Operations Consulting Services

WHAT IS CHANGING For years, transformation was a slide in the strategy deck. Today, it’s survival. Look at what’s happening: • Philip Morris International is now generating ~39% of total net revenues from smoke-free products (IQOS, ZYN), publicly targeting >50% in the coming years. That’s not incremental innovation. That’s portfolio reinvention. • PepsiCo moves into functional hydration and probiotics via PepsiCo Positive and brands like Poppi hedging against declining traditional soda occasions. • Nestlé shifts capital toward Nestlé Health Science and medical nutrition. • Danone doubles down on specialized nutrition while core dairy stagnates. • Unilever streamlines SKUs and divests slow-growth brands to focus on margin accretive categories. • AB InBev premiumizes and engineers occasion-based packs instead of chasing volume. Meanwhile, Kraft Heinz, Mondelēz International, Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company, L'Oréal, Estée Lauder, Colgate-Palmolive, Kimberly-Clark, Kenvue, Reckitt, The HEINEKEN Company, Diageo, General Mills, Conagra Brands, The Clorox Company, Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., Target,Publix Super Markets, Walmart, Amazon, Inditex, Nike, Starbucks all face the same pressure: Growth is no longer coming from the core. It’s coming from transformation. Why it matters? The old playbook was: Optimize → Promote → Expand distribution. The new playbook is: Re-architect the portfolio → Redefine the profit engine → Rebuild GTM. This is not about launching more SKUs. It’s about reallocating capital toward where margin and cultural relevance will live in 5–10 years. The Better Peer Take: Transformation is no longer optional portfolio hygiene. It is a capital allocation decision. The companies winning are not the ones protecting legacy volume. They are the ones funding the future, even if it cannibalizes the present. And the uncomfortable truth? The longer you delay transformation, the more expensive it becomes. If you were in the C-suite of a global CPG today… Would you defend the core or disrupt it yourself? Full extended analysis with data and country breakdowns available on The Better Peer Insights page: https://lnkd.in/egb5si3E #cpgnews #whatischanging #growthstrategy #transformation #gtm #margin #portfolio #fmcg #thebetterpeer #strategy #capitalallocation #emergingmarkets #usamarket #latam #hispanicmarket

Being a demand and supply planner is brutally tough. These are the top 10 nightmares and how to fix them: 1️⃣ Forecasts that are always wrong ↳ No matter the effort into forecasting, actual demand rarely matches ➡️ The Fix: focus on forecast bias over accuracy—adjust models based on historical patterns 2️⃣ Constantly Changing Demand Signals ↳ Sales suddenly double—but no one tells supply planning ➡️ The Fix: implement a structured demand review as part of S&OP 3️⃣ Stockouts of Critical SKUs ↳ A high-demand product is out of stock, leading to lost sales ➡️ The Fix: use safety stock per demand variability & supplier lead times 4️⃣ Excess Inventory Trapping Cash ↳ Warehouse shelves are full, finance is concerned about working capital ➡️ The Fix: use ABC analysis to prioritize fast-movers, and apply variable inventory covers instead of static min-max levels 5️⃣ Repeated Last-Minute Expedites ↳ Air-freight emergency shipments become the norm, destroying profitability ➡️ The Fix: identify the root causes of expediting—poor forecasts, unreliable suppliers, or internal misalignment—and address them systematically 6️⃣ Supplier Delays and Capacity Constraints ↳ A supplier misses deadlines, causing chaos to the entire production plan ➡️ The Fix: build supplier scorecards, negotiate dual sourcing, and set up buffer stock for long-lead-time items 7️⃣ Mismatch Between Demand and Production ↳ Factories are making what they can, not what's actually needed ➡️ The Fix: align capacity planning with real demand signals, improve S&OP 8️⃣ Poor Data Quality ↳ Incorrect master data is driving bad planning decisions ➡️ The Fix: conduct data audits, enforce master data ownership, and use automation tools like Power Query to clean data regularly 9️⃣ No Visibility into Pipeline Inventory ↳ You think the stock is available, but half of it is stuck in transit or Quality Control (QC) holds ➡️ The Fix: improve real-time inventory tracking, and use inventory dashboards in supply planning 1️⃣0️⃣ S&OP Becoming a Formality ↳ Meetings are held, numbers are discussed, but no one follows through on execution ➡️ The Fix: make decisions actionable, track key S&OP outputs (plan vs. actual), and ensure senior leaders drive accountability Any others to add?

