Oliver Wyman Acquires Harbour Consulting, a Leader in the Global Automotive Industry and the Publisher of The Harbour Report(TM)

NEW YORK, January 7 --

- Oliver Wyman and Harbour Combination Strengthens Ability to Help Automotive and Manufacturing Clients Close Their Competitive and Performance Gaps

- Extends Leadership Position of Oliver Wyman's Automotive Practice in Benchmarking, Lean Manufacturing, and Cost and Efficiency Improvement

- Links Deep Industry Knowledge With Cross-Functional Management Expertise for Real Impact on Clients' Business Results

Oliver Wyman, a leading international management consulting firm, has acquired Harbour Consulting, the world's leading advisory firm on manufacturing performance and competitiveness in the automotive industry.

Harbour, based in Troy, Michigan, also publishes the annual, industry-standard Harbour Report(TM) on automakers' manufacturing performance in the U.S., Europe, and South America.

Harbour's international operations and staff immediately become part of Oliver Wyman's automotive practice.

"With this acquisition, Oliver Wyman is able to deepen its knowledge of operational and manufacturing benchmarks and best practices in the automotive industry, and apply these in helping automotive and manufacturing clients to emerge as leaders in their chosen markets," said August Joas, head of Oliver Wyman's global automotive practice.

"The critical competitiveness issue that many of our clients face is closing the performance gaps between their operations and those of the 'best-in-class' companies," adds Joas. "Our ability to tie the strategic, organizational, and operational advice that Oliver Wyman provides with the on-the-ground performance benchmarks that Harbour has been capturing and highlighting for many years provides us with a unique combination of capabilities for serving clients across the globe."

Ron Harbour, who has led Harbour Consulting since 1997, commented: "Although our reports have become must-reads since we published the first one in 1990, we now can connect our benchmarks and our work in lean manufacturing with the expertise of Oliver Wyman. This provides us with an unrivalled combination of expertise and experience."

John Drzik, CEO of Oliver Wyman, noted that the acquisition reflects Oliver Wyman's emphasis on deep industry knowledge and expertise. "This depth combined with our knowledge and experience in strategy, leadership development, and operations, help differentiate Oliver Wyman in the marketplace," Drzik said. "We are excited to welcome Harbour employees and clients to our firm."

About Oliver Wyman

With more than 2,500 professionals in over 40 cities around the globe, Oliver Wyman is the leading management consulting firm that combines deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management, organizational transformation, and leadership development. The firm helps clients optimize their businesses, improve their operations and risk profile, and accelerate their organizational performance to seize the most attractive opportunities. Oliver Wyman is part of Marsh & McLennan Companies . For more information, visit http://www.oliverwyman.com.

    
    MEDIA CONTACTS:

    For Harbour Consulting:
    Greg Gardner
    +1-248-649-5542
    ggardner@harbourinc.com

    For Oliver Wyman - Europe:

    Pierre Deraëd
    +1-49-89-939-49-599
    pierre.deraed@oliverwyman.com

    For Oliver Wyman - North America & Asia:

    John Campbell
    +1-617-424-3323
    john.campbell@oliverwyman.com

Media Contacts: For Harbour Consulting: Greg Gardner, +1-248-649-5542, ggardner@harbourinc.com; For Oliver Wyman - Europe: Pierre Deraëd, +1-49-89-939-49-599, pierre.deraed@oliverwyman.com; For Oliver Wyman - North America & Asia: John Campbell, +1-617-424-3323, john.campbell@oliverwyman.com