British Car Battery Producer

Kick off your case interview practice with this case study.

Case Prompt

A British company has hired our consulting firm to evaluate its recent diversification into a new market.  The firm has been a producer of car batteries in the domestic market for thirty years and is currently the quality leader throughout the United Kingdom.  

A few years ago, the product line was expanded to provide batteries for forklifts and other motorized loading trucks. The initial entry into this market was successful, but since then, sales have decreased steadily every year. The client entered the forklift battery business to utilize the company’s excess capacity during periods of inactivity. This industry is very mature and annual growth rates have been very small over the past few years.

… prompt continued in the PDF below…

Case Overview

Your client is a battery manufacturer who has recently expanded their product lines to include forklift batteries, but has experienced a steady decline in profits despite a robust market. Your firm has been called in to research the market and bring solid solutions that will get them on the path to increased profit again.

Are you preparing for a first round OC&C interview? Use this case interview practice to get ready. While you can use the M&A Framework, practice building your own custom framework to solve the specific problem at hand.

There are no diagrams/math exhibits in this case. The qualitative difficulty is 2 out of 4, which makes this an intermediate level case you would likely see in a OC&C first round.

OC&C Interview Tips

What does OC&C look for in a candidate? Candidates who thrive under pressure.

In your case prep, maintain your focus on the problem when under pressure.

For the best case interview practice, focus on a couple of things:

1. Time yourself throughout the case (2min to build structure and 2min to present it; 2min each for a brainstorming question; 2min for final recommendation)
2. Focus on your communication and polish as you walk through the case

For out-loud case interview practice with an expert, book an hour with an ex-MBB coach.