Reducing Steel Logistics Costs in India: Strategic Framework Logistics accounts for 10–20% of steel’s delivered cost and up to 28% of factory cost. Reducing this burden is key to improving competitiveness. A multi-pronged strategy involving infrastructure, modal shifts, digital tools, and policy reforms can yield significant savings. 1. Shift to Rail, Water, and Pipelines Road transport, though flexible, is 2–3x costlier. Rail movement via rakes and sidings can cut costs by 20–30%. Inland waterways (e.g., Ganga, Brahmaputra) save 40–60% for long-haul bulk cargo. Slurry pipelines, at Rs. 80–100/tonne for 250 km, are vastly cheaper than rail or road and must be expanded for inland plants. 2. Leverage PFTs and DFCs Private Freight Terminals reduce first/last-mile costs. Eastern and Western DFCs offer faster, reliable movement. Time-tabled rakes and rake-sharing improve predictability and lower costs. 3. Improve First & Last-Mile Efficiency Rail sidings, Ro-Ro services, and containerization reduce handling loss and costs. Better road access to ports via PPPs boosts multimodal efficiency. 4. Upgrade Infrastructure Developing dedicated rail/road corridors and multimodal logistics parks under Bharatmala and Sagarmala enhances connectivity. Coastal hubs at Vizag, Kandla, Paradip allow direct port loading, avoiding double handling. 5. Adopt Technology Use of Transport Management Systems (TMS), GPS tracking, and AI-based route optimization improves asset utilization and reduces fuel use. Automation in loading/unloading cuts turnaround time and damages. 6. Streamline Supply Chain Set up regional hubs near consumption centers. Aggregate demand to enable full-rake dispatch. Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory models cut warehousing and demurrage. Collaborate with 3PLs for cost-effective delivery and tracking. 7. Align with Policy & Incentives Leverage the National Logistics Policy’s aim to reduce logistics costs to 5–6% of GDP. Tap freight subsidies, tax incentives for logistics infra, GST pass-through, and single-window clearance for sidings and terminals. 8. Optimize Last-Mile & Maintenance Route planning tools reduce last-mile costs. Strategically located warehouses shorten delivery time. Preventive maintenance of fleets improves uptime and fuel efficiency. Impact Snapshot Rail over road: 20–30% cost saving Waterways: 40–60% Route optimization/backhauling: 10–15% Terminal/siding access: 5–10% Conclusion Combining modal shift, infrastructure upgrades, tech adoption, and policy alignment can reduce logistics costs by up to 40%. This is critical to meeting India’s steel production target of 255–300 million tonnes by 2030 and boosting global competitiveness.

🔍 Have you ever wondered how some companies keep things running smoothly, even when challenges pop up? Here’s a little insight: They’re often using Lean principles, a set of practices focused on making things simpler, faster, and more effective by cutting out the clutter. But Lean is about more than just efficiency; it’s about connecting people with their work in meaningful ways. Take visual management as an example. It’s all about making information visible and accessible. Imagine Walking into an office and immediately seeing a Kanban board showing where each project stands or an “out-of-stock” card on an inventory shelf. These aren’t just clever tools—they make work easier to understand and create a sense of ownership and accountability. And the results? Employees feel empowered to make decisions on the spot, without waiting for formal reports or meetings. According to recent studies, visual management can increase task accuracy by up to 60% in workplaces that adopt it. Then there’s gemba, or what Toyota calls the “go-and-see” mindset. Instead of guessing what’s going on from an office, managers head to the shop floor. They observe, listen, and understand what’s happening right at the point of action. Toyota Motor Corporation leads the way here, with most of its supervisors spending time on the production floor daily. And it pays off—problems get resolved faster, and solutions are based on firsthand observations, not assumptions. Finally, Continuous improvement is at the heart of Lean. It’s the mindset of always looking for ways to do things better, even if only by a tiny bit. Every tweak, every little fix, adds up over time, ensuring that the company is always moving toward giving customers more value. In fact, companies that embrace continuous improvement report a 15-20% increase in productivity over time, as noted by the Lean Enterprise Institute. And here’s what often goes unnoticed: Lean only works because it values people. Real, day-to-day improvements come from the employees who are involved in the work and whose insights and ideas shape better processes. When people feel heard, productivity grows—by as much as 30% in companies with strong employee engagement practices. So, Next time you hear about Lean, think beyond the jargon. At its core, it’s about creating a work environment where people feel connected to their roles, confident in their abilities, and motivated to make a difference every day. That’s the real impact of Lean.

