Situation

• A PE-owned food manufacturer engaged Food Strategy Associates to independently assess management’s value creation plan to close two manufacturing sites and outsource production, providing objective challenge and assurance ahead of sign-off by the private equity owner

What We Did

To support our client, we:

• Critiqued rather than rebuilt management’s plan, stress-testing strategic and execution dimensions across strategic rationale, financial case, future supply chain, customer impact, execution and risks and mitigations
• Assessed alignment of the plan with long-term positioning and value creation objectives
• Pressure-tested the financial case, including cost-to-achieve, cash flow implications, savings assumptions and benefits realisation
• Evaluated future supply chain implications covering resilience, quality standards and certification requirements
• Assessed customer impact across service, quality and continuity risks
• Reviewed execution plans across timing, resourcing and governance, identifying key risks and required mitigations
• Worked iteratively with management through a series of workshops to discuss evolving views, interrogate assumptions and allow time for refinement
• Issued a concise assessment report setting out our view on each element of the updated plan alongside key residual risks, presented to the PE owner

Results Delivered

• Food Strategy Associates’ assessment was endorsed by the PE owner, who aligned with our conclusions and approved progression to the next phase of feasibility. Management fed back that FSA’s work bridged the communication gap with their PE investors, describing it as the easiest major project approval they had secured