Independent · DACH Mittelstand · Since 1992

Independent ERP & Digitalisation Consulting for mid-sized and larger companies in Europe — with a focus on Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

A defensible ERP decision. Structured requirements. A controllable project through to go-live. Measurably better processes.

Dreher Consulting guides mid-sized companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland through ERP selection, ERP implementation, process optimisation and digital transformation — vendor-neutral and paid solely by the client.

Clarify your ERP decision Read the wiki

Since 1992100% Vendor-neutral1,200+ ERP, process and digitalisation projects

Which ERP system actually fits us?

When should we make the move?

What will it actually cost?

Who runs this from end to end?

How do we measure success?

When should we make the move?

Which ERP system actually fits us?

What will it actually cost?

What you get

Four concrete work products you can actually build on.

Not generic consulting categories, but four concrete service packages. Each shows what you bring, what we deliver, what comes out of it — and backs it with a result from a comparable project. All four are part of one service: Independent ERP Consulting.

A defensible ERP decision instead of a software shortlist with no context.

Your input

Your processes, your system landscape, your growth targets.

Our services

Process baseline and current-state analysis, requirements and specification, longlist and shortlist with a scoring logic, vendor qualification, contract preparation.

Your result

A robust, documented vendor decision with a much lower risk of the wrong choice.

ERP selection with longlist, shortlist and scoring matrix

Evidence

Environmental-technology manufacturer: process analysis, IT strategy and precise ERP requirements as a decision basis. Multi-region language academy: target concept, detailed specification and an integrated solution selection.

A controllable ERP project through to go-live and hypercare.

Your input

A signed or imminent ERP contract — and a project that can't be allowed to drift.

Our services

Project governance and standards, milestone, risk and budget reporting, vendor coordination, key-user and change work, acceptance scenarios.

Your result

Transparency over dependencies, risks, milestones and budget — from the contract phase into hypercare.

ERP implementation with project control and acceptance

Evidence

International multi-site ERP implementation: 120+ workshops, 15% leaner processes, 20% faster procurement handling.

Transparent processes, prioritised bottlenecks and measurable target processes.

Your input

Grown workflows, Excel islands, unclear responsibilities.

Our services

Process map and as-is documentation, bottleneck and root-cause analysis, prioritised target processes, KPI framework, implementation backlog.

Your result

Shorter lead times, fewer errors, clear decisions — and automation-readiness before any tool discussion.

Process analysis, target processes and KPI framework

Evidence

85% fewer Excel-based processes, 15% faster order handling, 12% better inventory management (environmental-technology project).

A prioritised digitalisation roadmap instead of isolated tool projects.

Your input

Digitalisation pressure, scattered initiatives, no robust target picture.

Our services

As-is analysis of business processes and systems, target picture for operations and technology, prioritised roadmap, implementation portfolio with measurable goals.

Your result

An actionable transformation sequence tied to operations and growth — not a generic technology programme.

Digitalisation roadmap and transformation portfolio

Evidence

Multi-region language academy: 35% less manual effort in finance and course-fee processes, 90% of Excel course administration replaced, 100% real-time resource planning.

Proof, not promises

Results from comparable projects.

Three quantified case studies — each tied directly to the service that produced the result.

BIOPHARMA · DACH · MID-CAP

From research to production — nearly 60% less manual tracking effort

A biopharma company moving from R&D into its own production was tracking products entirely by hand. A vendor-neutral ERP selection and a jointly designed tracking process were built first, then implemented in the chosen system — process before software. The result: a stable supply chain across the value chain and nearly 60% less manual tracking effort.

Independent ERP selectionProcess designProduct tracking

View case study

CASUAL DINING · DACH · 200+ RESTAURANTS

Finance software selection for a 500-restaurant franchise

A fast-scaling Italian casual-dining franchise — from 200+ restaurants toward 500 by 2030 — needed a finance architecture to match. The selection was run as a transparent decision audit: full option space, weighted criteria, every rejected alternative documented. Projected >24% less manual finance work through standardised connectors and APIs.

