Brief: McKinsey Enters The Design Race With The Acquisition Of Lunar

On May 14, 2015, design firm Lunar Engineering announced that management consulting firm McKinsey will acquire it for an undisclosed sum. McKinsey joins a growing list of diverse firms such as Accenture, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), Capital One, Deloitte, and Facebook that have recently bolstered their offerings in design. However, customer experience (CX) professionals should note that two factors make this acquisition unique: the buyer and the seller. Unlike other recently acquired agencies that are known for their digital or service design, Lunar specializes in industrial design. Forget about digital transformation. With this acquisition, McKinsey seeks to bolster its global impact on manufacturing, engineering, and new product design.