Manufacturing Practice Group
Financial and Operational Expertise for Manufacturers Managing Growth, Complexity, or Change
When your manufacturing business is growing, evolving, or facing new challenges, you need experienced financial and operational guidance. We help you streamline processes, improve visibility, manage costs, and scale with confidence—whether you're expanding capacity, implementing new systems, or preparing for a transaction. Our experts plug in quickly to deliver practical solutions tailored to your stage and goals.
How We Help
We help you bring order to the complexity of your manufacturing operations. Our professionals work alongside your team to implement systems and processes that improve cost control, track work-in-process, support quality standards, and deliver accurate, timely financial reporting—so you can operate efficiently and make better-informed decisions as you grow.
Systems & setup guidance
Configure costing methods (FIFO, LIFO, activity-based costing), lot tracking, recall protocols, and MRP systems that scale with your growth.
Process Optimization
Improve workflows, lean manufacturing, inventory control, and personnel efficiency to boost productivity and reduce waste.
Implementation support
Help during ERP or legacy system transitions, ensuring your financial systems track labor, overhead, obsolescence, shrinkage, and units correctly.
Strategy Development and Implementation
Align operations strategy with business goals to ensure investments drive profitable growth.
Facilitate cross-functional strategic planning processes.
Translate strategic intent into measurable execution plans with KPIs and performance scorecards.
Support capital investment planning and prioritization aligned with throughput, margin, and growth objectives.
Create resilience strategies including dual sourcing, nearshoring, and risk mitigation across the value chain.
Organization and Capability Development
Assess current organization structure and redesign roles, layers, and spans of control for operational efficiency.
Develop frontline leaders through coaching, training, and structured capability-building programs.
Build a performance culture by aligning incentives, KPIs, and accountability at all levels.
Establish cross-functional routines (e.g., tiered daily management) to drive alignment and execution discipline.
Support change management and communication strategies during transformation or scale-up efforts.
Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Process Enablement
Assess and implement ERP, MES, and planning systems that streamline operations and enhance visibility.
Deploy AI and ML tools to improve forecast accuracy, optimize inventory, and reduce downtime.
Map and redesign core manufacturing workflows using automation, RPA, and lean principles to eliminate waste.
Enable real-time performance monitoring via dashboards and exception alerts for plant, line, or SKU performance.
Integrate quality, maintenance, and compliance processes with digital tools to reduce defects and regulatory risk.
Drive Profitable Growth
Model cost-to-serve by channel, customer, and SKU to inform pricing and portfolio decisions.
Increase gross margin through improved costing, price architecture, and product rationalization.
Design supply chains for flexibility and responsiveness to support new product launches or promotions.
Optimize capacity and asset utilization to defer capital spend and boost ROA.
Identify and exploit operational synergies during M&A, divestiture, or integration initiatives.
Operations Performance Improvement
Identify and eliminate bottlenecks using value stream mapping, OEE analysis, and constraint management.
Drive down cost per unit through scrap reduction, productivity improvement, and throughput gains.
Standardize SOPs and train teams in lean tools such as 5S, SMED, and visual management.
Improve fulfillment rates and service levels with demand-driven planning and S&OP process maturity.
Conduct regular performance audits to track KPIs and institutionalize continuous improvement cycles.
Who We Serve
Startups
Launching manufacturing operations from scratch? We help you select scalable systems, design lean processes, and structure teams for growth.
Established Manufacturers
Struggling with outdated systems, inconsistent data, or rising costs? We identify what's holding you back and create a plan to restore performance and transparency.
Rapidly Growing Companies
Growing quickly via acquisition or across facilities or geographies? We help you transition from ad-hoc tools and workflows to integrated, data-driven operations that scale.
Capabilities
We Advise and Assist Manufacturers to:
AI and Automation technology enablement
Operations and system assessments
Procurement, Sourcing, and Supplier Management
Interim operations and supply chain leadership
Strategic and Sales and Operations planning facilitation
Lean implementation and training
Cost modeling and margin improvement
Real-time operational dashboards
End-to-end supply chain integration and performance improvement
Disaster recovery and continuity planning
Distribution Network Optimization
Technology enablement of business processes and practices
Meet the Team
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Keith Jones
Manufacturing Practice Group Leader
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Chris Chillingworth
Manufacuring Practice Group Member
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Doug Burnet
Manufacturing Practice Group Member
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Marc Loupe
Manufacturing Practice Group Member
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Jerry Johnson
Manufacturing Practice Group Member
Build a High Performing Team
Whether your business is growing, transforming, or in need of change, finding the right people quickly is critical. Our recruiting services give you direct access to experienced recruiters and advisors who understand your industry, your challenges, and the kind of talent it takes to move your business forward. Whether you're filling a key executive role, backfilling staff during a transition, or building out a new team, you’ll get tailored recruiting support without the overhead of a traditional search firm.
You choose the model that fits: executive search, contingency recruiting, or interim and project-based staffing. Every search is grounded in deep operational knowledge from across the 2GO Advisory Group—so you’re not just hiring quickly, you're hiring wisely.
Engagement Example:
Redesigned factory and distribution center layouts for a CPG company, increasing through put and avoiding unnecessarily incurring capital expenses.
Engagement Example
Competitively bid over 80% of a CPG manufacturer’s annual purchases, driving cost savings in excess of $200M.
Engagement Example:
Optimized the distribution network of a food company, dramatically reducing transportation costs and improving customer order delivery performance.
Engagement Example
Optimized inventory and improved customer delivery performance for a high growth produce company enabling market share gains with key customers.
Engagement Example:
Built scalable production-costing and operating models for a fast-growing specialty food chain, enabling real-time margin tracking with POS integration.
Engagement Example
Diagnosed operational bottlenecks and closed financial reporting gaps for a high-tech manufacturer, accelerating close and improving investor confidence.
Engagement Example:
Managed Oracle ERP implementation for a $200M distributor handling thousands of SKUs monthly.
Engagement Example