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CASE STUDY 08
MANUFACTURING AND WHOLESALING

Building Products

Our Solution

Our client is a major supplier of building supplies. Originally operating as an importer and wholesaler, they commenced manufacturing their own products.

Background

Background

The company had 25-years of growth, which stalled in 2016-17

The Opportunity

The opportunity

Our client required financial service to assess stock management, logistics, funding, cash management, reporting, and risk management.

Our Solution

The Solution

Strategic Specialists Group placed an experienced CFO with manufacturing experience in the business to oversee the transition to enterprise reporting in the business. The CFO was engaged intensively for 3-months to introduce new systems, reporting and to upskill the existing team. Engagement continued for 3-months to ensure complexity of requirements across the SBUs was simplified and then a further 3-months for advisory service and team mentoring.

The Process

The process

A rapid financial assessment of the entire business was undertaken by the CFO. The purpose was to quickly understand the overall financial position and to identity key financial priorities for rectification.

Key issues defined for immediate attention included:

  • Below industry rate stock-turns and pressure on working capital
  • No formal structure for short-term and long-term business funding
  • Substandard cash flow
  • Lack of internal finance systems and reporting to inform decision-making

Improving stock turn rates and working capital required developing wholistic business recommendations rather than a focus on simply reducing stock levels. An inventory management approach aligned finance, operations, marketing, sales, and customer experience. Managing stock lines ensured maintaining minimum product quantities and with consideration to lag-times for manufacturing, freight, and distribution. Consultation with marketing ensured campaign development for demand generation, leads management, and sales pipeline management.

For other key identified financial priorities the process entailed analysis of data, systems and process, reviews of people and  capabilities and development of recommendations to deliver improvements to cashflow, financial reporting and risk  management.

The Outcome

The outcome

Key results for the business included:

  • Continued reduction in stock and increase in inventory management efficiencies
  • Funding improvements through negotiation of better supplier trade terms and identifications of sources of alternate funding
  • Business reporting: introduction of reliable, timely financial reporting and budget and cost management to improve decision-making, accuracy, and effectiveness

Engagement continues with the focus on preparing the business to scale.

ENGAGEMENT

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Funware: Financial improvements implemented to prepare the business to scale

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