Roland Berger

The humanoid robot component market could exceed $330bn by 2035. Our analysis maps the opportunity across categories including assembly and supply chain management, motion actuators, structural components, energy and charging systems, and more. Across most of these categories, our findings indicate a strong capability fit for automotive industry players. Precision manufacturing, supply chain expertise, systems integration: the competencies that define the automotive sector translate directly into the humanoid robotics value chain. We detail the full market map and the strategic entry points in our new study: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eQ_WRdfX #RolandBerger #HumanoidRobots #Automotive #Robotics #MarketOpportunity

Is the transatlantic corridor still a stable anchor for the global economy? 2025 brought new challenges for German–U.S. relations, with trust and business confidence under strain. Our Transatlantic Business Barometer 2026 in cooperation with American Chamber of Commerce in Germany e.V. (AmCham Germany) explores how companies are navigating this evolving landscape and how they assess the current climate. Curious about the key trends and what’s next for transatlantic business? Discover more in the 20th edition: https://lnkd.in/dxUszN3x #TransatlanticBusiness #AmChamGermany #BusinessBarometer #USGermanyRelations

Do we control what is essential to our business, or do we let others decide for us? It sounds like a pure governance question, but in our digitalized world it also includes strategic decisions about the level of dependency on technology. The cloud provider that hosts a company's data. The platform that connects it to customers. The software stack operations run on. Each of these was once chosen for efficiency and might now be decisive on how quickly an organization can move, how resilient it is under pressure, and how much strategic room leadership actually has. Our Corporate Sovereignty Compass maps 11 levers across three dimensions: strategic assets, value chain, and influence. It shows where companies have genuine freedom to act and where dependencies are quietly narrowing their options. Critical risks today might sit in licensing agreements, in concentrated supply chains or in data stored under foreign jurisdictions. Europe has the industrial base, the talent, and the markets. What it needs now is the courage to turn those strengths into strategic technological autonomy: https://lnkd.in/dGtj-rPT #RolandBerger #TECH2026 

🏁 Is the race for full autonomy already decided? Waymo is commercializing robotaxis at scale, logging hundreds of thousands of paid rides per week across multiple cities. But while its lead is clear, the journey toward full market dominance is far from complete. We break down what’s behind Waymo’s advantage – and why competitors may still have a chance as development timelines compress and capital requirements fall. ⚙️📉 👉 Get the full picture - download the report now: https://lnkd.in/d_aqNZ4j #RolandBerger

📊 European business confidence in China is showing the first signs of stabilization in five years — and the data behind this shift deserves a closer look. For the 19th consecutive year, we are proud to support the @ European Union Chamber of Commerce in China in its flagship Business Confidence Survey. This year's findings reveal how European companies are adapting to a fundamentally changed operating environment. Key observations from the 2026 survey: 🔹 Sentiment appears to be stabilizing after five consecutive years of decline, driven largely by adaptation rather than a clear structural improvement 🔹 75% of respondents rate China's manufacturing efficiency above global peers; 94% regard it as a key sourcing destination 🔹 Chinese companies are increasingly recognized as innovators: 48% of respondents now view them as more innovative, with a further 28% seeing them as equally innovative 🔹 More than half of respondents are onshoring production into China, reflecting confidence in supply chain stability amid global volatility 📥 Download the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gDSJ_Zah #RolandBerger #China #EuropeanBusiness #BusinessConfidence Denis Depoux

Scaling autonomous driving demands more than engineering excellence. It requires a strategic foundation built from the ground up. As automakers shift from development to deployment, the decisions made today on AI architectures, computing platforms and safety frameworks will shape competitive positioning for years to come. Principal Sebastian Braun has been closely examining this shift. His perspective, grounded in our latest research: automakers that approach technology stack decisions as late stage procurement choices risk falling behind in a market that is accelerating fast. Our Roland Berger Automotive Disruption Radar reinforces this view. Venture capital investment in autonomous driving is picking up pace globally, technology progress across major markets is significant and the window to secure the right partnerships with chipmakers is narrowing. Learn more about what it takes to build those partnerships effectively: https://lnkd.in/dDrPgkf9 #RolandBerger #AutonomousDriving #AI #Automotive

📊 EU chemical plant closures have surged sixfold since 2022. That figure, drawn from our analysis for Cefic, reflects more than a difficult market cycle. Announced closures doubled from 2024 to 2025, concentrated heavily in upstream petrochemicals, with Germany and the Netherlands accounting for nearly half of the total volume. Approximately 20,000 direct and 89,000 indirect jobs are at risk across integrated chemical clusters. The scale of this shift points to a structural reset, driven by persistent energy cost disadvantages, global overcapacity from Chinese producers, and weak domestic demand. Understanding that reset is the starting point for a credible strategic response. Connect with our team for more on how we can support companies through this transition. 👉 https://lnkd.in/dbxYDEQY #RolandBerger #Chemicals #EuropeanIndustry

⚙️Software monetization has become a structural challenge for automotive Tier‑1 suppliers. As OEMs decouple software from hardware, the traditional business model is being disrupted. And, at the same time, OEMs are actively sourcing software independently across multiple domains, from ADAS to body electronics, turning integration from a differentiator into a constraint. Tier‑1 suppliers must transition from engineering-led delivery to product-led software monetization, rethinking portfolios, pricing, and organizational setup. The shift is not incremental. It is structural, and already underway. Learn more about the challenges for Tier-1 suppliers and how to solve for them in our latest article: https://lnkd.in/d_Uq_q-u #RolandBerger #AutomotiveIndustry #SoftwareDefinedVehicles Konstantin Shirokinskiy, Charlie Pope, Temir Ochirov

📊 2025 marked the strongest year in Roland Berger's history. We generated revenues of €1.01bn in 2025, growing above market across all core regions: Germany +5%, Asia +19%, and the Americas +11%. This result was achieved in a more demanding market environment, with clients prioritizing efficiency and measurable outcomes. Growth was driven by work in AI integration, process digitalization, and supply chain optimization. As the only global strategy consultancy with European roots, trust and independence are real differentiators in today's consulting market. That positioning continues to shape how we work and where we grow. 👉 Read the full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/dE6HdYrR #RolandBerger

The debate about AI replacing creative professionals often overlooks what the data actually shows. Together with workforce intelligence specialist @TalentNeuron, we analyzed task and skill evolution across eight core roles at leading global media organizations. Our findings point to a consistent pattern: Even for the role with the highest automation potential in our analysis, more than three quarters of the work stays fundamentally human. Automation is absorbing specific tasks, particularly data collection, performance reporting and routine formatting. What it is not absorbing is judgment, creative vision, relationship trust and strategic framing. Across all eight roles analyzed, the tasks with automation potential above 25% involve data processing and technical execution. The tasks consistently below 10%? Those requiring creative authority, contextual decision making and human relationships. The media industry is navigating a reallocation of tasks, not a displacement of talent. The professionals who understand this distinction will be best positioned for what comes next. Read our full analysis for five key insights and practical recommendations for decision makers. 👉 https://lnkd.in/dAPKHfAQ #RolandBerger #MediaIndustry #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #CreativeIndustries #TalentNeuron #WorkforceTransformation Fabian Huhle, Nina Feuersinger, Maryna Finkelshteyn