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ERP Consulting · Independent · DACH Mittelstand

What is independent ERP consulting, and why does it matter for your business?

Independent ERP consulting means choosing the right system — with no commission from any vendor. We help mid-sized companies across the DACH region make the decision before technology is recommended. 1,200+ projects since 1992. Paid solely by the client. No vendor commissions.

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INDEPENDENT · NO VENDOR COMMISSION ON YOUR SIDE OF THE TABLE INDEPENDENT · RETAINER-PAID Vendor commission sales bias Your business fit No vendor commission — the decision weighted to your business, not theirs.
Why Dreher Consulting

What Problems Does Independent ERP Consulting solve?

ERP projects fail when requirements are unclear, vendor recommendations are biased, or decisions are not tied to business outcomes. Independent ERP consulting helps organisations identify, prioritise and govern ERP decisions so they reduce risk, control costs and deliver measurable results.

At Dreher Consulting we focus on clarifying your operational needs and process priorities before software is chosen or implemented. We translate business goals into structured ERP requirements, evaluate vendors without bias, and guide you through a transparent selection and implementation process. This ensures your ERP system supports automation digitalisation and regulatory compliance such as CSRD while enabling future growth.

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At Dreher Consulting, end-to-end support means more than implementing an ERP system.

We treat your processes, compliance requirements, technology landscape and data flows as one connected whole — and align them to your business strategy. From selecting the right ERP platform through to optimisation, automation and AI, we help you build a solution that reduces complexity, increases transparency and supports your goals for the long term.

Processes

The first step matters.
Process optimisation should happen before ERP implementation, because it ensures the system runs on lean, efficient workflows. Without it, ERP systems risk reinforcing inefficiencies rather than removing them. Optimising your processes:

•Prevents automating flawed processes

•Identifies the key inefficiencies to remove early

•Aligns system configuration to optimised workflows

•Maximises ERP's potential for improved performance

•Lays the foundation for long-term operational success

Compliance

Future-proof.
Building regulatory requirements into the ERP early ensures it can handle evolving regulation. Early integration minimises disruption and supports sustainability efforts. Integrating compliance requirements:

•Enables compliance-monitoring functions to be built into the system

•Ensures CSRD capabilities are integrated early

•Supports automated compliance reporting

•Reduces costly future system changes

•Strengthens sustainability and regulatory alignment from the start

ERP selection

A decisive foundation
ERP selection is fundamental to long-term success. The right system ensures operational efficiency, compliance and scalability, reduces future costs and enables sustainable growth. A structured, professional selection process:

•Aligns system capabilities with business goals

•Reduces future costs from unplanned system changes

•Supports scalability and future business expansion

•Ensures the system adapts to evolving industry requirements

•Secures stakeholder buy-in

Implementation

A decisive transformation
ERP implementation transforms operations by integrating key processes for improved efficiency and real-time insight, supporting scalability and growth. Implementing ERP software:

•Unifies business functions on a single platform

•Improves decision-making with accurate real-time data

•Streamlines processes and reduces manual tasks and errors

•Boosts efficiency by automating repetitive operations

•Supports scalability and growth by adapting to changing business needs

Automation & AI

A foundation for the future.
AI and automation improve efficiency, cut costs and support decision-making. They build on standardised processes and scale easily to adapt to growth and personalise the customer experience. Bringing in AI technologies:

•Automates repetitive tasks and increases efficiency

•Improves decision-making through data-driven insight

•Raises productivity by streamlining workflows

•Simplifies scaling to meet growing business needs

•Personalises the customer experience

Three decades, one discipline

The finest results, with 30 years of independent experience.

For over 30 years, Dreher Consulting has guided companies through complex transformation projects — with independent expertise and a practical, results-driven approach.

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Why does independent ERP consulting make sense?

The focus is on process optimization, not on a specific software product or an ERP software vendor. Above all, we concentrate on identifying and eliminating potential risks arising from high or spiraling costs during the course of the project.

Through our holistic approach, which examines the process landscape and the processes that drive value creation in customer management, we are able to identify, highlight, and implement opportunities for increasing productivity and reducing costs.

Independent ERP consulting ensures that the selected solutions are tailored to your specific business requirements without being influenced by vendor interests. This impartiality provides a clearer view of the big picture and ensures that the ERP system is seamlessly integrated into your individual business processes.

