Case Studies

Client: Confidential (Major Manufacturing & Distribution Company)
Role Placed: Procurement & Financial Analyst

Background

Our client, a prominent player in the manufacturing and distribution sector, operates over 70 site locations—comprising 50 distribution centers and 20 manufacturing plants—across North America. With an annual purchased materials budget exceeding $1 billion, the company’s executive leadership, including the VP of Procurement, VP of Supply Chain, COO, CEO, and CFO, sought to modernize procurement operations, enhance risk management, and achieve real-time financial and inventory visibility to support strategic growth.

The Challenge

• Fragmented Data: Disparate inventory and procurement data across dozens of sites limited enterprise-wide oversight and hindered effective Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP).
• Dynamic Risk Landscape: The company faced fluctuating raw material surcharges, supply chain disruptions, and emerging threats such as pandemics and labor negotiations, requiring robust risk monitoring and agile executive response.
• Complex Sourcing Decisions: Evaluating and awarding multi-million-dollar procurement bids demanded rigorous financial analysis and seamless cross-functional collaboration.

Our Solution

We placed a Procurement & Financial Analyst with a proven track record in supply chain risk management and financial analytics. The analyst’s impact extended across the executive suite:

• Cloud-Based Data Integration:
  Led the implementation of a cloud-based data system, utilizing PowerApps and PowerBI to deliver real-time reporting and management of the $1B+ annual materials budget. This gave the CFO and VP of Procurement instant visibility across all sites.
• KPI & Reporting Development:
  Partnered with engineering to create actionable KPIs and comprehensive reporting standards, enabling the VP of Procurement and COO to proactively monitor performance and drive continuous improvement.
• Executive Risk Monitoring:
  Established a robust risk monitoring program, presenting monthly and quarterly insights directly to the CEO, CFO, and executive team. These reports enabled leadership to anticipate and mitigate supply chain risks, from raw material surcharges to labor disputes.
• Strategic Bid Evaluation:
  Coordinated teams of buyers, engineers, and analysts to develop business cases for procurement packages worth hundreds of millions. The analyst’s financial evaluations and supplier interviews provided the CFO and VP of Procurement with the data needed for informed, strategic sourcing decisions.

Results

• Real-Time Executive Visibility:
  The new system unified all distribution and manufacturing sites, giving the COO, CEO, and CFO a real-time pulse on inventory and procurement activity, and enabling a more accurate, responsive SIOP process.
• Proactive Risk Management:
  Timely, actionable risk reports empowered the executive team to respond swiftly to market volatility and external threats, enhancing business continuity.
• Cost Optimization & Supplier Strength:
  Improved forecasting and bid evaluation led to better supplier negotiations, cost savings, and stronger supplier partnerships—directly supporting the company’s financial and operational goals.
• Strategic Alignment:
  The analyst’s work ensured that procurement and supply chain strategies were tightly aligned with the broader objectives of the executive leadership, driving measurable improvements across the organization.

Why This Matters:

Modern supply chain optimization is essential for manufacturers and distributors seeking to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and maintain resilience in today’s dynamic market. By leveraging advanced analytics, cloud-based tools, and strategic talent, companies can achieve greater visibility, smarter planning, and sustainable growth.

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