For the tenth time, the Top Consultant comparison looked for the best consultants for German SMEs. The quality of consulting was assessed in a scientifically independent process. A survey of reference customers of the participating consulting firms is the central object of the evaluation. Prof. Dr. Dietmar Fink and Bianka Knoblach from the Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Management und Beratung (WGMB) lead and are responsible for the selection process. The decisive factor for being awarded the Top Consultant quality seal is a customer-oriented, SME-oriented consulting service.

Top consultant in the technical consulting segment

Klinkhammer once again made it into the ranks of the top consultants in the technical consulting segment this year. Since the company was founded in 1972, the Nuremberg-based consultants have made a name for themselves primarily with their expertise in warehouse automation.

Klinkhammer advises companies on all intralogistics issues, from analysis and planning to the design of production and distribution warehouses to material flow optimization and warehouse automation, including software. On request, the experts can also implement the concepts developed for their customers. In order to make a forward-looking investment decision on the construction of a logistics center, a detailed data collection and analysis is of great importance. The aim is to identify weak points and potential savings, to present complex logistical material flows transparently and to identify the most economical solution by comparing variants.

The Klinkhammer consultants see themselves as problem solvers for SMEs, regardless of whether they are setting up new warehouses or overhauling existing infrastructures. "We support our customers in ongoing operations as well as in new construction or expansion," explains authorized signatory Hagen Schumann. "We query all relevant data, such as company data, article data, movement data and order data, and evaluate it. We use the results to develop an individual system solution for the customer," continues Schumann.

In times of a shortage of skilled workers, logistics and automation experts are particularly in demand. According to the experts, it is not only the expected return on investment that is the decisive trigger for a number of projects, but above all the optimization of processes and thus greater independence from staff shortages. For example, when a company can no longer find forklift drivers or warehouse specialists. Automated warehouses, even in deep-freeze areas where temperatures can be as low as -25 degrees Celsius, free up space here. Klinkhammer's consultants cover the entire spectrum of warehouse and logistics solutions, including high-bay warehouses for production supply, conveyor and picking systems for distribution, small parts and special warehouses as well as warehouse management software.

Klinkhammer: Specialist for warehouse automation and material flow

A competence that is no coincidence. Klinkhammer is a medium-sized company that specializes in system solutions for warehouse automation and material flow and has developed its own IT solutions for this purpose. This expertise makes it possible to provide customers with truly comprehensive advice on material flow issues and to cover all desired components, from system development, control and visualization to complex IT solutions at warehouse management level. In doing so, the consultants develop a 360-degree view of the projects. At the customer's request, they are also able to implement the concepts as a general contractor.

Thanks to its scientific background, Top Consultant provides more transparency in the confusing consulting market. "The award is a recommendation par excellence for the consultants and an important guide for companies when looking for consultants," says Prof. Dr. Dietmar Fink, Professor of Management Consulting at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences and, together with Bianka Knoblach, Head of the WGMB. As the scientific heads of the competition, Fink and Knoblach alone decide which companies are awarded the Top Consultant seal. This year, a total of 104 of the 137 participants achieved a "good" or "very good" rating and thus made it into the Top Consultants 2019.