Top ten management consultancy Kearney has acquired Optano, a German company that develops artificial intelligence software.

Chicago-based Kearney is one of the largest management consulting firms in the world with annual revenues of over $1.6 billion. Among consultants at the start of their careers, securing an interview offer from the firm is considered to be more difficult than the industry standard.

Optano, in turn, is a software developer headquartered in Germany. The firm’s main product is an AI application that large companies use to make their business operations more efficient.

Helping companies increase their operational efficiency is one of the main ways that management consultancies like Kearney generate revenue. Optano’s application will enhance this core pillar of Kearney’s business.

The primary purpose of Optano’s application is to provide an environment for running business optimization algorithms. Such algorithms enable companies to calculate the most efficient way of going about business tasks such as distributing merchandise to stores.

A supermarket chain operator, for instance, could use Optano’s software to identify all the routes that a delivery truck can take to transport goods from a warehouse to a store. Optano’s software can automatically point out the fastest route with the lowest risk of traffic jams.

Optano customers also use its software in many other areas including manufacturing and procurement. The company’s customer list includes, among others, Kearney, which has used its software in multiple consulting projects.

“Among the many benefits Optano brings is our adaptability to many different operations challenges,” commented Optano managing director Dr. Jens Peter Kempkes. “From end-to-end network optimization to complex portfolio optimization to planning of transport solutions, our AI-powered solutions support clients in addressing the toughest operations challenges.”

One benefit of the acquisition, besides ruling out the possibility that a competing consultancy might buy Optano, is that Kearny can now customize Optano’s software according to its requirements. It can develop features tailored for the specific types of consulting projects it plans to take on.

“This acquisition builds upon a four-year history of mutual partnership and achievement that has seen our two firms successfully collaborate on more than 30 Kearney client projects,” remarked Dr. Marc Lakner, the global co-lead of Kearney’s operations and performance practice. 

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