Case Studies · The Work in Practice

Representative engagements
across the commercial lifecycle.

Client names withheld by agreement. Industries and market tiers shown for context.

Our success is measured in revenue, EBITDA, and cash flow. Client agreements prohibit us from publishing these metrics.
Integrate

Multi-Brand Commercial Products Manufacturer

Upper Market · Publicly Traded
An industry roll-up left overlapping brands, products, channels, and customers — an expensive, confusing operating model. CE2 designed and drove a multibrand strategy to simplify the business and capture the investment thesis's economic potential.
Delivered Brands rationalized and repositioned on product and channel strengths; addressable market broadened; new product-and-price strategy implemented — lifting revenue growth and EBITDA while cutting manufacturing working capital. Implementation built and supported inside and out.
Engagement profile & detail
Industry
Industrial/Commercial Maintenance Products
Size at engagement
$200 division of a $2.5B diversified manufacturing company, public
Market position
#2
3-yr CAGR
3-4%
Geographic mix
North America
Channels
Direct Sales, Value-Add Distributors, Online

Objective. Establish a commercial multibrand strategy that streamlines the business on multiple fronts, including internal and external operating complexities, and captures unrealized economic potential identified in the investment thesis

Delivered
  • Conducted internal and external discovery
  • Working with client's operations teams, developed projections for working-capital reductions and perspectives on operational impacts from various hypotheses
  • Recommended a strategy for fewer brands positioned on product and channel
  • features
  • Recommended a new product mix and price strategy by brand, delivering
  • net realized price increases assumed in the investment thesis
  • Defined a larger addressable market
  • Conceived and supported implementation plans, internally and externally
Optimize

National Aftermarket & Fleet Services Provider

Upper Market · Private Equity-Owned
A national aftermarket-services chain needed its enterprise Commercial Sales Division rebuilt. CE2 stepped into interim operating leadership — VP Commercial Operations and Corporate Development — to modernize how it wins and serves marquee national fleet accounts.
Delivered An upgraded price strategy recommended and implemented; antiquated enterprise partnership models restructured around untapped joint value and how to realize it; director-level bench upgraded; sales training introduced; and KPIs modernized — executed from within through interim operating leadership.
Grow

Capital Goods Distribution & Services Group

Upper Market · Private
A successful, multi-generational capital-goods distributor engaged CE2 to find its “what's next.” CE2 built a diversification strategy to offset construction-cycle risk, accelerate growth, and lift enterprise value through bolt-ons.
Delivered Target segments and acquisition candidates profiled, engagement narrative built, initial conversations opened and qualified, prioritized recommendations delivered with client-direct engagements underway.
Engagement profile & detail
Industry
Distributor – Construction Equipment
Size at engagement
$900M Sales at Engagement
Market position
#1
3-yr CAGR
6-8%
Geographic mix
Midwest United States
Channels
Direct Sales, Rentals, Online

Objective. Establish a diversification strategy that reduces risk from construction industry economic cycles, accelerates growth, and increases enterprise value, including bolt-on product lines and businesses.

Delivered
  • Interviewed L1 and L2 managers for perspectives on candidate product segments and acquisition targets.
  • Based on management discussions, data collection, investigation, and CE2 insights, profiled target product segments and business types.
  • Developed client’s “pitch” for engaging and appealing to targets.
  • Made initial contact with targets, assessed strategic and operational value, identified business-model requirements and the effort required, and developed early-stage projections for economic value creation.
  • Synthesized all inputs and added expert insights resulting in recommendations and client-direct engagements with targets.
Prepare

