Sustainability, Synergies, and Challenges: Kloepfel Group and EPSA Grow Together
Marc Kloepfel and Duran Sarikaya reflect on a dynamic year in 2024, during which the Kloepfel Group and EPSA Group made significant strides through strong synergies, innovative approaches, and growth. Highlights such as the establishment of EKODEV Germany, international procurement projects, and new business fields like energy consulting and AI-driven optimization marked groundbreaking steps for the future.
In this interview, they discuss the growing importance of procurement in a challenging economic environment, the 2025 agenda for CPOs and procurement leaders, and the continued development of joint services and perspectives with the EPSA Group.
What defined the Kloepfel Group in 2024, and what challenges were the focus?
Marc Kloepfel: Despite a challenging economic environment, we achieved significant acquisition successes in 2024 and gained renowned clients. The demand for procurement optimization and procurement transformation shows how crucial procurement has become for companies’ competitiveness in these difficult economic times. Therefore, we are optimistic for the upcoming year.
What new business areas were explored?
Duran Sarikaya: In line with the EPSA Group, we expanded our scope in 2024 and ventured into new business areas. A major success was the expansion of funding consultancy, which now also includes energy optimization. We can now help companies reduce their energy costs in the long term.
Marc Kloepfel: A new focus is on ESG and carbon footprint. With the establishment of EKODEV Germany under the leadership of Florian Mahler-Kafka, we have already successfully implemented initial projects. The pipeline is also well-stocked for 2025, and EKODEV plans further growth.
Within Kloepfel Consulting, we have created three new areas for our clients. In the Negotiation area, we provide tailored support for complex negotiation processes. In the AI area, we assist companies in implementing AI applications in procurement and supply chain. We have also strategically restructured the digital transformation and procurement reorganization areas.
What are the key focus areas for CPOs and procurement leaders in 2025?
Marc Kloepfel: Procurement in the German mid-market must continue to evolve from an operational service provider to a strategic value-creation partner. Given technological upheavals, geopolitical uncertainties, and increasing sustainability requirements, procurement is becoming more and more a driver of innovation and resilience. The CPO agenda for 2025 includes seven priorities. Digitalization and automation come first, to make processes more efficient through AI and analytics. Sustainability takes center stage, with a focus on ESG goals and strengthening supply chain resilience. Risk management is gaining importance, with strategies for diversification and regional sourcing. Strategic supplier management will foster innovation through partnerships, while modern cost management will rely on data-driven approaches for long-term savings. Talent acquisition remains another challenge. Last but not least, new technologies such as blockchain, IoT, and big data must be integrated as game-changers.
What challenges and successes did you encounter in various industries?
Duran Sarikaya: As in previous years, the Kloepfel Group carried out numerous projects in the mechanical engineering sector. This industry remains a core area of our consulting activities. Despite the ongoing crisis in the automotive industry, we were able to implement key projects with suppliers. The challenges in this sector—declining volumes and increasing component variety—make external procurement support particularly valuable.
Marc Kloepfel: A new and exciting industry for us last year was the aerospace industry, where we worked on projects with three companies. The high-quality requirements and often limited staffing in procurement departments make this sector particularly demanding. By focusing on optimizing both operational and strategic procurement processes, we were able to provide substantial support to companies in this engineering-driven industry. This area offers great potential, and we plan to continue growing here.
Duran Sarikaya: We were also successful in retail again. One standout project was our work with Galeria, where we actively participated in optimization processes. Retail remains an important part of our portfolio. As in every year, we also completed several projects in the consumer goods industry in 2024. The wide industry coverage demonstrates the flexibility and comprehensive expertise of the Kloepfel Group. Equally valuable is our collaboration with private equity firms and family offices.
Which services were in particularly high demand?
Marc Kloepfel: In 2024, the Kloepfel Group saw a marked return to procurement cost optimization, after interim projects were in higher demand in previous years. Companies are focusing more on savings again, often with performance-based remuneration—our model, which was also popular before the pandemic. Interim projects—often handled through our Slovakia location—which made up a significant part of our portfolio in recent years, decreased in 2024. The economic situation has led many companies to prioritize pragmatic and results-oriented approaches to reduce costs and optimize processes.
What were the Kloepfel Group’s most notable successes in 2024?
Duran Sarikaya: A standout success was the performance of our sourcing team, which, with a small, specialized team, achieved savings of over 10 million euros for our clients in 2024. What’s particularly remarkable is that substantial savings were achieved even with clients who had relatively small procurement volumes and did not expect such high effects.
Another milestone was the optimization of our internal processes through AI. One example is the creation of almost 100 training videos for our employees, which have revolutionized our internal training programs.
What were the highlights of the collaboration with the EPSA Group in 2024, and what joint goals do you pursue for 2025?
Marc Kloepfel: A major highlight in 2024 was the founding of the sustainability consulting firm EKODEV Germany, inspired by the successful and passionate work of EKODEV France, an EPSA affiliate. This project shows how productive and effective the cooperation between the companies of the EPSA Group can be.
In addition, collaboration on key projects has intensified. Especially with key accounts that include large European corporations, teams from different EPSA companies are working closely together to serve the clients comprehensively. The goal is to support clients not only locally but also internationally and holistically by offering a range of services and products from the EPSA portfolio together.
Duran Sarikaya: Another important step was the introduction of a new leadership structure at EPSA. With a new CEO and regional CEOs, the goal is to connect the previously decentralized companies more closely. This not only promotes exchange and collaboration but also helps to develop a unified “EPSA spirit.” There is also a greater emphasis on a consistent visual design in the marketing and brand identity area to increase brand recognition and unite the different companies under a common brand.
For 2025, the focus is on further advancing these initiatives. The goal is to establish the EPSA brand as a globally unified and strong partner for companies.
The EPSA Group is shaping up to be a holistic service provider…
Marc Kloepfel: Within the EPSA Group, there are a variety of services and initiatives that are also of interest to the German market. Notably, developments in the AI sector stand out. This includes the introduction of a unified, AI-based analytics tool, which is set to be used across Europe. Another relevant area is personnel, particularly interim management and recruiting. These topics are in high demand not only in Germany but also in other countries. For example, candidates for positions in France, Spain, or other countries can be placed if there is an international need.
There have been several acquisitions in Europe, America, and worldwide that EPSA made last year. This will remain the goal for this year as well. EPSA aims to continue growing through acquisitions and strengthen the synergies between the various companies to support our clients holistically and optimally.
How do you view the economic outlook for the mid-market?
Duran Sarikaya: The forecasts for 2025 remain bleak for the German mid-market, and the economic situation will remain difficult. In this environment, there are new opportunities for companies to optimize their structures and processes. Procurement and supply chains will become increasingly important. While the focus in growth phases is often on quickly and reliably sourcing goods, in economically weaker times, cost optimization takes priority. This is also reflected in the demand for procurement optimizations. Our broad portfolio, including classic procurement cost optimization, funding consultancy, energy consulting, interim management, and innovative approaches like AI, provides ideal solutions for this.
Editor: Christian Fischer
Contact:
Kloepfel Group
Damir Berberovic
Tel.: 0211 941 984 33 | Mail: rendite@kloepfel-consulting.com