Case Studies
Turnaround for a Global Diversified Manufacturer
For a multi-billion dollar diversified manufacturing concern, Xenon Group was engaged to assist
in the critical turnaround of a poorly performing contract manufacturer.
In a multi-phase effort, Xenon Group designed a solution plan with five major initiatives:
Demand Driven Line Design, Strategic Inventory Management, Capacity Management, SIOP
and Customer Experience. In closely collaborating with key client team members, to include the
leadership of the contract manufacturer, the team subsequently executed a detailed program plan
resulting in significant improvements in planning, forecasting, production scheduling and
execution.
This work also included the design, development and deployment of a robust capacity planning
tool whereby Xenon Group not only designed and delivered training on the new tool but also
wrote the tool’s functionality into an SQL program, providing the client the ability to integrate it
with an existing IT application.
Interim Chief Procurement Officer for a Financial Services Firm
For a financial services firm with $100b in assets, Xenon Group placed an interim executive to serve as the CPO to lead the development of a nascent Procurement function. Under this resource’s leadership, the team documented and deployed the procurement policy, defined the long-term vision for the organization’s design, established the framework for business partnering, led the development of Workday requirements, documented the key processes for supplier management – risk management – diversity management, compiled the initial spend analysis and delivered sourcing savings which exceeded expectations.
Procurement Design and Deployment for a Sports Entertainment Firm
For a $1b+ sports entertainment concern, Xenon Group led the development of a ‘green field’ opportunity to stand up the Procurement function. In close collaboration with key client stakeholders, the team documented and deployed the procurement policy, defined the long-term vision for the organization’s design, documented key job descriptions, assisted in the development of the spend analysis, and compiled a robust list of high-value quick win opportunities. This effort effectively laid the foundation upon which to build a scalable Procurement capability.
Rebate Tracking Solution for a Building Materials Firm
For a $2B private-equity backed building materials concern, Xenon Group led the design, development and deployment of a rebate tracking tool to manage a myriad of intricate rebate programs across a complex network of hundreds of suppliers and dozens of internal operating companies.
Leveraging Agile methodology and employing best practices in database and user interface design, Xenon Group, working in partnership with the client’s Procurement Category Management team, delivered a custom solution in 12 weeks with solution components to include: a back-end database with data sourced via the ERP system, a rules engine, a graphical user interface, a supplier data gathering template, a variety of key reports, as well as application documentation and training.
Prior to this effort, the client struggled to accurately forecast and track rebate dollars, which negatively impacted the firm’s ability to recognize revenue and forecast earnings. Successfully deploying this tool eliminated a key challenge in the client’s journey to becoming a publicly traded entity.
Supply Chain Planning for a Fortune 50 Corporation
For a Fortune 50 concern, Xenon Group led the creation and development of the client’s Supply Chain Planning function to include: developing and deploying the business process architecture, insourcing the Planning function from an outsourced provider, documenting the business case for the deployment of a best-in-class software application, conducting due diligence and software selection, negotiating commercial terms with the selected provider (JDA), leading the implementation of the tool via an Agile process, fulfilling operational roles and leading the implementation of a suite of dashboard metrics to manage the overall program.
As a result of this effort, the client was positioned to achieve business case benefits in excess of $50M over a three-year period via increased sales and reduced working capital tied to nonperforming inventory.
International Telecom Service Provider Procurement Optimization
For a $100m global provider of mobile applications, Xenon Group was tasked to assess the procurement function for their Brazilian business unit. The scope of the assessment included a category spend analysis coupled with procurement process improvement recommendations designed to align the organization to best-in-class standards.
Over the course of 12 weeks, the team conducted nearly 20 interviews with analysts, managers and senior leaders while concurrently compiling, blending, and evaluating large data-sets from disparate IT applications.
This assessment:
- Documented the approach and implementation plan for transforming the procurement function
- Identified gaps between existing and best-in-class procurement processes
- Quantified and prioritized category management opportunities.
The resulting deliverable identified a variety of qualitative benefits as well as nearly $10m in savings across seven spend categories.
Consumer Packaged Goods Supply Chain Transformation
In a turnaround situation of a $400M private equity-backed concern, Xenon Group closely collaborated with the COO and his operational teams over 18 months to drive board-level improvement initiatives across the business.
Highlights include:
1. Crisis response – rapid assessment and onboarding of outsourced suppliers to close an existential manufacturing capacity gap
2. Manufacturing plant consolidation to include documentation of a 200 line-item plant re-location plan and approach
3. ERP software selection and implementation to include management of the RFP process
4. Business process redesign to include the transformation of the Order to Cash function
5. Participation in the interviewing and selection of new hire, full-time employees
Electric Power Utility Supply Chain Value Assessment
For a $3B public utility, Xenon Group was tasked to assess six key operational functions: distribution management, analytics/reporting, strategic sourcing, supplier performance, organizational performance and procure to pay processes.
Over the course of 12 weeks, the team conducted nearly 40 interviews with analysts, managers and senior leaders while concurrently compiling, blending, and evaluating large data-sets from disparate IT applications.
This exhaustive assessment:
– Documented the strategy, implementation plan, and business case for transforming the supply chain and procurement functions
– Identified gaps between existing and best-in-class business processes
– Quantified and prioritized category management opportunities.
The resulting deliverable was a comprehensive, 73-page document, which identified a variety of qualitative benefits as well as nearly $45M in savings across 25 spend categories.