Services

Pick the problem that's costing you most.

Eight practices, each with a defined outcome, price of admission and hand-over point. Most clients start with one and expand only when it pays. Two of them — zero-based budgeting and cost-to-serve — are where I go deepest.

Operations team mapping a supply chain flow on a whiteboard in a distribution centre

ZBB workshop with cost charts and sticky notes

Zero-Based Budgeting

Flagship practice — hands-on operational delivery experience

What you get

A budget you can defend line by line — and 10–25% back on addressable direct spend that doesn't creep back in year two.

Why it matters to you: Cuts made once always return. ZBB changes who owns each cost and what it is allowed to buy, so the discipline outlives the project.

ZBB is the core of the practice. Delivered on multi-year transformation programs, with operational ownership of package design, target-setting, governance and month-on-month tracking. Not a one-off cut — a way of running the business where every euro has a purpose and a name.

Typical engagements

Cost category taxonomy & clean baselining
Package owner architecture and target setting
ZBB governance, cadence and monthly tracking
Should-cost and negotiation kits for top categories
Sustained ZBx capability build inside the organisation

Deliverables

Cost cube by category / owner / driver
Target packages with challenger benchmarks
Monthly governance & tracking model
Behavioural playbook for package owners
Capability plan so the discipline survives year two

Supply Chain Strategy

What you get

A network and planning rhythm that supports the next stage of growth — with the working capital it frees up quantified before you invest.

Why it matters to you: Most growth pain is a design problem, not an effort problem.

End-to-end review of your physical and planning network — from demand signals to last mile — with a target operating model your team can actually run.

Typical engagements

Network and footprint design
S&OP / IBP maturity uplift
Inventory and working-capital optimisation
Supply chain resilience & scenario planning

Deliverables

Baseline diagnostic and cost-to-serve model
Target operating model & governance
Prioritised roadmap with business case
Implementation cadence and KPIs

Service Network, Cost-to-Serve & Customer Care Transformation

Segmented economics, service policy and customer care as one system

What you get

A customer- and channel-level P&L showing exactly who is profitable, plus the service policies that fix the ones who aren't — without losing them.

Why it matters to you: Averages hide the tail. Usually a small share of customers or SKUs consumes most of the service cost.

Rebuild the service network around what each customer, channel and SKU actually costs to serve. Move from average economics to segmented ones — then redesign service policies, contact centre operations and customer care so promise and cost stay aligned.

Typical engagements

End-to-end cost-to-serve modelling (customer / channel / SKU)
Service network and footprint optimisation
Service policy segmentation and MOQ / lead-time redesign
Contact centre operations and channel strategy redesign
SLA architecture, escalation flows and Voice-of-Customer instrumentation
Profitability cleanup and unprofitable-tail action plan

Deliverables

Cost-to-serve model with driver-based allocations
Segmented service policy matrix
Network / footprint recommendation with business case
Customer and channel P&L view
Segmented service blueprint and staffing plan
Quality and NPS measurement stack
Implementation roadmap with owners and KPIs

Training & Capability Building

Practical workshops, coaching and in-house programs

What you get

Your own people able to run ZBB, cost-to-serve and SOP discipline — so you stop paying for outside help on the same problem twice.

Why it matters to you: Capability is the only saving that compounds.

Build lasting capability in ZBB, cost-to-serve, supply chain, customer care and operating standards — practical, role-based training delivered in-house, 1-on-1 or as a cohort program.

Typical engagements

ZBB for package owners and finance business partners
Cost-to-serve and service network fundamentals
S&OP / IBP and supply chain workshops
Customer care excellence and SLA design
SOP mapping, implementation and adherence coaching
Customs procedures for supply chain and finance teams

Deliverables

Tailored curriculum and training materials
In-house workshops, 1-on-1 coaching or cohort program
Pre/post assessments and capability scorecards
Playbooks and job aids for the line
Follow-up coaching and reinforcement plan

HR for Supply Chain & Customer Care

What you get

Roles, spans and incentives that make the operating targets achievable, and a hiring plan for the roles that actually constrain you.

Why it matters to you: Structure quietly decides performance long before effort does.

Specialist people advisory for the two functions I know best — the org, roles, capabilities and incentives that supply chain and customer care operations actually need.

Typical engagements

Org design for supply chain & service functions
Role architecture, job families & career paths
Capability frameworks and targeted hiring plans
Incentive, KPI & performance-management design
Talent assessment and succession for critical roles

Deliverables

Function-specific org chart & RACI
Role profiles and competency matrices
Recruitment pack and interview scorecards
Incentive plan tied to operational KPIs
12-month people & capability roadmap

Logistics yard with trucks and loading ramps

3PL, 4PL Logistics & Transportation

Sourcing, contracting and orchestrating logistics and transport end-to-end

What you get

Lower freight cost with contracts and scorecards that keep providers honest — typically 8–15% on the tendered scope.

Why it matters to you: You buy transport constantly; a better tender pays every month.

Sourcing, contracting and orchestrating logistics providers and transportation as one function — from single-lane 3PL tenders to end-to-end 4PL control tower design, fleet mix, routing and freight procurement.

Typical engagements

3PL sourcing & tender management
4PL / control tower operating model
Contract, SLA & incentive design
Provider performance management
Transport org design & role clarity
Fleet & mode strategy (own vs. contracted)
Routing, load and dispatch optimisation
Freight procurement & benchmarking

Deliverables

Tender pack and evaluation model
Signed contracts with performance SLAs
Control tower blueprint
Monthly provider scorecards
Transport operating model & RACI
Routing / planning process standards
Cost & CO₂ baselines and targets
Procurement calendar and tender kits

Business Excellence & Standard Operating Procedures

Lean operating rhythm, process standards and accountability

What you get

Documented, followed procedures and a management rhythm that keeps improvements from resetting each quarter.

Why it matters to you: Reduces key-person risk and makes handovers and audits painless.

Lean, disciplined operating rhythm — process, KPIs, meetings and accountability — combined with SOP mapping, implementation and adherence tracking so improvements compound instead of resetting each quarter.

Typical engagements

Operating model & span-of-control review
Lean / Six Sigma programme design
Performance management system
Continuous improvement office setup
Process mapping and task decomposition
SOP design, versioning and approval workflow
Pilot rollout and implementation support
Adherence tracking, audits and corrective action

Deliverables

KPI tree and management operating system
Process standards and playbooks
Wave-based transformation roadmap
Coaching for line leaders
End-to-end process maps and SOP library
RACI, controls and escalation rules per procedure
Rollout plan with pilot metrics and sign-off gates
Tracking dashboard and audit schedule

Customs & Regulatory Advisory

What you get

Predictable clearance, defensible classification and a lower landed cost.

Why it matters to you: Border surprises hit both cash and delivery promises.

Specialist advisory on customs procedures, tariff classification and trade regulation — so cross-border flows stay compliant, predictable and duty-efficient.

Typical engagements

Customs procedure design (import, export, transit, special regimes)
Tariff classification, origin and valuation reviews
Free trade agreement and duty-relief optimisation
Regulatory compliance audits and broker oversight
Support on inspections, disputes and rulings

Deliverables

Customs operating model and RACI with broker/agent
Classification and origin decision library
Duty and landed-cost optimisation roadmap
Compliance playbook and audit-ready documentation
Training for supply chain and finance teams

Thirty minutes, and you'll know whether there's money in it.

Bring one number you don't trust. I'll tell you straight whether it's worth an engagement — and if it isn't, I'll say so.

Book a 30-minute call