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Industrial strategy & performance

Manufacturing

Industrial ambition.
Operational strength.

We connect portfolio choices with factory economics, supply chain performance and customer demand. From investment reviews and acquisitions to plant recovery and technology adoption, we help manufacturers decide where to compete, what to build and how to operate.

Explore our capabilities Discuss your priorities
Two engineers reviewing the production floor from a factory walkwayKhatera Manufacturing advisory
Our perspective

A strong plant is part of a coherent industrial portfolio.

Manufacturing decisions rarely stop at the factory gate. Product complexity affects throughput; sourcing choices affect resilience; customer promises affect inventory and working capital. We examine these connections across individual facilities and multinational production networks, translating strategic ambition into explicit choices about assets, capabilities, investment and accountability.

  • Compare plants, product families and business units on consistent economic assumptions.
  • Connect footprint and capacity decisions to demand, service requirements and supply risk.
  • Make improvement priorities actionable through named owners, investment gates and performance reviews.
How we help

Decisions that shape
the business.

Explore the scope of each capability and the practical outputs an engagement can deliver.

01

Portfolio, asset & footprint reviews

Assess where each business and facility belongs in the group, and whether the current production network supports its commercial strategy.
  • Review plant and product profitability, capacity utilisation and capital intensity.
  • Evaluate specialisation, consolidation, expansion and make-or-buy alternatives.
  • Test footprint choices against demand shifts, trade exposure and service requirements.
What you take forward

A prioritised set of invest, improve, partner or exit choices, with their dependencies made explicit.

02

Corporate development & M&A

Translate growth priorities into acquisition, partnership and divestment decisions grounded in the realities of industrial integration.
  • Define target capabilities, markets and screening criteria.
  • Review commercial positioning, production assets, maintenance needs and operational risks.
  • Examine procurement and network synergies alongside integration costs and execution constraints.
What you take forward

A transaction rationale and integration agenda linking strategic fit to operational feasibility.

03

Supply chain analytics & redesign

Trace the movement of materials, information and cash from suppliers through production to customers, identifying where variability creates cost or weakens delivery.
  • Analyse supplier concentration, lead times, procurement terms and landed cost.
  • Review inventory policies, planning parameters and demand-to-capacity alignment.
  • Assess logistics networks, warehouse roles and fulfilment performance.
What you take forward

A practical improvement plan balancing working capital, service reliability and supply resilience.

04

Plant performance & strategic turnaround

Separate structural commercial problems from production constraints, then sequence recovery around the issues that most affect cash, quality and delivery.
  • Diagnose bottlenecks, downtime, scrap, rework and changeover losses.
  • Challenge product complexity, uneconomic volumes and unsupported capacity assumptions.
  • Align maintenance, workforce capability and improvement routines with recovery priorities.
What you take forward

An integrated turnaround programme with a performance baseline, clear responsibilities and decision checkpoints.

05

Industrial innovation & technology investment

Build an investment agenda around specific production and customer needs, from process upgrades to automation and digital manufacturing tools.
  • Prioritise use cases against throughput, quality, flexibility and lifecycle cost.
  • Evaluate capital projects, pilot economics and readiness for wider adoption.
  • Address data quality, system integration, skills and operating requirements.
What you take forward

A staged technology roadmap with measurable adoption criteria and explicit capital trade-offs.

06

Operating model & governance

Clarify how headquarters, business units and plants work together, preserving local accountability while making shared capabilities and group priorities effective.
  • Define decision rights for production, procurement, commercial commitments and capital allocation.
  • Connect sales and operations planning with financial and investment decisions.
  • Establish comparable metrics, escalation routes and management review routines.
What you take forward

A governance model that connects group direction to the decisions made on the factory floor.

Across the production network

One portfolio view. Multiple sources of value.

For diversified manufacturers, averages can hide both strong franchises and persistent underperformance. We bring asset, product and market economics into a common view, while preserving the differences that matter between sites and business models.

01

Plants & capacity

Installed capacity, effective throughput, asset condition and maintenance obligations reveal where capacity is useful, constrained or surplus.

02

Products & capabilities

Product families, process know-how, complexity and margin contribution show which capabilities deserve investment and where simplification is justified.

03

Markets & customers

Demand concentration, end-market exposure, qualification requirements and customer profitability inform market priorities and capacity commitments.

04

Locations & supply exposure

Labour, energy, supplier access, logistics and trade conditions shape the competitiveness and resilience of each production location.

05

Capital & maturity

Greenfield projects, ramp-ups, established plants and assets requiring renewal compete for capital under different risk and cash-flow profiles.

The portfolio decision

The result is a connected portfolio agenda: where to allocate capital, how to assign production, which capabilities to develop and which decisions require further evidence.

Across the value chain

From product intent to customer delivery.

We examine the full operating chain so that a local improvement supports the economics and reliability of the wider business.

  1. 01

    Product & process design

    Assess product architecture, design-to-cost, manufacturability and the operational consequences of new product introductions.

  2. 02

    Sourcing & inbound supply

    Review supplier strategy, material availability, purchasing economics and incoming quality.

  3. 03

    Production & maintenance

    Connect scheduling, bottleneck management, asset reliability and workforce capability to effective output.

  4. 04

    Quality & finishing

    Trace defects, yield losses and rework to their causes, including specifications and process controls.

  5. 05

    Distribution & fulfilment

    Align inventory placement, transport choices and delivery promises with customer requirements and cost-to-serve.

  6. 06

    Service & aftermarket

    Evaluate spare parts, service coverage and lifecycle support as elements of the customer proposition and revenue mix.

Commercial strategy

Bring the customer into industrial strategy.

Production choices need a clear commercial premise: which customers to serve, what they value and what the business can deliver profitably.

Customer & segment priorities

Review end-market attractiveness, account concentration and channel roles. Translate demand into a focused origination agenda supported by the right production capabilities.

Product mix & pricing

Assess contribution after complexity, service and delivery costs. Examine price architecture, specification premiums and contract terms against the value customers receive.

Commercial & operational alignment

Connect sales commitments with capacity, lead times and working capital. Make the economics of customisation, minimum order quantities and service levels visible.

Putting the scope to work

Start with the decision
in front of you.

Illustrative engagement scopes, shaped around your assets, priorities and available evidence.

Let’s talk manufacturing

What should your industrial portfolio become?

Discuss a plant, production network or investment decision with us. We can help frame the review and connect your strategic options to operating realities.

Discuss your priorities