Manufacturing Case Studies

Manufacturers face unique challenges in this economy. Outsourcing is popular but difficult to manage. Transportation costs are constantly increasing. Workers are not as interested in careers in these old-line types of businesses. However, manufacturers are the backbone of our economy.

Our client companies needed smart efficient and fast growth strategies. Our approach is to ensure there are no disconnects between what the customer expects as communicated to the sales team and what they ultimately receive during installation and post sale follow up. There are a lot of steps in the process with opportunities for the ball to be dropped and the message to change. How does working on these internal issues forge growth in profits?

Read on. Here is a partial selection of the kinds of companies we helped grow. Need help getting growth from your manufacturing operation? Call 604-306-7707 to explore your options.

Manufacturing Case Studies

• A 90 Year Old Manufacturer is Purchased and Downsized. Is there a Future?
• Can Commodity Product Producer Differentiate for Better Profitability?
• Greening a New Product in an Old Line Business

Dealing with Difficult People or Situations

Difficult people are often the canary in the coal mine.

Difficult people, cliques, inter-deparmental fighting, and ‘strong personalities’ running around are all symptoms of:

• A systems breakdown or an indication there is a need for a system or process and your people can’t have the kind of discussion needed to develop something useful for all involved.
• An inability to manage without being the ‘bad guy’, the victim or the hero. There is another way.
• A strong personality influencing others means there may be a need for new role and responsibility definitions. People need boundaries and leadership to hold the boundary steady.
• A lack of clear vision. What are you trying to achieve as a company? Does everyone know and do they know how you intend to get there and what role they play in making that vision reality?
• A chronic interpersonal situation where resentment has built up to the point where conversation is possible. Time for an intervention.

Any of these situations ringing a bell? We can help… but you have to be willing to make some significant changes. We have tools to help people in each of these situations learn how to change. When they change, so does your productivity and performance.

Call 604-377-4307 to discuss your frustration confidentially.

Ready for more growth?

Then you have to be ready for change

Whether you want to get ready to sell or want to expand, growth is required. What’s the fastest way to grow? Have a company where the systems are in place to deal with every aspect of business from lead generation through to delivery, follow up and repeat business. How do you know if you are ready for growth?

• When something goes wrong, your people know that the problem indicates there is something wrong with the system not the guy down the hall. Then they get together with all involved to work out a better process.
• Your management team can uniformly describe in one sentence what problem you solve for customers. (Ask your top five people and listen carefully to what they say). If not, your company doesn’t meet customer expectations.
• You have entered more than one market and grown your sales each time. If not, how do you know there is a market for what you do elsewhere?
• Your gross margin is steady, stable and increasing each year. If not, you don’t know how to keep the company profitable enough to fund growth.

Not there yet? We can help… but you have to be willing to make some significant changes.

Two out of four occurring? There is room for improvement. What do you want to deal with first?

Three out of four? Let’s resolve that one issue and work on the growth plan together.

Call 604-306-7707 to discuss growth goals.

Ready to Expand Your Company Through Acquisition?

How do you know your company and your management team are ready to take on the operations of another entity?

• There is a clear reason for the acquisition strategically, financially, geographically and operationally. You have a purpose and a plan to expand your market, gain distribution, achieve competitive advantage and offer a more complete solution for your target market.
• You have an acquisition integration plan.
• Your people understand how to manage change, and people really well.
• Your focus will be to take the best of your company’s processes and the acquired company’s processes and build a better larger company all around.
• You know where the hot points are for losing value in the first six months post-acquisition and have a plan to manage through or avoid these pot holes.

Not sure you’ve got the foundation for an acquisition in place? Spirit West has the experience to work with your team… but you have to be willing to make some significant changes. We have tools to guide you through how to manage acquisitions and more importantly, select the right acquisition in the due diligence phase.

Call 604-306-7707 to discuss your acquisition ambitions so your deals get done well and for the right reasons.

Its a Big Decision – Are you Prepared the Day Your Company Changes Hands?

You’ve spent years building your organization looking forward to this day with perhaps a mix of dread, relief, joy and uncertainty. If you are thinking that its time to sell, then you should do three things first before making your decision:

• Learn to look at your company from the investor’s perspective. Would you invest in it today? What future growth can you guarantee?
• Get professional advisory assistance to assess what needs cleaning up if you want to realize a good return in the deal. Not sure who to call? We maintain relationships with M&A specialists in accounting, law, family estates, tax and investment banking.
• Understand what different kinds of investors look for and what they are willing to pay. We can put you in touch with a valuation specialist.

To find out, schedule an appointment to review Spirit West’s Maximize Your Company’s Worth Checklist to see how your company stacks up.

Call 1-800-557-9737 or email info@spiritwest.com

Know what you need to do to get the best valuation, before your plans for the future change suddenly. It can take 2-3 years to make the transition to be ready for investment.

For referrals to advisory specialists please call 604-306-7707

How to Maximize Your Company’s Worth – Seminar

Learn to see your company through the eyes of a future buyer, lender or investor, so you can maximize the value of your business?

