Case Studies

A £20m family-owned SME had been trading for over 100 years and  they had some great products, but they were repeatedly making a small loss.

Project

Agree with stakeholders on an inspirational vision of the future and then formulate a robust strategy on how to get there. 

Outcome.

After evaluating market trends, competitors results and the capabilities of the existing team, a Vision of the future was agreed on. An engaged and empowered workforce would share in the rewards of a much more profitable business (£5m annual operating profit within the next five years). An in-depth analysis of existing customers and products was carried out and everyone in the business was asked for their input before the senior managers met to formulate a strategy on how to achieve this vision. Non-profitable customers were let go and the sales focus was switched to the most profitable product groups. Although this quickly returned the business to profitability, it was obvious that cost savings and organic growth alone would not achieve their long-term goals. So as well as focusing on more profitable, high added-value business, the strategy included growth through diversification, acquisitions and special projects.

In just twelve months the company achieved horizontal diversification by acquiring a new company specialising in similar but not the same product groups as existing mix, and with cooperation from oversees partners they built their first oversees manufacturing facility. They also turned a small loss into a £1m annual profit, and where well on their way to achieving their inspirational challenging but achievable vision of the future. 

A small animal pharmaceutical manufacturer had some fantastic and high margin innovative products, but growth was being held back because they couldn’t keep up with growing demand. 

Project.

Design and build a new factory extension to pharmaceutical standards on a tight budget, taking no longer than 3 months to plan and 6 months to build

Outcome.

Following a detailed review of existing production methods the plans were drawn passed and submitted on time. The review also identified opportunities to improve production procedures, and we managed to triple their output without the cost of a new building. 

A £60m manufacturing division of a UK PLC was losing over £1m per year and were coming under increasing pressure to turn things around. 

Project. 

Create a strategy that would put the division back into profit. 

Outcome.

A detailed interactive computer model was developed that included their 5 factories, 600 SKUs and 11000 customers. It highlighted where they made money and where they didn’t and allowed for many different scenarios to be visualised and quickly costed. Using this interactive model, a plan was created that made best and most profitable use of existing assets,  and within just 12 months we turned a £1m per year loss into a £1m per year profit. 

An Ango-American SME were not making the profits that they would like. Their chemical products were very effective, but the application equipment looked amateurish. The two owners were looking for a good exit, but they knew things had to change in order to maximise their company’s overall value. 

Project 

Create a strategy that made the business look more professional, reduced costs and maximises EBITDA.

Outcome. 

Engaging with the inhouse engineering departments we redesigned the application equipment. This reduced the installation and maintenance costs and looked much more professional. Recruiting engineers closer to the international customer base improved the service offering and reduced travel costs. EBITDA was more than  doubled and a very successful PE sale was achieved.