Challenge

In order to maintain their status in the industry as the number one premier manufacturer in the world. This privately-held company purchased their nearest rival. One year later, the acquisition was still dragging on and the company was in a negative spiral that, if left unabated, would surely deliver it right to the steps of the Chapter 11 Federal Courts.

Solution

Work Systems Affiliates was called in by the President of this privately-held manufacturing company to get it back on track. After a preliminary assessment, we quickly determined that the legacy of this company and the industry had been "Slow and Steady." This may have been an effective strategy in the, "Build It and They Will Buy It" 50's, but not in today's fiercely competitive global marketplace. This legacy strategy permeated every activity in the company, including the acquisition process, resulting in millions of dollars of lost revenue, high operating costs, and forsaken customers.

Results

We have seen this dilemma before and with fresh eyes we rapidly helped to restructure the acquisition process, move key personnel, and inject Smart Speed into the acquisition actions resulting in an immediate savings of $3 million. Additionally, we created a Strategy Implementation Team composed of key technical personnel and functional managers who were responsible for operationalizing the strategy and infusing a new sense of urgency into the culture.