An underrated yet powerful lever in Transformations is: 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹. And yet most “operating model” conversations are misguided because they focus on 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 (who reports to whom) instead of the deeper system that actually delivers customer value. Successful operating model design starts with 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱‐𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: start with value streams and processes, then define the tools and systems that enable those processes, followed by clear governance (decision rights, controls, and metrics), and only then design the organization structure and match talent and skills to roles. This sequence reframes operating model redesign from moving boxes on an org chart to building an integrated way of working that improves speed, cost, and quality for customers while making transformation outcomes more sustainable. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄, 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝘁? #transformation #leadership

Week 9 musing:   Understand flow and do not overburden your teams As my friend Sally Elatta says, “if you want to improve the flow, stop the flooding”.   At some point, even the most dedicated team will burn out and lose productivity and passion for the work.  Having grown up in technology I’m on a mission to make technology fun again for as many people as possible. In Lean Agile, knowing how work flows is key to making things run smoother and preventing the team from getting swamped. When you have a good handle on the workflow, you can spot snags, cut out the fat, and get value to customers faster. One of the main ideas of Lean Agile is to make the workflow visible. This means mapping out all the steps from start to finish. By seeing how the work flows, teams can spot where things get stuck, what depends on what, and where things might get held up. A great way to visualize the flow is by using the flow framework created by my other good friend Mik Kersten.   He has created amazing software to track the flow of value through the SDLC so that teams can visually see the impediments to flow.  We spoke about this at length in a joint Podcast that you can listen to for more details. Another big part of understanding the workflow is finding and getting rid of waste. Waste can be stuff like having to do things over, waiting around, and passing things back and forth. Over the years I have seen a big source of waste in a long drawn out intake process up front of a technology build where the business spends months creating business requirements documents with little input from those who will use the software.   By spotting and getting rid of waste, teams can make the workflow smoother and more efficient. To keep the team from getting overloaded, it's important to make sure the workload is balanced and that the team has enough capacity to handle the work. You can do this by tracking how much the team gets done (like with velocity metrics) and adjusting the workload as needed. It's also important to think about the team's capacity when planning new work and to avoid giving them too much to do. By understanding the workflow and taking steps to cut out waste and keep the team from getting overloaded, companies can make their Lean Agile process more efficient and sustainable, leading to better results and happier teams. 

McDonald’s wants 10,000 Chinese restaurants by 2028, so the team built a giant mixed‑integer model, wrapped it in a digital twin, and let it choose where to put factories and DCs, and how freight should flow. A few thoughts/callouts: - Cost and carbon wins are real, not theoretical...annual logistics spend dropped by roughly $8.9 million while route mileage fell enough to cut CO₂ by 10.6 percent - To model effectively, they shrank the problem first. They trimmed a trimmed a 50‑million‑variable beast into something the solver cracked in under ten minutes. -Demand rolled up from 10 000 stores to 350 cities -2 000+ SKUs collapsed into 150 interchangeable groups -“Impossible” DC‑to‑city pairs deleted - Data cleaning work made or broke the project. The boring but important work is often the backbone. Forty interviews, silo scraping, and line‑item audits hit a 99 percent cost‑accuracy target. Good example of why I love optimization. This case proves that when the data is solid and the optimization is fast, the business listens, money stays in the bank, and the planet breathes easier.

The Backbone of Manufacturing: The PPC Department PPC's core responsibilities center around ensuring that manufacturing operations run smoothly, efficiently, and on time. Here’s a breakdown of these responsibilities: 1. Production Planning (Proactive part of PPC): - Forecasting demand based on market analysis, historical data, and sales input. - Capacity planning to align production capabilities with expected demand. - Material requirements planning (MRP) to ensure materials are available when needed. - Scheduling to determine when and how much to produce. - Routing to plan the path materials follow through the production process. 2. Production Control (reactive/monitoring aspect of PPC): - Dispatching production orders to initiate operations. - Monitoring progress to track real-time production performance. - Managing work-in-progress (WIP) to optimize the flow of materials and products. - Handling deviations by identifying and resolving issues such as delays or bottlenecks. 3. Inventory Management - Maintaining optimal inventory levels of raw materials, WIP, and finished goods. - Avoiding overstocking or stockouts. - Coordinating with purchasing for just-in-time (JIT) deliveries when applicable. 4. Coordination Across Departments - Acting as a link between various functions, including purchasing for material procurement, production/operations for capacity and workflow, sales & marketing for demand planning and deadlines, and logistics for delivery and dispatch planning. 5. Quality and Cost Efficiency - Supporting cost-effective production by reducing downtime. - Ensuring effective use of resources such as labor, machines, and materials. - Minimizing rework or scrap through proper planning. - Supporting adherence to quality standards and timelines. 6. Data Analysis & Reporting - Generating production and performance metrics. - Analyzing production trends for continuous improvement. - Assisting in decision-making through accurate data insight.

