Case Studies
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We have worked with companies large and small – across continents and throughout different sectors. Below are three examples which show the sort of work we do.
Strengthening the chain
We were commissioned by a global engineering manufacturer, who work across six continents. The firm relies on thousands of specialist suppliers – many producing just a single tool or cable. If a link in the chain were to fail, then a major product could be compromised.
We have worked with them to create a dataset of potential vulnerabilities across their purchasing network. The aim was to identify potential weaknesses within supply chains and help suppliers to improve their resilience. We have also turned the risk dashboard into a comprehensive survey. This has been sent to a group of sample sites, to gauge the scale of the challenge.
The returns received will identify risks for business continuity within supply chains. Ultimately, the goal is a business resilience ‘census’ of the full network. Beyond helping our client, this will safeguard all the organisations in the supplier system.
Future-proofing, capacity-building
We were asked to develop a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for a food-producing company in late 2018. The company is based in Europe and has established a global reach. The company comprises of four manufacturing units - each making different products, and each geared to different markets.
There was an obvious need to streamline their business continuity plan, but the individual facilities were cautious about standardisation. To gain engagement from these individual facilities, we created a set of templates, which everyone could add to – inputting the processes which they had developed. Specific learnings accrued from the different facilities were built into finalised documents so that the best practices could be rolled out.
This was a process of scaling up, not levelling down. The whole organisation was brought up to a high standard, without losing institutional knowledge along the way.
Rolling Out Best Practice
The fruit sector is challenging from a risk perspective. It is reliant on tight supply chains and seasonal factors around produce. We were contracted by a large SME in 2017, who specialise in sourcing and supplying fresh fruit to the UK market. They were growing fast, and wanted to put steps in place to manage long-term risks to business continuity.
To begin with, we conducted a Business Impact Analysis (BIA). This focused on the unique impact of seasonal and geographic variations on different produce, as well as on production line resilience. From the BIA, the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) was formulated to mitigate against the most serious threats.
Once we had completed the BIA and the BCP, we then focused on training and testing. This included crisis command training with key staff, as well as tabletop sessions to validate the BCP. This ongoing work has helped to integrate the BCP across the organisation, and we continue to support the client.