultancy Examples

Fleet evaluation and analysis on the European leasing market

Customer: Investment company

SCI Verkehr supported an international investment company as part of a due diligence project involving the valuation of a rolling stock leasing fleet. Valuation was conducted using the DCF approach. The report included a current portfolio overview as well as an outlook on the European multiple unit and locomotive leasing market.

Strategic concept freight wagon division

Customer: Railway operator

SCI Verkehr supports a leading railway operator in the conceptual reorganisation of essential parts of rail freight transport. For this purpose, available concepts are reviewed and new approaches to advancing this field of business are developed and evaluated. It is aimed at achieving higher efficiency in this segment by reorganising responsibilities and processes in production and sales.

 Strategic advise of market potential in After-Sales segment

Customer: rolling stock manufacturer 

SCI Verkehr has advised a rolling stock manufacturer on market potential in the After-Sales segment. In particular, passenger transport fleets were analyzed in order to identify market volumes for services relating to the maintenance and repair of vehicles and components.

Market Analyses Examples

Market and KPI monitoring of a freight wagon lessor

Customer:

SCI Verkehr supported a financial investor in setting up a market and company monitoring system for a European freight wagon leasing company. This involved both methodological implementation and statistical inputs.

Market analysis control and security technology

Customer:

SCI Verkehr conducts a comprehensive market and competition analysis for a French group for selected segments in the German CCS market. The focus was on regional trains, urban transport systems and workshops.

Analysis of intermodal transport in Europe

Customer: Infrastructure fund

SCI Verkehr supports a commercial due diligence process in the field of intermodal transport in Europe. Transport development, segmentation of the market, short and long term forecasts, new technologies and their potential as well as the capacity of current infrastructure are analysed.

Asset Valuations Examples

Determining fair value of an EMU fleet

Customer: European railway undertaking

On behalf of a European railway undertaking, SCI Verkehr determines the current market value of used electric multiple units (EMUs). Based on its regional rail transport and vehicle databases, SCI Verkehr analyses the future secondary market for EMUs in particular and with a special focus on open access transport operations.

Market valuation multi-system locomotives

Customer: European railway company

On behalf of a European railway company, SCI Verkehr determined the current market value of used electric locomotives with the help of a DCF analysis and a DRC valuation.

Valuation of bulk freight wagons

Customer: Leasing company

On behalf of a leasing company, SCI Verkehr developed a valuation of bulk freight wagons for operation in Europe.

Public Consulting Examples

"Mobility within the city" - a project in the course of the research program City traffic 2000 (FOPS 2000)

Customer: Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau- und Wohnungswesen (German Federal Ministry of Transport)

Development of a modular kit for the optimisation of city traffic by identifying and assessing technical and organisational measures (based on the aspects of costs, utility and implementation) to increase the appeal of public transport (by integration of traffic systems and partners). Bonn served as the ?model city? where the modular kit was implemented.

Commuter Rail Berlin

Customer: State of Berlin

Comparison of specific cost types to those of other commuter rail systems in Germany by means of defined, meaningful benchmarks. Identification of cost reduction potentials, possible ways ans implications of their realisation. Support to the client in the design of the transport service contract. Coordination of a joint negotiation strategy and participation in the trials. Survey of arguments and recommendations to the client.

Profitability Analyses Examples

Market value analysis freight wagons

Customer: Freight wagon manufacturer

SCI Verkehr advises a manufacturer of innovative freight wagons on the acquisition of financing models with the analysis of potential market value trends.

Evaluation of vehicle options to support a local transport tender

Customer: Railway transport company

On behalf of a railway transport company, SCI Verkehr compiled an independent assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of various vehicle options in connection with a local transport tender. The realistic consideration of the potential operation of new and/or second-hand vehicles played an important role in this evaluation.

Customs procedures for the container traffic Denmark ? German North Sea harbours ? Overseas newly to be installed

Customer: Logistic company

The European liberalisation of railway traffic allows the utilisation of the infrastructure by private railway transportation enterprises also across national borders. However, as opposed to the state railways, the regional railways cannot make use of the simplified common shipping procedure but are subject to the regulating procedures of the common / community shipping procedure. With this report a recommendation was developed for procedural management under the existing conditions.

Process optimisations Examples

Assessment of planned location changes

Customer: Global player in food industry

A leading company in the food industry is planning to close individual, independently operating logistics locations with storages and commissioning in Germany or to re-utilise them as pure cross dock storage. To this end, SCI Verkehr is carrying out a cross check, is providing important advice on potential risks of the planned concept and is suggesting possible amendments to the plan developed by the customer.

Investigation of site closures

Customer: Global player in the food industry

With the objective of realising rationalisation potential in distribution and warehousing, our client planned to consolidate three logistics sites into one central location near to production. In order to achieve this, the existing logistics site had to be restored using construction measures. SCI Verkehr as a neutral expert was involved in the decision-making process with regard to necessary investments and performed a cross checking of assumptions and calculations made. The expert's report focused on the personnel and investments required.

Optimization of the Land-Sea Interface as part of a maritime network group

Customer:

Investigation on behalf of the SH Technology Foundation