Case Studies
These case studies are a small sample of projects Direct Access Consulting has undertaken for organisations. If you would like to discuss how Martin can help and support your business, contact 07769 645031.
Manufacturing
Interim Finance Director role to assist new Managing Director to devise and implement £1m+ turnaround plan to return business to profitability including:
- Improved sales focus - c£300k
- Material buying plan - c£300k
- Natural wastege FTE labour reduction program - c£300k (10 FTE)
- Sourcing new MIS system to support future growth - sales staff saving c£150k (5FTE)
Production of 3-year business plan, incorporating action plan and quarterly re-forecasting for banks and investors to monitor the business's return to profitability, improving stakeholder confidence.
Successfully refinancing the business with c£1.0m via:
- Bank funding:
- Improved ID Facility => £3m at 90% c£150k
- Term loan - £350k
- Other sources:
- ABL - £250k
- Consignment stock £150k
- R&D Tx credit claims £100k
Environmental
Appointed as an Interim Finance Director to turnaround a recently acquired ECO business:
- Completion of stalled system implementation
- Implementation of project accounting to provide:
- Gross margin by contract
- Doubling gross margin from 13.5% to 26% in 3 months
- Recruited experienced credit controller
- Highlighting operational delivery process deficiency
- Improving cashflow significantly by > £1m+ in 3 months,
- Enabling invoice finance facility to be exited in 4 months
- Worked directly with operations team to implement:
- Purchase order processing
- Site completion sign off process
- Weekly labour allocation process
- Engender an open and honest culture
- Improved the quality and accuracy of management & cashflow information to aid business decision making
Publishing, Media & Entertainment
As Interim Finance Director, Martin devised and implemented a 5-year plan to transition the organisation from a print to e-content provider:
- Improving gross margins by 15%
- Reducing working capital by £13m GBP
- Ensuring robust, scalable systems were in place to support future growth
Prepared business cases and letters of interest to acquire four target companies, investing $21m USD and disposing of four under-performing business units generating £43m GBP. Leading:
- Due diligence process
- Sales and purchase agreement contract negotiation
- Implementation of transitional services agreements (100-day plans) to integrate/extract eight businesses into/from underlying systems
Infrastructure, Building & Construction
Regional Finance Director roles for a number of National House building developers for over 10 years, gaining experience in:
- Acquisitions
- 3-year business plans to support business growth
- Investment appraisals
- Development profitability analysis
- Balance sheet & cashflow forecasting and management
- Assessing long term funding requirements
Financial Services
Recruited as an Interim Finance Director to be an independent member of a credit card Joint Venture Board, undertaking:
- A strategic review of the business to identify profit making products and pricing points
- Producing and agreeing 3-year plan to return the business to profitability with JV partners
- Re-establishing and improving working relationship with JV partners and investors
