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 Services
F. MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY
- Strategic Reorientation
Within every organization there are recognizable moments that require a review of the strategy. Sometimes it is the result of a new technology that strongly influences the industry, sometimes developments with clients, a desired merger or expansion, major changes in the market or pressure on results.
Even when there is no direct cause, management should invest time every 3 to 5 years to study the long-term goals and the way to achieve those. The SWOT analysis is an often-used instrument for that.
Short-sightedness of the current management sometimes is a limiting factor. In order to obtain information regarding the latest industry developments, external consultants with proven branch knowledge, can guide the process or act as a sounding board for the project group.
- Supply Chain Development & ECR
The days are gone that every individual link in the chain could exclusively focus on (the productivity) within the own organization. Today, the company policy is primarily determined by the demands placed by the next link in the chain.
Driven by customer satisfaction, the food retail and food service companies have become very dominant and very demanding.
All links within the chain are forced to perform well in order to, jointly, (better) satisfy the final consumer at a lower cost.
With the ECR concept (Efficient Consumer Response), the focus is on the end user. Improvements can be realized through better “managing of the supply chain” and better and more demand-driven cooperation between the partners in the chain. This not only requires a different way of thinking, but also an advanced information system to establish efficient communication with the chain partners based on Web Enabled Technology.
- Marketing & Business Development
Eventually, in business it is all about the results; whether it concerns a not-for-profit organization, a food manufacturer or a logistic service provider. It is essential to formulate clear, quantifiable, short and long term goals, to outline a practical and realistic policy and the action plan to implement that policy in the daily practice.
Knowledge of one’s own business and local market is important but no longer sufficient. Understanding of the end user’s or consumer’s motives, the competition including products and prices, distribution methods, etc. is also required; all this in the present global economy and with an eye on relevant international developments.
The structured approach of an experienced specialist provides an efficient and effective process, which limits the invested time to the absolute necessary and increases the chances for success.
- Acquisitions, Mergers & Joint Ventures
Over the past few years, two developments have become distinctly clear: internationalization and up-scaling. With the modern means of communication, information travels around the world fast and increases the knowledge about other continents. This gives products and services an international dimension and makes it possible to put them on the market in different parts of the world.
Particularly food retailers feel the need to operate on a more international level and to be able to spread fixed costs through economies of scale and obtain the lowest purchasing price. Aggressive expansion (autonomous growth or acquisition) is the result. In order to somewhat counter this (purchasing) power of retailers, the same trend also became visible with food manufacturers and logistics companies.
Obviously, there are many other, mostly strategic reasons, for considering cooperation, transfer of ownership or acquisition of a business. Specialists can assist with preparation and analysis, the selection of potential candidates and supervise or guide the entire process.
- Management Support
The circumstances, under which companies have to achieve results, not only change at high speed, but also become more and more difficult. This makes management decisions even more important and the consequences even more influential. The need for correct decisions puts more and more pressure on the responsible manager or owner.
In such a situation, a person with a similar background and a number of years´ experience in a management position, can act as a sounding board. During these strictly confidential meetings, all kinds of matters can be discussed: succession problems within the family, unsatisfactory performance by a senior manager, expansion or acquisition plans, strategic issues, policy, etc. The client determines the agenda and the frequency of the meetings.
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