After been involved in the development of an integral business plan for a leading supplier of conveyor belts, we have supported several business cases to relocate or consolidate production activities. Examples of these business cases are: set up of a central European fabrication facility in Eastern Europe, consolidation of the 2 major production plants in Europe into 1, relocation of fabrication facilities for different product groups. For the new production facility in China we have provided support in the development of a plan to accelerate growth after the opening of the new site. All these business cases have been executed.

After supporting the development of a business plan to double EBIT in 5 years for a producer of beverage & bakery ingredients, we were asked to help translate the plan in concrete sales plans in the regions APAC, Europe and MEA. Based on a thorough analysis of customer needs, we proposed a new customer segmentation model. Together with the local sales teams, we set targets and detailed a commercial approach focused on the customers that best match the company’s strengths. The result was a set of actionable sales plans, with strong ownership of the sales teams, that enabled the company to deliver on the planned EBIT improvement strategy.

Operating in a competitive market, this company had not been living up to its potential. We were asked to assess the improvement potential and support the development of a concrete plan to maximize performance. Based on a thorough market analysis in combination with customer interviews, we quickly found that there was significant growth potential provided a step-change in operational performance could be achieved. This cleared the way for much-needed investments and other initiatives to reduce costs, to improve quality and service and to free-up commercial resources for growth. After these initiatives started to pay-off, we contributed to an update of the business plan, uncovering further double-digit growth potential driven by product innovation.

The growth of this supplier of specialty food ingredients was getting ahead of the capabilities of its organization. While commercial opportunities were being pursued opportunistically, product supply, customer service and innovation were stretched to their limits. A comprehensive business plan was developed to focus the company on the opportunities with the best long-term growth perspectives. These perspectives provided the basis for a significant upgrade of the organization and a much more focused and market-driven innovation pipeline. Activities with limited growth potential or contribution to profit were scaled down or exited.

For a large German conglomerate of equipment for processing of food, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, we supported a large-scale portfolio analysis. Supplying >10 product groups in >40 countries the company had to make choices on how to focus commercial & product management resources. We developed a framework to analyze markets and assess the company’s position and perspectives across all major countries and product groups. Subsequently, we coordinated the alignment process between the commercial and product management teams to review insights, agree on priorities and set targets. The result was a clear view on the opportunity to increase sales with ~ 1 B€ in a limited number of key product-market combinations within 3-years.

After this family-owned business was acquired by a private-equity investor, we were asked to work with the company’s management team to develop a business plan to accelerate growth. Based on an analysis of the profitability of the various activities of the company and an assessment of the market and the main competitors, long-running debates were settled, and clear priorities were set. This provided the confidence to make significant investments in upgrading the organization to address the opportunities that had been left unexploited and actively pursue several acquisitions.