Software selectionDecision auditFinance architecture

View case study

B2B wholesaler

The honest productivity balance of an ERP replacement

A B2B wholesaler with strong logistics replaced a decades-old in-house system with an integrated standard ERP. Productivity dropped 15% at go-live — then, with intensified change management, rose to 11–12% above the old system after twelve months (target +20%, not yet reached). We publish the full curve, including the dip.

ERP replacementChange managementProductivity balance

View case study

Decision & implementation

We bridge the ERP implementation gap.

Companies are investing more in technology than ever before — yet are reaping fewer benefits than ever. A 2025 MIT study shows that, despite substantial investment, around 95 per cent of corporate AI initiatives fail to generate any measurable impact on results. In ERP projects, we have observed the same pattern for over 30 years: the risk lies not only in choosing the wrong system — it also lies in the fact that even the right decision is never translated into productivity. We call this the implementation gap.

Dreher Consulting ensures both: the decision and the implementation. As vendor-neutral consultants, we make selection decisions transparent — with clear criteria, transparent evaluation and documented decision-making logic. And we measure what comes next: the baseline before the project, productivity after the project, reported honestly — even where the path has been bumpy. "Organisation before IT" is not just a slogan, but the mechanism by which investment is turned into measurable progress.

How we work

How a decision becomes a controlled outcome.

Every Dreher project follows the same approach: We define the target vision before discussing systems. We structure the requirements before conducting an evaluation. We test vendors under realistic conditions before signing a contract. And we manage the implementation until the impact is proven after go-live.

phase 01

Clarify target scenario

Where should the company go — and why? The Decision Architecture Assessment (DAA™) clarifies the target scenario, the decision logic and the right project approach before budget, organisation and management attention are committed. The result is a management document the executive team can decide on — instead of having to believe.

1–2 weeks. Decision-ready

phase 02

Structure the requirements

What exactly must the solution deliver? SCOReX®, our requirements and evaluation model built on 1,200+ DACH projects, translates strategy and processes into structured, prioritised requirements — the robust basis for the requirements specification and vendor evaluation. What gets specified is what matters, not what would be nice to have.

1 month. Requirements spec. complete

phase 03

Test the vendors

Sales demos impress — the vendor has to deliver under your conditions. The Decision Due Diligence Index™ (DDI) qualifies vendors the way a due diligence would: proof of concept on your real processes, scrutiny of the implementation model, negotiation through to contract readiness. Nothing is signed until the decision is robust.

1.5 months after that. Ready to award.

phase 04

Steer the implementation

The best selection fails without delivery discipline. Our implementation support takes on project steering, quality assurance and escalation management — with clear decision points through to go-live and hypercare, until the impact is proven in operation.

8–16 months. Steered — until after go-live.

Your point of contact stays your point of contact

Owner-led. No junior pool.

Whoever runs your first conversation runs your project. No switch from senior partner to junior after signing.

Dr Harald Dreher

CEO & Owner

Benefit from 3 decades of experience in IT strategy, digitalisation, ERP consulting and process optimisation.

[34 years · ERP & strategy]

Andrew Thompson

Head of Business Unit: Sustainability

Head of Business Unit Sustainability and Supply Chain Management

[CSRD · ESG · CO₂ baseline]

Matthias Müller

Senior Consultant in Digitalisation

Skills: Business & Process Architecture, Balance Score Card 4.0, BPM, Process Mining & Optimisation, Process Intelligence, Continuous Improvement (CIP) and Sprint CIP

[Process · ERP · digital strategy]

Leonard Novak

Project Manager & Back Office

Mike. P

Senior Consultant

Richard. P

Senior Consultant

Amaan Shaikh

Team Lead and Full stack developer

Daniel. R

Senior Consultant ERP

Skills: ERP Selection and Implementation, Requirement Engineering, Project Management, Process Modelling

Matthias. D

Senior Consultant: Logistics & Process Planning

Skills: Logistics Planning, Project Management, Process Planning, Warehouse Management Systems, Commissioning/Go-live/RampUP/Hypercare

Armondo Stahlfeld

ERP Consultant

Skills: ERP Selection and Implementation, Requirement Engineering, Project Management, Process Modelling

Common questions for Dreher Consulting

The questions managing directors ask us before working together — with honest answers.

