CapEx/ Asset Utilization
Rapidly Pinning Down Capacity/CapEx, Manufacturing Cost, and Distribution Situation and Opportunities at Leading Dry Ice Manufacturer
Conducted 2-week operational due diligence to pin down capacity and CapEx situation, and to identify margin improvement opportunities in manufacturing, distribution, and branch operations ahead of a competitive auction bid. Created plant-specific profiles of 150+ pieces of production equipment and determined target had ample capacity for growth with minimal replacement CapEx risk. Analyzed and reconciled financial data from the target’s ~100 P&Ls and reallocated costs to establish true operational costs and production and distribution cost benchmarks across plants, branches, and routes and identified up to $6MM in margin improvement opportunities through disciplined distribution and pricing practices. Gotham’s due diligence enabled our client to move forward with a competitive bid.
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Rapidly Pinning Down Capacity/CAPEX Situation in Support at Premium Fresh and Frozen Food Manufacturer
Built a robust plant and equipment profile and comprehensive capacity model to provide client with understanding of true capacity picture in support of valuation assumptions for target in competitive bid process. Determined target could achieve ~3X stated capacity through minimal CAPEX; established 10% in quick-win cost savings available in labor, material, and overhead; and provided client with preliminary growth strategy utilizing co-packers, including targeted list of 9 potential co-packers interested in potential strategic alliance. Client moved forward with a more competitive bid based on Gotham’s capacity assessment.
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Determining Plant Closures and New Asset Placement at Large Consumer Goods Packaging Manufacturer
Formulated plant closure strategy and determined placement for the new printing assets by analyzing capacity, loading, customer logistics, and risks for each affected plant. Developed cost saving and one time cost scenarios. Developed business cases for two plant closures identifying $6.3MM in annual savings. Both closures were announced within weeks of the board's decision after the business cases were presented.
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In A Data-poor Situation, Confirming Operational Readiness to Support Targeted National Growth at Family-owned Specialty Foods Company
Conducted detailed observations of manufacturing operations (evaluating equipment, labor, downtime, changeovers, etc.) and developed bottom-up capacity model to quantify production increases and cost savings. Determined that target’s facility had sufficient capacity to meet 5-year targeted growth projections; identified cost per case savings 15-20% from labor and overhead reductions; found low risk of future operational surprises (e.g., major equipment cap ex requirements, food safety/quality issues, etc.); and provided PE Client with ingoing operational value capture plan. Client moved forward with acquisition and immediately began implementation of Gotham recommended improvement initiatives.
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Assessing Operational Scalability to Support Targeted Growth at Family-owned Branded Ethnic Foods Manufacturer
Built operational performance fact base and cost model for due diligence of an entrepreneurial company. Effort included: first-hand observation of operations, management interviews, data collection and synthesis, equipment condition and capex requirement assessment, food safety review, and interviews with potential co-packers. Established that: the existing plant can meet the buyer's target of growing the business 2-3X current volume; identified 5-6 viable and interested co-packers; identified opportunities to reduce cost per case by 16-17.5%; and provided a road map for improving operations. The PE firm is in process of closing the deal.
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Assessing Manufacturing Capabilities and Scalability to Support Aggressive Growth Projections at Startup Green Building Materials Company
Analyzed operations and cost structure of this startup manufacturer projected to grow to over $80MM in sales in 5 years. Reviewed manufacturing equipment and operations, built a bottom-up cost model for current and future costs, and established requirements for scaling up the operations. The operational due diligence revealed necessary improvements to meet the very aggressive growth forecasts, as well as opportunities for cost reduction. PE client deferred investment.
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