Energy & Fuel Systems Manufacturer

Middle Market · Private
An energy and fuel-systems manufacturer was preparing to sell. CE2 sharpened a diffuse market map into a precise, coherent picture, proved its growth potential, and evaluated the commercial engine — to maximize value and reduce commercial-diligence friction.
Delivered Market map reorganized into a precise, coherent segmentation; growth potential substantiated with supporting evidence; the commercial engine evaluated end to end; and prioritized recommendations delivered to maximize value and minimize commercial-diligence friction ahead of a sale.
Engagement profile & detail
Industry
Downstream Energy Infrastructure
Size at engagement
$18M in Sales at Engagement
Market position
Leading in Field
3-yr CAGR
8%
Geographic mix
Global
Channels
Direct Sales

Objective. Increase client’s market value by organizing and proving growth potential, demonstrating early successes, and establishing a commercial operations team capable of delivering post acquisition growth and value.

Delivered
  • Profiled each product and service and assessed growth opportunities to determine initial attractiveness.
  • For the most attractive opportunities, determined the best strategy and business-model requirements and developed projections for economic and strategic value creation.
  • Developed final recommendations on the best opportunities for meeting client’s objective.
  • Organized client’s commercial resources to deliver early success and prove sustainable, long-term value.
  • Supported implementation.
Grow

Mounting & Mobility Solutions Manufacturer

Middle Market · Private Equity-Owned
Reaching only part of its addressable market through distribution partners, the client wanted into a broader adjacent market — different customers and channels, similar products. CE2 built an entry strategy delivering incremental sales without disrupting existing channels or margins.
Delivered Broader-market attractiveness defined; products, services, and market-shaping requirements determined; potential channel partners and non-competing go-to-market partnerships explored; new price schemes built so new and existing channels coexist without conflict; an agreement framed with a global participant giving the client sanctioned access to its extensive U.S. distributor network; implementation supported.
Engagement profile & detail
Industry
Industrial & Durable Consumer Products
Size at engagement
$75M in Sales at Engagement
Market position
#3
3-yr CAGR
7-8%
Geographic mix
75% US
Channels
Broadline Distribution, Value-Added Resellers, Direct, Private Label, Online

Objective. Develop a strategy for extending current products into an adjacent market segment without affecting current segment sales, the success or profitability of current channel partners, and without diluting client profit margins.

Delivered
  • Defined the attractiveness of the broader market both economically and strategically
  • Determined the products, services, and market-shaping requirements to win in new markets
  • Interviewed potential channel partners and investigated go-to-market partnerships with established non-competing organizations
  • Developed new price schemes for the client's entire business that allowed new and established channels to coexist without conflict
  • Initiated discussions with a global market participant and established the financial and operating framework for an agreement giving our client overnight, sanctioned access to its over 350 U.S. distributors
  • Supported implementation
Optimize

Municipal & Utility Products Manufacturer

Middle Market · Private
The client had invested heavily in third-party distribution but held little influence over distributor profiles and investment decisions — constraining growth. CE2 assessed distributor capability and built sustainable programs to align distributors to the client's commercial objectives.
Delivered Distributor base benchmarked on performance, capability, and financial strength; shared themes and KPIs set as the ongoing performance framework; a management system designed to align client and distributor leadership; sales operations prepared and supported through rollout.
Engagement profile & detail
Industry
Manufacturer Industrial Equipment
Size at engagement
$125M Sales at Engagement
Market position
#3
3-yr CAGR
6%
Geographic mix
75% North America
Channels
Direct Sales, Value-Added Dealer Distribution, Rental, Online

Objective. Establish and implement distributor-level, market-moving themes and KPIs that align with the client’s objectives, including an overarching management process that engages and informs the client and its distributors on KPI performance, planning, decision-making, and investments.

