Good - But good enough?

Agathon is a company at a crossroads. Its innovative plan for strategic growth inaugurated in 2019 was off to a fine start until the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global economy. The virus have had a severe impact on the projected growth trajectory of the company. But there are opportunities. A groupd of MBA graduates investigated together with the company’s leadership team for options. The group was able to develop a rapid response to the challenges posed by the COVID crisis. Drawing on deep industry knowledge and the international background of participants, the teams identified several possible solutions that touched on many key areas of the business and mapped a clear way forward.

Agathon, operating in a “niche of a niche” market with outstanding quality Agathon is a century-old, family-owned company headquartered in Bellach, Switzerland. With 230 employees worldwide, it is known as a leading manufacturer of high- tech grinding machines for indexable inserts. These inserts are used in metal-cutting tools that can then be used to produce parts for a multitude of products such as washing machines and airplane engines, with very fine precision – on the scale of a micrometer. The company’s second business division is the production and distribution of standard parts for mechanical engineering, as well as tool and mold construction. Agathon is active predominantly in Western Europe, but has also expanded to the U.S., Japan, and China.

Broad expertise and structured process In 2019, Agathon devised a growth strategy that was rolled out later that year. Although early signs were promising, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected operations. With customers in flux due to significant budget cuts and spending reductions, the company expects a painful decline in revenues in 2020. Facing tremendous uncertainty, Agathon must now decide whether to continue on the original path it had set for itself or change course.

Accelerating out of the COVID-19 Crisis

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