Business Insights

Roland Berger

Welcome to "Business Insights," a Roland Berger podcast. Each episode brings expert perspectives on the forces shaping industries, from sustainability and digital transformation to market dynamics and innovation. We explore the strategic decisions and real-world applications driving change. What challenges are industries facing today? How are businesses responding? And what solutions are emerging? Join us as we break down the complexities of global markets and uncover the strategies shaping the future.

  1. 6d ago

    Advanced Technology Insights: Physical AI and humanoid robots

    Welcome to What Tech Can Do, the podcast series from Roland Berger's Advanced Technology Center that provides insights into technological and industrial shifts and helps build the foundation for successful business strategies based on operational realities. This episode dives into humanoid robots and what truly separates science fiction from industrial reality. Host Carina Lainer is joined by Thomas Kirschstein (Semiconductor Practice), Jonas Zinn (Manufacturing & Operations Practice), and Shuai Shi (Automotive Practice, Shanghai) to unpack why humanoid robots are technically capable, yet still far from scalable deployment. This episode covers why AI and data, not hardware, are now the biggest bottleneck for humanoid robots. It explores the economics behind a projected USD 2 per hour operating cost, and what that means for labor markets. It also examines why China is deploying 15,000 units this year, 30 times North America's volume, and whether this points to two separate technology ecosystems emerging, similar to semiconductors. On the operations side, this episode breaks down what humanoid robots can and cannot do in factories today, from bin picking to kitting, and where the real value unlocks once robots can switch between tasks. It also discusses the "data-for-discount" trade-off operators face when partnering with robot OEMs. Finally, this episode looks at the business opportunity ahead: a potential USD 300-750 billion market by 2035, how component suppliers can position themselves as development partners rather than vendors, and whether Europe can still catch up in the global humanoid robotics race. 🎧 Listen now to understand what it takes to move humanoid robots from pilot to scale, and what it means for operators, OEMs, and suppliers. For more information, visit our website at https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Insights/Podcasts/

    Advanced Technology Insights: Physical AI and humanoid robots
  2. Sep 28

    Advanced Technology Insights: EV charging across the world – Currents of change

    Welcome to What Tech Can Do, the podcast series from Roland Berger's Advanced Technology Center that provides insights into technological and industrial shifts and helps build the foundation for successful business strategies based on operational realities. This episode brings together six Roland Berger experts spanning three continents: Adam Healy (Partner and EV Charging Lead, based in London) alongside Aaron Chugger (Principal – Transaction & Investor Services, London), Erin Sowerby (Partner – Energy Practice, Chicago), Jack Zhuang (Principal - Automotive Practice, Shanghai), Martin Weissbart (Partner - Infrastructure Investor Support Europe Lead, based in Munich), and Stefan Riederle (Senior Partner - Automotive Practice, Munich). Together, they unpack why EV adoption is accelerating unevenly across regions and what separates markets building resilient, future-ready charging ecosystems from those struggling to keep pace. The conversation goes beyond headline numbers to explain why the recent slowdown in charge point rollout does not signal a cooling market, but a strategic shift toward fewer but faster and smarter chargers. From aging grid infrastructure and disciplined investment to the rise of Chinese OEMs and battery innovation, the episode offers practical insights into managing the risks and opportunities shaping the next phase of e-mobility. Discover how global competition is evolving, why European and US players face mounting pressure, and what it takes to close the gap to the world's most advanced charging markets. For more information, visit our website at https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Insights/Podcasts/

    Advanced Technology Insights: EV charging across the world – Currents of change
  3. Jun 19

    Advanced Technology Insights: Gigafactory Ramp-Up

    Welcome to What Tech Can Do, the podcast series from Roland Berger's Advanced Technology Center that provides insights into technological and industrial shifts and helps build the foundation for successful business strategies based on operational realities. In this first episode, Junhyuk Choi, Senior Project Manager at Alexec (a Roland Berger company), is joined by Idriss Alami, Managing Partner at Alexec, and Wolfgang Bernhart, Senior Partner and Co-Head of the Advanced Technology Center at Roland Berger, to discuss the realities of scaling battery production in gigafactories. They explore why the start of production (SOP) marks the beginning of the most challenging phase, and what separates projects that ramp up successfully from those that spend years catching up. Drawing on extensive project experience, they highlight why many factories miss their initial production targets and how decisions made months before SOP determine long-term success. From the complexity of battery manufacturing processes to the importance of infrastructure, supplier integration, and realistic planning, the episode offers practical insights into managing ramp-up risks and challenges – and, ideally, preventing them beforehand. Discover how global competition is evolving, why Asian players lead the field, and what it takes for European and US manufacturers to build competitive battery production at scale. For more information, visit our website at https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Insights/Global-Topics/Advanced-Technology/

    Advanced Technology Insights: Gigafactory Ramp-Up

About

Welcome to "Business Insights," a Roland Berger podcast. Each episode brings expert perspectives on the forces shaping industries, from sustainability and digital transformation to market dynamics and innovation. We explore the strategic decisions and real-world applications driving change. What challenges are industries facing today? How are businesses responding? And what solutions are emerging? Join us as we break down the complexities of global markets and uncover the strategies shaping the future.

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