🔄 The Art & Science of Corporate Turnarounds: Lessons from the Trenches Having led multiple organizational transformations throughout my career, I've observed a fascinating pattern: successful turnarounds aren't just about cost-cutting – they're about strategic reinvention. Research from McKinsey shows that companies that focus on growth and operational improvements simultaneously are 3x more likely to succeed in their transformation than those focusing on cost reduction alone. What's even more intriguing? Only 30% of transformations achieve their intended goals. Through my experiences, I've seen these research-backed strategies work time and again. 1. The "2x2" approach: Focus equally on short-term wins and long-term strategic shifts. It is all about finding the right balance of short terms wins to buy you the right amount of internal equity to focus on mid to long term strategic shifts. 2. Culture eats strategy for breakfast: I've always started with building a coalition of change champions across all levels. Cultural misalignment can fail the best laid out strategies and plans. 3. Data-driven decision making: In my experience, data-driven decisions are more successful. Every successful transformation I've led began with robust baseline metrics and clear KPIs. Data driven arguments and decision making can set the right foundation for value creation and growth. 4. Power of Diverse Teams: The most successful turnaround efforts I've led weren't solo missions – they were orchestrated by teams with diverse capabilities. From operations experts to financial analysts, from customer experience specialists to procurement/supply chain experts – it's this symphony of skills that creates lasting change. 5. Trust as Currency: Research indicates that organizations with high levels of trust are 2.5x more likely to execute successful transformations. I've witnessed this firsthand – when teams trust each other's expertise and rally behind a shared vision, mountains move. One of my proudest achievements was watching a cross-functional team of professionals from different backgrounds come together, each bringing their unique perspective to solve complex challenges that was assigned to them on a shark tank kind of a program. 6. Stakeholder Communication: Regular, transparent communication across all levels – from top management to frontline workers – creates the alignment needed for successful transformation. The most crucial lesson? Transformation isn't a project – it's a journey. As someone who has walked this path multiple times, I can tell you that the magic happens when you combine analytical rigor with genuine empathy for your people, and when you trust in the collective wisdom of a diverse, skilled team all pulling in the same direction. #OrganizationalTransformation #Leadership #ChangeManagement #BusinessStrategy #CorporateTurnaround #TeamSuccess #DiversityInLeadership

Boost Your SAP PP Skills – Must-Know T-Codes for Production Planning & Control! 1. Master Data – The Production Backbone Manage all key setups like materials, routings, BOMs, and work centers. MM01/MM02/MM03 – Material Master CR01/CR02/CR03 – Work Centers CA01/CA02/CA03 – Routings CS01/CS02/CS03 – BOM CF01/CF02/CF03 – Production Resources/Tools --- 2. Planning (MRP) Ensure material availability and simulate future demand. MD01 – MRP Run for Plant MD02 – Single-Item MRP MD04 – Stock/Requirement List MD05 – MRP List MS01 – Long-Term Planning --- 3. Production Order Management Control and track the lifecycle of production orders. CO01 – Create Order CO02 – Change Order CO03 – Display Order COHV – Mass Order Processing CO26 – Order List for Material --- 4. Execution of Production Orders Track actual manufacturing on the shop floor. MIGO / MB1A – Goods Issue MIGO / MB31 – Goods Receipt CO11N – Confirm Operations CO14 – View Confirmation CO13 – Cancel Confirmation --- 5. Capacity Planning Optimize workload across machines and people. CM01 – Capacity Overview CM05 – Evaluation CM07 – Capacity Requirements CM21 – Capacity Leveling CR10 – Available Capacity --- 6. Shop Floor Control Manage daily production operations seamlessly. CO04 – Print Papers COHV / CO02 – Release Orders CO50 – Schedule Orders CO84 – Order Progress Report --- 7. Reports & Analysis Track, analyze, and optimize production performance. CS15 – Where-used BOM CO27 – Component Overview CO28 – Order Overview MCIS – Work Center Analysis MC$G / MC$H – Info Structure Reports #SAP #SAPPPC #SAPTCode #SAPConsulting #SAPPPTraining #Manufacturing #ProductionPlanning #ERP #DigitalTransformation