Finding Savings with a Portfolio Review

Not Your Usual Consultancy

We get it. Consultants always want a commitment of your time or treasure before you even know what you’re getting. At Forsyth, we try to keep it simple. Our goals and financial incentives are aligned with yours, so we don’t waste your time (or ours) digging deep into companies or categories that aren’t going to amount to measurable earnings improvement.

But doesn’t it take a long time to get there? It doesn’t have to!

The Forsyth Difference

We always start with the “back of the envelope” opportunity assessment. A quick look at a company’s website and a five-minute discussion get us a pretty good idea of what categories might have savings opportunities and even how much those savings might be. Don’t take it to the bank yet, but you have to admit knowing whether there could be $500 or $500,000 of savings across a few categories is useful to determine whether or not it’s even worth further discussion.

It’s just like the acquisition process you follow; many deals you see don’t deserve a second look, but when a target acquisition piques your interest you might as well get a little more information before deciding to buy it or pass. Due diligence is one of our most valuable pursuits.

Big Picture View, Small Picture Commitment

How can Forsyth really determine savings opportunities through such a simple exercise? Over the last 20 years, we have reviewed hundreds of companies across dozens of industries, all of them buying “stuff” in a wide range of categories from lots of different types of suppliers. Yes, that’s quite a mouthful but when you put it all together, we can make some relatively accurate assumptions about their cost structure, supply chain, and potential savings when we know what your company is doing. Plus, we don’t need a microscope to do this! Chances are you have enough information in your head just from attending board meetings to help us home in on where the most likely opportunities exist.

Best of all, we have no incentive to overstate the opportunity or try to “upsell” you. If we do engage on any projects, we now have to spend our time and resources on quantifying the actual opportunity and coming up with a strategy that is palatable to your management team and sustainable by the front line company resources. The last thing we want to do is oversell the opportunity only to come up empty-handed on the results.

Usually, we do find savings that are meaningful and actionable. When you have that information, you can decide whether you want to start today, in two weeks, or never. Just like the acquisition process, let’s kick the tires first and see where that takes us!

In 30 minutes or less, you could be on a path to save your company a serious amount of money on costs with no upfront obligation. Why not take the plunge?

Forsyth Advisors helps companies improve profitability through material cost improvements, indirect expense reductions, and manufacturing efficiencies. With hands-on experience in private equity and on the front lines of manufacturing and purchasing, we bring a unique perspective and a history of results to manufacturing and value-added distribution businesses.