SUPPLY CHAIN ROY
About Us
Mission Statement
The Strauss Consulting Group’s mission is to provide high quality, innovative solutions, which allow our clients to plan and easily manage their business in the context of optimal customer service and low operating costs for their supply chain needs.
The Strauss Consulting Group is an independent consulting firm that does not sell equipment or software and does not represent any specific vendors. We help our clients select the most cost-effective and appropriate solutions for their material handling and software needs.
Our Promise to Our Clients
⚈ We will stay in constant communication so you will always be “in the loop” and in control, understanding what is happening at all times, and there will not be any surprises.
⚈ We provide complete implementation services so we will be with you “all the way” to ensure project success and that anticipated ROI will be achieved.
⚈ We will always listen and continually pay attention to your needs.
Who We Are
⚈ SCG is a team of Senior Management Consultants specializing in all aspects of company operations, providing audit, analysis, design, and hands-on implementation of systems to improve customer service and efficiency, for clients while reducing their costs.
⚈ SCG’s Senior Staff has partnered in or worked in senior-level positions for 4 major consulting firms so our innovative solutions include the “best from the rest”.
⚈ SCG has run companies and divisions of companies on our own, and for our clients.
⚈ As such, we have been clients of numerous consulting companies and have an insider’s understanding of what a client requires from their consultant and what it takes to plan and implement a successful project.
⚈ Our broad experience and diverse skills allow us to provide high ROI based solutions.
⚈ Solutions provided are therefore in the context of overall business requirements with no “ripple effects”.
⚈ SCG has a proven track record with repeat business from companies of all sizes, from “Fortune 500” to Start-ups.
⚈ SCG can provide any level of support our clients need:
⚈ Executive level expertise in areas of specialization that may not be available internally
⚈ Supplemental support to a client’s internal talent to expedite projects that would otherwise wait
⚈ Objective insights, as an outsiders to your organization, we are impartial and bring fresh ideas and viewpoints at an executive level to each client
⚈ SCG’s unique expertise with “quick-fixes” has allowed many clients to enjoy immediate benefits with little or no expense while we study longer term requirements.
⚈ SCG has extensive experience with third party logistics and public warehouses as we have written business plans to create them and “Requests For Proposals” for clients considering using them.
What We Do
The Strauss Consulting Group provides a full range of consulting services in Supply Chain Management; Material Handling Logistics; Warehousing and Distribution; and Manufacturing. We study, scrutinize, plan, design, and implement projects that are customized for each client which provide for projected growth, and can be implemented with minimal disruption to ongoing business.
We work very closely with our clients to form a cohesive project team providing “temporary executive management” for specific corporate goals. Our offerings provide the client with the choice between comprehensive studies or mini projects, so you may want to hire us for an audit, an inventory study, a space study, or to determine effectiveness of the current data processing system. We offer complete implementation services to ensure that the various technologies, systems, staffing, and equipment all operate as a unified, functional whole. The client will be provided with the tools to monitor and plan growth rather than react to it.
How We Do It
Sample Project Design Methodology
⚈ Orientation Meetings
⚈ Learn Nuances & Client Preferences
⚈ Observe, Audit & Detail Present Operations
⚈ Data Collection
⚈ Determine Correct Growth Model
⚈ Statistical Analysis
⚈ Operational Analysis
⚈ Prototype Design
⚈ Recommendation Or Options
⚈ Design Detailing
⚈ Validation
⚈ Implementation
Typical Project Process
⚈ Meet with our clients to acquire a firm understanding of their corporate, department, and project goals; what the essence of their business is; and their preferred ways of doing business.
⚈ Observe and perform a detailed audit and analysis of business operations for the entire supply chain including interactions with vendors and customers; algorithms for purchasing and/or manufacturing; information technology support; import and export requirements; and all operations within the four walls of the distribution or manufacturing center.
⚈ Collect and thoroughly analyze key data for sales volume; inventory levels; production rates; order size and frequency; value added services; and unique requirements of each client’s business. The results are translated into service level, operational, and space requirements in the context of customer service goals.
⚈ Determine Growth Model – Client will provide anticipated, optimistic, and pessimistic growth percentages. SCG will then define requirements for meeting manufacturing and or distribution product volumes required to achieve each possible growth scenario. SCG will then calculate and determine the processes, space, equipment, staff and IT requirements with associated costs for each of the scenarios. The client can now see what can be achieved with which resources and at what cost for success and choose a growth model to use for the project. SCG then provides an exception reporting system to alert the client when reality does not meet expectations and corrective measures can be taken. The client is now in a continuous planning mode and will know what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and the cost no matter what happens within reason. Special attention is given to growth projections, product mix, and inventory goals vs. inventory performance. We will determine appropriate product mixes at optimal inventory levels by product group in the context of growth, provide plans to achieve inventory goals and provide systems and training of staff to manage the new system.
⚈ Meet to review our analysis, findings, and conclusions with the project team to ensure our understanding and interpretation of submitted data and information is correct. We must all be “on the same wave length” for the project to be successful.
⚈ Based on the analyses of the data, operational observations, and meetings investigate alternative operating scenarios and conceptual facility designs, incorporating different material handling and/or production equipment, storage equipment, material flows, and operating methods, to meet design year throughput, processing and storage volume requirements.
⚈ Alternatives will include: equipment and technologies at various levels of mechanization and automation to determine the best methods and technologies for each phase of the operation. We verify which, if any automated systems might be applicable to the operation in the context of budget constraints and how well they will assist the client in meeting service requirements.
⚈ Develop conceptual layout(s) for viable options provide a recommended layout to:
⚈ Show facility flow
⚈ Reduce travel distance and time
⚈ Provide for future expansion
⚈ Analyze alternatives quantitatively and qualitatively:
⚈ Quantitatively for:
• Space required
• Throughput capacity
• Storage capacity,
• Equipment cost
• Labor cost
• Payback vs. the base alternative (typically the current operation extended to meet design year requirements)
⚈ Qualitatively for:
• Speed and difficulty of implementation (given that orders must
continue to ship while the transition to the new operation occurs)
• The ability to support error-free performance
• Ease (difficulty) of managing the operation
• Risks associated with the alternative
• Data processing requirements
• Scalability
• Flexibility to accommodate future requirements
⚈ Work with the project team to select an alternative for implementation.
⚈ Prepare a dimensioned facility layout for the chosen design.
⚈ Describe functional areas and requirements where computer support will have to be enhanced or changed to support new operations.
⚈ Develop budget costs for material handling and storage equipment required for the chosen option with an associated ROI analysis.
⚈ Write and present to management a final report either detailing or summarizing project results to gain project approval and start implementation.