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"ERP projects are always projects that involve or influence almost every area of a company."

As a rule, employees and teams know what they expect from an ERP project — both the functions and the processes that should or must be improved. Time and again, software houses say that an ERP project is the customer's project, in which the ERP vendor merely stands alongside to implement the software.

Is that really the case — or can, and should, companies introducing ERP software expect the software house to take responsibility for the project too? This is exactly where the question of professional advice and support first arises: to inform yourself on precisely these questions, gather best practice, and thereby reduce project risk.

FROM PRACTICE

What can ERP consulting deliver? 

From practice, we know the situation of companies, project teams and project leads when it comes to launching an ERP project.

Rarely are there project teams with experienced members who have already led an IT project of this kind. Usually, individual team members were previously involved in sub-projects or partial tasks — but that is generally not enough to ensure the success of an ERP project that affects the entire company.

The earlier expertise is brought into an ERP project, the lower the risks that can otherwise grow exponentially over its course. To give you exactly this support, we developed ERP consulting as a service.

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Our approach to independent ERP consulting and advisory

Establishing the basics

In a first phase we use every tool available to gain an overview of the current information and situation — from classic interviews and workshops to modern process-mining software.

Structuring and building an optimal project plan 

A decisive success factor is designing a structured procedure model. Clear, traceable delivery points for requirements documentation, software qualification and KPIs are basic prerequisites for a successful ERP project.

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Your benefit

What you get from us

Consultants experienced in ERP projects and your industry, as your direct point of contact

30 years of experience and best practice from a genuinely independent consultancy

Tools to successfully initiate and standardise ERP projects — procedure models, checklists and methods

Experience and environment analyses from your industry

State-of-the-art delivery models for digital-transformation requirements

Expert advice on designing efficient processes and realising digital efficiency gains

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I thoroughly enjoyed working with you. It was extremely refreshing to be accompanied by your expertise and high level of professionalism during the initial stages of the project.

Nadine Krank

Head of Department, VEBEG GmbH

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Service packages

Choose the package that fits

New Digital ERP Consulting

(For small companies)

Requirements definition with ERP experts

Vendor suggestions from ERP experts

Checklists

Results workshop with ERP experts

from €4,900excl. VAT
Enquire now Learn more

Advanced ERP Consulting

(For do-it-yourselfers)

Project procedure model

Templates & documents for requirements and tender

Vendor-selection suggestions from ERP experts

Quality-assurance web meeting with ERP experts

from €7,900excl. VAT
Enquire now Learn more

Full Service ERP Consulting

(on quotation)

Business & IT requirements workshops

Digital business model

Process optimisation

on quotation
Enquire now Learn more
Common questions

What managing directors ask before working with Dreher.

The questions managing directors ask us before working together. Honest answers on services, approach and how we support mid-sized companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

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. What does independent ERP consulting actually mean?

Independent ERP consulting means we accept no commissions, referral fees, reseller margins or partner incentives from ERP vendors. Our only compensation is your consulting fee. That keeps the recommendation aligned to your outcome, not a vendor's roadmap.

2. When should we involve Dreher Consulting in an ERP initiative?

The earlier the better. The greatest leverage is before vendor selection — while requirements, processes and decision criteria are still open. In our experience, project risk drops sharply when there's clarity about the decision before software is discussed.

3. How long does an ERP selection take in the mid-market?

Depending on company size, process complexity and the number of areas involved, we plan for three to nine months. We set binding phase dates after the initial analysis, not before.

4. Do you recommend specific ERP vendors?

No. We evaluate vendors neutrally against your requirements. SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Infor and the specialised mid-market solutions each serve different operating models. What matters isn't which system is best, but which fits your processes and goals.

5. Why do so many ERP projects fail?

Usually for one of three reasons: unclear requirements, missing process standards or weak project governance. The software is the symptom; the decision is the cause. That's why we start with the decision architecture, not a vendor list.

6. Can you support projects that are already in trouble?

Yes. In our projects we regularly take on initiatives already under way, review requirements, contract and acceptance status, and stabilise governance through go-live and into hypercare.

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.

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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.

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Low commitment

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