What REFA Consulting AG does

REFA Consulting AG is a Dortmund-based, privately held German management consulting firm specializing in process optimization, industrial time management, and lean management built around the proprietary REFA-Methodenlehre — a systematic body of work-design knowledge developed in cooperation with German labor-market partners since 1924. The firm is the direct commercial heir to the original REFA methodology, deploying REFA Zeitwirtschaft, MTM (Methods-Time Measurement) predetermined time systems, multi-moment studies, and lean frameworks derived from the Toyota Production System to clients in automotive, machinery, chemicals, metal & electrical, food, pharma, healthcare, logistics, and public administration.

The core service catalog spans 14+ productized offerings including REFA-Zeitaufnahme (time studies), Zeitwirtschaft (time management), Lean Management Beratung, Potenzialanalysen (potential analyses), Qualitätsmanagement, Entgeltsysteme (remuneration systems), Facility Management, Kostenrechnung (cost accounting), Logistikmanagement, Multimomentaufnahmen, Shopfloor Management, and dedicated industry and administration consulting tracks. The firm also offers REFA-Software as a software extension of the methodology and a Partner-Consultants interim-management service for short-term expert deployment at client sites.

Commercially, the firm operates a direct, sales-led consulting model: 7 employees deliver on-site services across at least 14 German cities, supported by certified REFA trainers and partner consultants. Revenue is generated through professional-services fees tied to project scope, with the firm claiming typical cost-reduction outcomes of 10–30% via potential and weakness analyses. The firm is part of the broader REFA Group, the institutional owner of the REFA methodology, but the AG itself has no disclosed parent, no outside funding, and no public listing.

Name

REFA Consulting AG

Legal name

REFA Consulting AG

Website

https://refa-consulting.ag

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

REFA Consulting AG is a 7-employee, Dortmund-based German management consultancy deploying the proprietary REFA-Methodenlehre to deliver process optimization, time management, and lean consulting to manufacturing, logistics, public administration, and healthcare clients across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Process Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Organization Design & Change Management Consulting (BPAHACAD)

Keywords

• Process optimization consulting
• Lean management consulting
• Industrial engineering services
• Time management consulting
• Work design methodology

Headquarters

HQ city

Dortmund

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Management Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for process optimization, time management, lean management, and organizational development. Services range from top management consulting to operational-level process optimization, with consultants providing both advisory and implementation support.
2. Personalleasing von REFA-Experten (Personnel Leasing of REFA Experts): Provision of trained personnel to support projects directly at client sites for periods of weeks or months, enabling clients to obtain expertise without fixed personnel costs. Also includes troubleshooting services.
3. Training and Coaching: Coaching of client employees in time recording and plan time determination using REFA methodology, with accompanying seminars and workshops to expand the circle of time study experts within client organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

REFA Consulting AG is a German consulting firm that provides process optimization, time management, lean management, and industrial engineering services based on the proprietary REFA methodology. The company supports manufacturing, industrial, logistics, and public-sector clients with time studies, work design, remuneration systems, and facility management consulting. Founded in 1924 and headquartered in Dortmund, REFA Consulting AG operates with a small team of approximately seven employees across multiple German locations.

