Case Study: Turning Losses into €5 Million Profit — German-Austrian Packaging Company

The Challenge

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A €45 million packaging company operating across two sites in Germany andAustria was in serious financial difficulty — with both locations generating losses and no clear route to recovery. Leadership lacked clarity on where value was truly being created, and how best to restructure the business for profitability.

Our Approach
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Cameron Consultants applied its proprietary COGENT methodology to both sites —conducting detailed, German-language analyses of product group profitability, customer behaviour, and competitor positioning.

At the German site, our analysis revealed that one product —previously under-prioritised — was significantly more profitable than internal reporting had suggested. A modest shift in pricing strategy and a bold change in marketing priorities led to a substantial surge in sales and profit.

We also found that many other products manufactured at the site were structurally unprofitable. A plan was developed to transfer these lines to the Austrian site, thereby transforming the German operation into a focused, high-performing unit.

At the Austrian site, the Cogent study was extended down to the level of individual product lines — including both the original Austrian range and the incoming German products. This enabled:

Major product range restructuring
Revised pricing strategies based on true economic contribution
Improved utilisation of increased volume from transferred products

The Solution
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The result was a complete strategic and operational realignment, underpinned by a deep understanding of cost drivers, customer value, and market dynamics.

The Outcome
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Within two years, the company moved from loss-making operations at both sites to a consolidated group profit of €5 million per annum.

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Corporate Profit Improvement

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These organisations — and many others — trusted Cameron at times of real pressure. In many cases, I worked side-by-side with their CEOs, often at moments when strategy needed reshaping, operations were losing money, or internal leadership needed to be re-aligned. “Cameron’s strategic input enabled us to create a powerful unifying vision for the organisation resulting in sales increases of 10-20%.” — Bill Strachan, Managing Director, Johnson & Johnson Medical (UK)