Operational Efficiency

Stock that matches the system. Work that runs the same way twice.

Inventory, supply chain, controls and process for companies that make, move and sell physical goods. Most of the cost in these businesses sits in the operation, so that's where we look first.

Who this is for.

Manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers, usually with real freight, real inventory and a warehouse or three. The business works, but it works because a few people know where everything is and fix things by hand when they aren't.

The signs are familiar: counts that never match the system, freight bills nobody audits, purchase orders approved by whoever's around, and a process that changes depending on who's doing it that day.

What's included.

Inventory Management

Stock levels, reorder points and counts that agree with the system. Less cash tied up in what isn't moving, and fewer stockouts on what is.

Supply Chain and Logistics

Sourcing, freight, warehousing and customs. Carrier rates and accessorials checked against what was agreed, duty classified correctly, and landed cost known before the order, not after.

Operational Controls

Who can approve what, and up to how much. Purchase controls, receiving checks and a clear trail, so money doesn't leave the business without someone deciding it should.

Process Design

The way the work actually runs, written down, tightened up and made repeatable, so it holds up when the person who usually does it is out.

How it works.

Walk the Floor

We look at how the work actually happens, from purchase order to shipment, and talk to the people doing it. The real process is rarely the one in the manual.

Find the Money

Freight, duty, inventory carrying cost, write-offs. We size what's worth fixing and put it in writing before anything changes.

Fix It

Controls, process changes and system setup, done with your team rather than handed to them. Scoped, priced and finished.

Keep It Fixed

A process only stays fixed if someone keeps an eye on it. Most clients keep us on month to month for that, with no lock-in.

The savings usually pay for the work.

Operations is where most of the money in these businesses goes, so it's where most of the waste is. John Terc has run supply chains for more than 35 years: one duty program he built saved more than $10 million, and at a single client he found $11.3 million in supply chain costs. We go looking for the same thing in yours.

How it's priced

Most work starts as a fixed-fee review and a scoped project. Where it makes sense, we'll talk about tying part of the fee to what we actually save you.

Questions people ask.

Do we need new software for this?

Usually not. Most of the gains come from using what you already have properly: the ERP, the WMS, the TMS. If something genuinely needs replacing we'll say so and explain why.

Where does the money usually hide?

Freight bills paid without being checked, duty classified wrong, inventory carried long past the point it should have been sold or written down, and approvals that don't really approve anything.

Will this disrupt the operation?

We work around it, not over it. Changes get tested on a small piece of the business first, and nothing goes live until the people running it are comfortable.

We're not a manufacturer. Is this still for us?

If you buy, store, move or sell physical goods, yes. The same problems show up in retail, e-commerce, building products and distribution as in a factory.

What's on your list?

You'll hear back from one of us, usually within a business day.

Thirty minutes is usually enough to tell whether we can help. If we can, we move fast.