Product overview

REFA Consulting AG is a consulting company founded in 1924, offering a comprehensive portfolio of consulting services focused on process optimization, time management, and organizational development. Their core offerings include REFA-Zeitaufnahme (time studies), Zeitwirtschaft (time management using REFA and MTM methods), and Lean Management Beratung. These services are complemented by specialized consulting in Potenzialanalysen (potential analysis), Qualitätsmanagement (quality management), Entgeltsysteme (remuneration systems), Facility Management, Kostenrechnung (cost accounting), Logistikmanagement, Multimomentaufnahmen (multi-moment studies), and Shopfloormanagement. The company also offers industry-specific consulting for the automotive, machinery, chemical, and other sectors, as well as organization consulting for both industry and public administration. Additionally, REFA-Software provides software tools to support their methodology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• REFA Time Studies and Time Data Management Factual recording and analysis of working time using the REFA time management methodology to determine standard times, performance values, and time requirements for industrial and administrative processes. Targeted at manufacturing firms, logistics operators, and public administrations seeking to optimize labor productivity.
• Lean Management Consulting Implementation of lean management methods to reduce waste, streamline processes, and improve operational efficiency. Designed for industrial companies and public administration looking to adopt continuous improvement practices.
• Potential Analysis (Potenzialanalyse) Diagnostic evaluation of organizational processes to identify efficiency gains, structural improvements, and untapped productivity reserves. Used by manufacturing and administrative organizations to prioritize improvement initiatives.
• Work Design and Industrial Engineering Consulting on ergonomic and efficient workplace design, including work system structuring, workflow planning, and human factors engineering. Aimed at manufacturing plants, assembly lines, and office environments.
• Remuneration Systems (Entgeltgestaltung) Design and review of performance-based pay and remuneration systems aligned with REFA time and performance data. Targets HR and operations leaders in industrial enterprises looking to align compensation with productivity.
• Quality Management Consulting Advisory services to establish and improve quality management systems in manufacturing and service organizations. Aimed at quality managers and operations leadership.
• Facility Management Consulting Strategic and operational consulting on facility management, including space utilization, building operations, and support process optimization. Aimed at facility and operations managers in industrial and public-sector organizations.
• Cost Accounting Consulting (Kostenrechnung) Design and optimization of cost accounting systems, including activity-based costing and overhead allocation tied to REFA time data. Targets controllers and finance leaders in manufacturing and administrative organizations.
• Logistics Management Consulting Optimization of intra-company logistics, material flow, and warehouse processes using time and motion study methods. Designed for industrial and logistics operators.
• Office Organization Consulting (Büroorganisation) Advisory services to structure administrative workflows, document handling, and office processes for greater efficiency. Aimed at administrative departments in industrial firms and public administrations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cost reduction of 10% to 30% through potential and weakness analysis

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• REFA GroupcoreOthersREFA Consulting operates within the REFA Group, a larger organization dedicated to work design and organizational development. The company processes personal data from other companies within the REFA Group and collaborates on methodology development and standardization.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Porsche Consulting: German management consultancy specializing in automotive, manufacturing, and industrial process optimization. Closely comparable to REFA on industry focus (automotive, machinery) and on time/process improvement methodologies, though typically serving larger enterprise accounts.
• h&z Unternehmensberatung: Munich-based German management consultancy focused on procurement, operations and production efficiency for industrial clients. Directly comparable to REFA on industrial process optimization, lean operations and Mittelstand manufacturing customers.
• Horváth & Partners: International management consultancy with strong German footprint specializing in performance management, controlling and process optimization. Comparable to REFA on the management/process consulting overlap, but operating at a broader and more analytically-driven scope.
• ROI Management Consulting AG: German consultancy focused on operational excellence, supply chain and production process optimization in industrial settings. Directly comparable to REFA Consulting in target customers (German manufacturing) and core offerings (lean/process/operations improvement).
• Staufen AG: German lean management and operational excellence consultancy. Directly comparable to REFA Consulting because both sell lean transformation, production optimization, and shopfloor improvement services to German Mittelstand manufacturers, using methodologies derived from the Toyota Production System.

Regional players

• Kloepfel Group: German consulting firm focused on production, procurement and operational efficiency, particularly for Mittelstand manufacturers. Comparable to REFA on customer segment and lean/process improvement offerings, but with more concentration on purchasing and supply-chain consulting.

Others

• McKinsey & Company (Operations Practice): Global management consultancy with an operations/manufacturing practice that addresses process optimization and lean transformation in industrial clients. Comparable to REFA on the process-optimization theme but operating at a vastly larger scale and with a broader portfolio; REFA's niche and Mittelstand focus differentiates it.

Broad incumbents

• BearingPoint: Large European management and technology consultancy with significant German presence. Comparable as a broader incumbent covering process optimization, operational transformation and ERP-related work, but at much larger scale and broader scope than REFA's Mittelstand-focused lean practice.
• Siemens Advanta (Siemens Digital Industries): Siemens' consulting arm combining industrial digitalization, IIoT and process optimization services. Comparable to REFA on factory-floor process improvement but operating at industrial scale with a digital/technology stack that REFA does not currently match.

Emerging players

• Celonis (process mining): Process mining / data-driven analytics vendor increasingly used for the type of time-and-process analysis that REFA performs manually. Relevant peer because it represents the technological trajectory that could complement or displace REFA's traditional work-study methodology in German industrial accounts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/REFAtv
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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/refa-consulting-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about REFA Consulting AG