Delivered
  • Surveyed distributors to baseline performance, operational capabilities, financial strength, and success and failure factors when selling client equipment. Organized and synthesized findings.
  • Based on distributor assessments and inputs, client perspectives, and CE2 insights, recommended themes and KPIs to carry forward and become the measurement and performance framework for ongoing discussions with its distributors.
  • Recommended an overarching management system that engages client and distributor leadership across a broader framework of KPIs, more accurate data, and insights yielding greater decision-making value
  • Develop pro forma estimates of economic value creation from the project.
  • Prepared client sales operations to execute and supported rollout to distribution.
Optimize

Engineered Ergonomic Products Manufacturer

Middle Market · Private
A mid-market industrial manufacturer priced cost-plus and held price flat across the product life cycle. CE2 built a price-maximization capability — methodology, governance, and culture — and supported implementation end to end.
Delivered Price decision-makers aligned around value and price levers; product-line analysis of competitive pricing and buyer criteria completed with price actions recommended; tiered reseller discount/rebate structure designed; gross-to-net leakage controls put in place; implementation supported through communications with intermediaries and key customers.
Engagement profile & detail
Industry
Manufacturer – Industrial Products
Size at engagement
$300M in Sales at Engagement
Market position
#2
3-yr CAGR
6-8%
Geographic mix
Global
Channels
Direct Sales, Dealer Distribution, Rental, Online

Objective. Establish a culture of price maximization among client's price decision-makers and influencers, design and implement new price methodologies and onboard intermediaries

Delivered
  • Worked with client's price influencers and decision-makers to create price focus and understanding price levers
  • Complete product line-level analysis of competitive pricing and client's performance against a hierarchy of end-user buying criteria, and recommend price increase
  • Recommend new discount/rebate schemes to resellers – a tiered approach, ultimately based on brand loyalty and sales performance
  • Recommend process and system to prevent gross-to-net price leakage
  • Support implementation through thoughtful internal and external communications and choreographing meetings with intermediaries and key customers
Grow

Specialty Vehicle Manufacturer

Middle Market · Private
An established manufacturer with 5 straight years of strong growth across 3 business lines was seeking its next inflection point. CE2 assessed all three business lines for growth and value-creation potential.
Delivered Each line's multi-year potential assessed; leadership interviewed; inputs synthesized into candidate strategies across the three lines; a custom Vitality Index built to rank them on strategic alignment, economic potential, model and market-shaping requirements, and organizational impact; best strategy recommended.
Engagement profile & detail
Industry
Mobile Industrial Equipment
Size at engagement
$150M in Sales at Engagement
Market position
#3
3-yr CAGR
10%
Geographic mix
70% North America
Channels
Direct, Dealer Distribution, Rental, Online

Objective. Gather, organize, prove (or disprove), and prioritize strategies for achieving the client’s economic and strategic objectives.

Delivered
  • Determined each business line’s 3-5-year potential for economic and strategic value creation
  • Interviewed senior executives and mid-level managers for perspectives on where they saw the best opportunities for growth
  • Synthesized inputs and past results and added expert insights resulting in 5 potential strategies across the 3 business lines
  • Collected additional external data required for reliable conclusions and forecasts
  • Developed custom Vitality Index, designed to rank each strategy by:
  • • Strategic alignment
  • • Economic potential (5-year cashflow modeling)
  • • Business model requirements
  • • Market shaping requirements
  • • Impacts on the broader organization and go-to-market partners
  • Recommended the best strategy for meeting the client’s strategic and economic objectives
Optimize

Public Infrastructure Solutions Manufacturer

Middle Market · Private
An established manufacturer selling most of its revenue through independent value-add distributors engaged CE2 to design distributor KPIs and embed them in a digital commercial-operations dashboard — driving alignment, a continuous-improvement culture, and sharper decisions.
Delivered A central data-collection and reporting tool built for dealer management and programs — with AI in a supporting role to surface patterns and flag exceptions; manufacturer performance expectations communicated clearly; competitive tension created through peer and industry comparison data; information gaps closed with actionable intelligence; decisions and sales engagement focused on market-moving priorities.
Engagement profile & detail
Industry
Manufacturer – Industrial Equipment
Size at engagement
$225M in Sales at Engagement
Market position
#3
3-yr CAGR
6-8%
Geographic mix
Midwest United States
Channels
Direct Sales, Distribution, Rentals

Objective. Define measurements and criteria for success and build a digital platform to align manufacturer and its dealers on “true numbers,” comparative performance data and management insights.

