Foodservice/ Ingredients
Customer & Market And Operational Due Diligence Of Leading Processor Of Freeze-Dried Fruits: Rapid Assessment Of Technology, Competitive, Customer Concentration, And Operational Risks
Provided clarity on risks (technology, competitive, customer concentration, and operational), and growth opportunities ahead of bid. Through interviews with 30+ competitors (domestic and import), distributors, equipment suppliers, academic experts, and customers, and extensive secondary research, Gotham established: the applications and advantages/disadvantages of freeze-drying technology; the target’s positioning vs. domestic and international freeze-drying processors in South America, China and Europe; and the stability/growth of its top customers. Gotham’s analysis revealed while the market was growing and the target was well-positioned and poised for growth, it could potentially face increased competitive intensity and margin pressure. Our client accounted for all these risks and tempered growth projections in its model.
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Market Study For Foodservice Fresh Produce Distributor: Establishing Customer Buying Behavior And Competitive Positioning
Developed a fact-based market study for a foodservice fresh produce distribution company to provide clarity on market and competitive dynamics. Gotham: conducted 55 anonymous interviews with and collected 134 survey responses from foodservice buyers to determine the company’s competitive positioning and the customer buying behavior; and developed bottom-up market sizing models to pin down the addressable market size for each foodservice end-market. By identifying executional areas where the company was underperforming its competitors, Gotham guided management’s focus on sales and operational execution improvement opportunities to improve the company’s competitive positioning, reduce customer attrition, and drive growth.
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Operations Improvement At Ethnic Foodservice Products Manufacturer: Rapidly Capturing Manufacturing And Logistics Cost Reduction Opportunities
Captured $1.2MM in operations run-rate savings in 12 weeks at an ethnic foodservice and retail private label products manufacturer by implementing shop floor management best practices. Gotham worked on the shop floor to: observe operations; identify potential improvement opportunities; provide immediate guidance to client personnel; and troubleshoot and pilot solutions. We improved line through from ~225 cases/shift to ~375 cases/shift, reduced fill weight by 3-7% to minimize overfill, reduce floor scrap by 50%; and eliminated expired rework scrap. To ensure sustainability and further improvements, we: trained client personnel, put in place process changes, tools, KPIs and reporting system; and identified/planned next set of improvement opportunities. Gotham also launched logistics savings capture by developing direct ship pilot and facilitating conversation between company sales teams and foodservice distributors.
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Customer & Market and Operational Due Diligence of Private Label Canned Food Manufacturer: Establishing Growth Prospects, Margin Risk, CapEx Risk, and Operations Improvement Opportunities
In sync with the needs of each stage of the deal process, conducted phased customer, market, and operational due diligence, initially focusing on: 1) growth outlook – established the target’s category presence, identified key market trends, and built a model to project category growth; 2) competitive positioning – interviewed 27 PL and category buyers from supermarkets, wholesalers, food service companies, and brokers; and 3) CapEx and operational risk – visited the target’s 3 plants, assessed capacity, and reviewed operational improvement plans. After the client signed the LOI, Gotham conducted: a deep dive assessment of margin risk, using 7-year SKU-level price/margin data and outlook for major input cost drivers; and an in-depth operational diagnostic of material yield, direct labor, and inventory costs.
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Operational Due Diligence of Leading Dry Ice Manufacturer: Rapidly Pinning Down Capacity/CapEx, Manufacturing Cost, and Distribution Situation and Opportunities
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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Operational Due Diligence of Regional Family-owned Coffee Roaster and Distributor: Identifying Consolidation Opportunities and Creating Roadmap for Professionalizing Operations to Support Future Growth
Conducted a 3-week operational due diligence to establish a robust fact base of cost and operational performance in a data-poor situation, identify consolidation opportunities, and provide a fact-based, actionable plan for post-acquisition value creation, including: delivery and service route optimization to eliminate 30-40% of current routes; brewing equipment CapEx reduction through better deployment of used equipment; warehouse consolidation; sourcing efficiencies; SKU complexity management and inventory reduction; and professionalization of roasting and supply chain operations. Gotham’s findings enabled the client to close the transaction with confidence; the company started capturing identified opportunities within a few weeks of the deal closure.
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