It’s a buyers’ market for investors. Does your company stand out? Minimize the risk by preparing your company now. Learn the eight essential elements that if done now, will increase the value of your company when it’s time to transition ownership.

Meet with bankers, lawyers, tax specialists, growth consultants and investors to learn what you can do to increase your chances of getting growth loans, capital to help key managers buy you out, or how to position your company to be bought by another company or a private equity investor. This is an educational workshop, not a sales seminar.

It might only be a thought in the back of your mind now or high on your agenda, however you should know now how to achieve a profitable exit, buyout or obtain growth capital, by getting your company primed to be seen in its best light.

Is your company investor-ready?

To find out, you are invited to attend:

How to Maximize Your Company’s Worth:
The CEO’s Guide to Becoming Prepared for Investment

Thursday March 19th – Surrey, BC REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED

Seminar: 8:00 to 5:00 PM and Reception: 5-7 PM

For more information, please call the event hotline at     60…    OR email events@spiritwest.com

Ready to Change the Value of your Future?

Would you spend $395 today to learn how to increase the value of your company by 20% or 30%? This in depth seminar will show you how to reap the rewards of all your hard work so your business has a greater opportunity to get the value price you had always hoped for. This is Valuation Planning. It’s what you have to do first to prepare your company so you can actually achieve your growth and succession planning goals.

As a successful CEO you know first impressions are vital. What the private equity investor, banker or lender sees when they meet you and your company speaks volumes. Learn to see your company through their eyes. Why must you do this sooner rather than later?

• If you’re thinking of a change in ownership. It is becoming a buyer’s market for private equity and corporate investors. What does that mean for you? It means that over the next ten years, a staggering 8 million businesses will be put up for sale as baby boomers look to retire across North America. Many will not be able to find a buyer or an investor because they have not positioned their companies for obvious value. Don’t let your company get lost in the pack. Learn how to show value to investors so your company has immediate street appeal.
• If you’re thinking about growth capital. The economy has changed. Lenders have tightened their criteria. They want to see a history of profitability and a capable team able to execute some very sharp plans. In this economy you have to find recession-proof markets and deliver customer value or you’ll see declines in your profit margin too. Don’t let your company get caught in this economic noose. Learn how to build value points no matter what business you are in.

Join Spirit West Management, Deloitte, BMO Bank of Montreal and Miller Thomson LLP in Surrey on Thursday March 19, 2009.

Enjoy a confidential and fast paced day away from distractions as you learn with other CEO owners. Your day starts with breakfast, and includes private equity keynote speaker Grant Wallace from CopperLion Capital during lunch and an evening cash bar reception to give you time to privately consult with our team of M&A and business growth professionals.

Here are the secrets you will learn about to see how investor-ready your company is:
1. What aspects of your business will detract from your valuation;
2. How and where to make the most important improvements in your operation;
3. How a private equity investor and a corporate buyer view your company and either decides to pass or invest time in further due diligence;
4. How a lender assesses whether to give you capital for growth or not (you might need debt and leverage to get the sales pipeline investors look for);
5. How to change the way you lead and manage so that your company and your team is prepared for that investment and primed for growth;
6. How to ensure your legal issues are risk free and in order;
7. How to prepare yourself (and your future buyer) now for tax advantages later;

So why come?

At the end of this seminar, you will have in your hands a detailed self-assessment on how investor-ready your company really is. Why is this valuable? If you know what needs changing, you can build a plan which will increase the price an investor would be willing to pay and increase the chances you will be successful with lenders.

Attendance is limited to the CEO/owners of the first 50 companies with 2007 revenue greater than $10 million that sign up. To get the early bird individual rate of $395 register in one of four ways. More than one owner? Want to bring your CFO or partners? Register up to 3 people for the early bird rate of $595:

To Register, click here

For more information, please call the event hotline at     604-290-0880     OR email events@spiritwest.com

More questions? Look at our Frequently Asked Questions list here

Learn the secrets of what investors and lenders look for, before you want to sell. It could change your future by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Attend this seminar not only for your benefit, but for the benefit of your partners, employees as well as the stakeholders, suppliers and customers in your community that depend on your business. Your company deserves the best future it can get.

Sincerely,

Lorraine Rieger McGregor
CEO, Spirit West Management

Keynote Speakers

Grant Wallace
Vice President, CopperLion Capital part of the Washington Group of Companies

Robin Chakrabarti
Vice President, T&M Group, Owners of Boston Pizza and Mr. Lube

Sponsors and Speakers

Jeremy South
Partner, Deloitte

Ken Burnett
Partner, Miller Thomson LLP

Karen Dickson
Partner, Miller Thomson LLP

Dallas McMurtrie
Senior Tax Manager
Deloitte & Touche LLP

Paul Corcoran
Commercial Banking Area Manager
Bank of Montreal

David Lam
Vice President with the Deloitte & Touche Corporate Finance Inc
Vancouver

Lorraine Rieger McGregor
Spirit West Management

Rob McGregor
Spirit West Management

Areef Abraham
Spirit West Management

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