Answers by

Dr. Harald Dreher

Founder · Dreher Consulting

Since 1992 he has guided Mittelstand companies through replacing in-house-built ERP systems. He advises vendor-neutrally, taking no commission from any software vendor.

LinkedIn · Last updated: 21 July 2026

1. How is Dreher Consulting different from larger firms like SAP partners or the Big Four?

We don't take vendor commissions. Our revenue comes only from your retainer, so our recommendations are pegged to your business outcomes — not to which system has the highest partner margin this quarter. We're also owner-led: the same partner who scopes your engagement runs it.

2. How does the vendor-neutral model actually work — how do you make money?

On day rates and fixed-price packages. No referral fees, no software resale margins, no partner incentives from SAP, Microsoft, Sage or Infor. When we recommend a system, it's because it fits your business — we gain nothing from the recommendation except the mandate that follows.

3. What does it cost to get started?

The first 45-minute conversation costs nothing. If we both see a fit, a structured pre-analysis follows; its result is yours — whether or not you continue with us.

4. How long does a typical mandate take?

Strategic analysis: 2–4 weeks. Process prioritisation: 4–8 weeks. ERP selection through shortlist: 6–12 weeks. Implementation support depending on complexity, typically 9–18 months. We work in 3-month phases with explicit go/no-go gates — no multi-year retainers without an exit.

5. Do you work with our internal IT — or replace it?

Almost always with it. The best ERP outcomes happen when an internal IT lead owns the system long-term and we contribute methodology, decision support and outside pattern recognition. We replace internal capacity only on explicit request — and even then we recommend hiring first.

6. Who is Dreher Consulting a fit for?

Owner- and family-run mid-sized and larger companies (typically 250–5,000 employees) with multiple locations, an established system landscape and no internal ERP project management — facing an ERP selection, an S/4HANA migration or a digitalisation programme. Not a fit if the system is already chosen and only implementation capacity is needed.

Start the conversation

Three ways to begin. No wrong door.

High commitment

45-minute independent strategy call

The full first conversation. Includes an initial SCOReX® assessment of your ERP situation.

Book the call

Medium commitment

15-minute orientation call

Not ready for the full conversation? A short call to clarify whether we're the right advisors for you.

Low commitment

Prefer to email?

Send us a short note about where you are — we'll reply with a clear next step, not a sales pitch.

Email us

Supply & Production Engineering Construction & Project Development Food & Drink Medical Technologies Pharma & Life Sciences Retail & Distribution Professional Services Start-Ups Investors & Finance

Independent ERP & Digitalisation Consulting for mid-sized and larger companies in Europe — with a focus on Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Four concrete work products you can actually build on.

A defensible ERP decision instead of a software shortlist with no context.

A controllable ERP project through to go-live and hypercare.

Transparent processes, prioritised bottlenecks and measurable target processes.

A prioritised digitalisation roadmap instead of isolated tool projects.

Results from comparable projects.

From research to production — nearly 60% less manual tracking effort

Finance software selection for a 500-restaurant franchise

The honest productivity balance of an ERP replacement

We bridge the ERP implementation gap.

How a decision becomes a controlled outcome.

Clarify target scenario

Structure the requirements

Test the vendors

Steer the implementation

Owner-led. No junior pool.

Experience in complex mid-market processes.

Manufacturing & Plant Engineering

Construction & Project Development

Food & B2B Wholesale

Professional Services

Common questions for Dreher Consulting

From the Dreher knowledge base.

On what basis do you sign a ten-year ERP contract?

Why ERP projects fail before the first line of code is written

Avoiding ERP Mistakes: Minimising ERP Selection Risk

Process Design in the DACH Mittelstand — the TO-BE Discipline, Not the AS-IS Capture

Procure-to-Pay in the DACH Mittelstand — The Extended P2P Strand With a Compliance Layer

MRP System (Material Requirements Planning): The Methodological Ancestor of MRP II and ERP in the DACH Mittelstand

How do you digitalise production in the DACH mid-market?

How digital is logistics, really?

What is process digitalisation — and where do you start?

Digitalisation

ERP Consulting Services

Sustainability - Full Package

Three ways to begin. No wrong door.

45-minute independent strategy call

15-minute orientation call

Prefer to email?