Delivered
  • Central data collection and reporting tool for dealer management and programs
  • Communicate manufacturer expectations of dealer performance clearly and concisely
  • Create competitive tension among dealers using comparison data from reported industry metrics alongside peer dealer performance
  • Close information gaps with “actionable” intelligence
  • Pull together the dealer’s “business situation”
  • Informs manufacturer and dealer principal decision-making on go-to-market strategy and investment
  • Guides sales engagement processes, shift focus to market moving items and rankings
Prepare

Healthcare Workspace Products Manufacturer

Emerging Middle Market · Private
A mid-tech durable medical manufacturer aimed to sell within 3–6 months at a target multiple. CE2 created near-term value, expanded the addressable market, professionalized commercial operations, and positioned owners for credible buyer discussions.
Delivered Leadership interviewed on growth and market-expansion strategies; inputs synthesized with data and analytics; best value-creation strategies profiled and the strongest recommended; commercial resources aligned and implementation supported; board-level content delivered for banker and buyer discussions.
Engagement profile & detail
Industry
Manufacturer – Durable Medical Products
Size at engagement
$25M in Sales at Engagement
Market position
#5
3-yr CAGR
In Decline
Geographic mix
US
Channels
Direct, Online

Objective. Early-Stage, Sell-Side M&A Advisory : Position the client to achieve a targeted EBITDA multiple. Prove (disprove) and compare opportunities for growth and establish their economic and strategic value.

Delivered
  • Interviewed leadership team for perspectives on commercial growth strategies and increasing addressable market size.
  • Synthesized inputs and added data collection and analytics, investigation, and CE2 expert insights on industrial commercial operations.
  • Profiled best strategies for economic value creation (potential impact on market value), client’s ability to execute, time to results, and strategic alignment – recommended best strategy.
  • Aligned client’s commercial resources and supported implementation.
  • Delivered board-level content for client’s discussions with brokers, investment bankers and buyers.
Grow

Industrial Products Manufacturer

Emerging Middle Market · Private
A specialty-products manufacturer had grown in less-competitive segments but now needed the most competitive ones for next-stage growth. CE2 built “smart” price strategies — executed largely through large national independent distributor partners — to win that business.
Delivered Pricing culture and decision quality baselined with decision-makers and influencers; key distributor partners profiled on profitability, price history, non-price competitive factors, and elasticity; new price strategies built that partner client and distributors in pursuing high-value business, incent strong competition, and instill responsible price maximization.
Engagement profile & detail
Industry
Manufacturer – Industrial Processing Equipment
Size at engagement
$75M in Sales at Engagement
Market position
#4
3-yr CAGR
8%
Geographic mix
75% North America
Channels
Direct, Dealer Distribution, Online

Objective. Develop a price strategy for penetrating high-value markets through an established network of independent, value-add distributor partners.

Delivered
  • “Smart” price strategies that achieve client’s expectations for market share growth and strategic and economic value creation
  • Interviewed price decision-makers and influencers to baseline the current pricing culture and the quality of price decisions.
  • Interviewed distributor partners with high concentrations of target customers; established distributor profitability with client’s products, collected and analyzed historical price data and outcomes, assessed non-price factors affecting the distributor’s ability to compete, and assessed market elasticity.
  • Synthesized all inputs and added expert insights resulting in new price strategies that:
  • • Achieve the client’s economic and strategic objectives
  • • Partner the client with its distributor partners in the successful pursuit of high-value business, increasing the addressable market size for both.
  • • Incent distributor partners to compete at a high level
  • • Provide price decision-making structure, data, and guidance
  • • Establish a culture of responsible price maximization

Outcomes described, not quantified, per client agreement.