Industrial and chemicals

The current economic environment for the industrial and chemicals industry is characterised by uncertainty: international trade tensions, geopolitical instability and Brexit, to name a few. In addition, consumer expectations are changing, and regulatory requirements are constantly increasing.

Globalisation and digitalisation are putting the value chains of industrial companies under pressure as they face an increase in customer requirements regarding quality and availability, and environmental constraints. They also need to innovate and differentiate themselves in order to continue to perform well against competitors, whether the competition is historical or due to new players. Consolidation movements are underway, as part of a race for critical size to finance ever larger investments.

In this context, and more than ever before, the industrial industry is facing major performance and transformation challenges and must therefore adapt itself to cope with these developments and uncertainties.

Challenges in the industrial and chemicals industry

Industrial companies must be both flexible enough to finance their investments or external growth operations and able to continuously strengthen their capacity for innovation in terms of products and services, while maintaining economic performance levels in line with expectations.

This depends on increasingly optimised and controlled operational performance across the entire value chain, from suppliers to customers, support functions and time to market.

How we can help the industrial and chemicals industry

We assist industrial clients by improving their operational performance in the following areas:

Optimisation of customer processes and strategy

Pricing
Invoicing
Contract life cycle
Cash flow improvement
Service rate improvement
Customer relationship and service

Multi-channel and digital development

Cost reduction

Cost variabilisation
Lean management
Design to value on industrial investments
Optimisation of direct and indirect purchasing costs
Optimisation of shared services for support functions

Time to market acceleration

Development
Optimisation of the ideation process
Industrialisation and launch of new products and services

Optimisation of working capital and flows

Forecasts
Tactical and S&OP planning
Load/capacity matching of resources
Implementation of inventory policies adapted to the specificities of the industry

Operational efficiency

Optimisation of organisations including roles and responsibilities
Staff and performance management
Change management

Our approach

We apply a combination of technical expertise, operational experience and business knowledge to help our clients solve industrial and chemical issues and deliver lasting results. Our personal and pragmatic approach, with challenge where needed, ensures buy-in at all levels of our clients’ businesses and a successful outcome. We have worked with a wide range of organisations in the industrial and chemicals industry including Ferrovial Agroman, Essentra, ASSA ABLOY, AkzoNobel, Liberty OneSteel, Bouyer Leroux, Arkema, Orora Group, Johnson Matthey and Essilor. Learn more about us here.

Industrial and chemicals case studies

IBP implementation

steel

IBP implementation

Liberty OneSteel is the only Australian manufacturer of structural steel and reinforcing products, and distributes them to 200 sites across the country.

With a new owner after 16 months in administration, the business urgently needed to review key business strategy and growth plans, and identify the priorities for change. The complex supply chain has multiple manufacturing sites and competing retail businesses, managed under different business units. This led to a culture of working in discrete silos and a lack of optimisation across the supply chain.

Project manage the design and implementation of the new IBP process
Project management of 6 stages in the roadmap; 1. mobilise, 2. design, 3. develop, 4. train, 5. pilot and 6. implement
Change management of all nine stages of the change wheel; 1. case for change, 2. stakeholders, 3. impacts, 4. communication, 5. organisation, 6. capabilities, 7. leadership and behaviours, 8. sustain and 9. benefits

Reduction in excess manned capacity of 3%
Reduction in lost sales of 2%
Price and profit optimisation resulting in EBITDA improvement of 4%
Signed off conceptual and detailed design for the new IBP process
Trained IBP teams and delivered a successful IBP go-live in October
Six monthly cycles of embedding IBP

Global capability development

Planning processes design

global packaging company

Planning processes design

Essentra plc is a FTSE 250 company and a leading global provider of essential components and solutions. Essentra focuses on the light manufacture and distribution of high volume, enabling components which serve customers in a wide variety of end markets and geographies.

Essentra needed to develop a standard repeatable planning operating model for a global implementation in markets with a focus on transitioning to an above site planning structure and changes in production strategy.

Assess the existing planning processes and capabilities
Develop a scalable planning operating model for global roll out with a change from site to market planning structure
Identify potential quick wins with detailed improvement actions
Develop the organisation structure, roles, responsibilities and capabilities required to support new processes
Develop the approach and implementation plan to support the transition to the new production strategy

Documented end to end planning processes from S&OP to material requirements planning and scheduling
Identified quick wins and areas for improvement with a clear implementation roadmap
Redesigned organisational structure with roles and responsibilities and required capabilities to support new processes
Identified global savings from changes in production strategy and developed an implementation plan

Logistics outsourcing

industrial manufacturer

Logistics outsourcing

ASSA ABLOY is the largest global supplier of intelligent lock and security solutions. One in every ten lock and security installations worldwide uses an ASSA ABLOY product. It is a global company with around 46,000 employees and annual sales close to €7.3 billion.

ASSA ABLOY’s Scandinavian market region is served from three DCs in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Following our support to define the ideal logistics network solution for Scandinavia, the client wanted to investigate the benefits of an outsourced logistics solution provided by a third party logistics contractor to maintain service levels, but at reduced operating costs.

Define the strategic issues and advise the Board on the business risks involved in this £30m+ contract
Create the RFI and a longlist of potential vendors
Manage a shortlist of vendors through the RFP and vendor selection (operating specifications, service levels, resource and cost templates)
Manage commercial and contract terms negotiation with the selected provider, including a final business case and implementation plan

15% reduction in operating costs plus significant capital released from redundant client sites
Flexible contract to better match resources with volumes
Continuous improvement and gain share clauses to reduce costs and share in innovation and investments
3PL management fee linked to performance
Operational KPIs and contract review meetings based on defined client/3PL contract governance procedures and structure