A private equity firm acquired a multi-site industrial manufacturing platform with the goal of consolidating fragmented operations and lifting margins across the portfolio. While the investment thesis identified clear potential in procurement, labor efficiency and commercial discipline, the portfolio company lacked the internal capacity to translate these ideas into a coherent operating model.

Tellen Advisors entered as the operational partner to the investor and management team. The first step was to validate the original thesis against on-the-ground realities at each plant, mapping differences in shift structures, maintenance practices, supply agreements and local leadership capabilities. From this diagnostic, Tellen Advisors designed a focused set of initiatives that could be executed across sites without disrupting customer commitments.

Procurement was reorganized to leverage the platform’s true scale, with standardized specifications and supplier consolidation where appropriate. At the same time, Tellen Advisors worked with plant managers to recalibrate labor deployment and production scheduling, aligning staffing with actual demand patterns and asset constraints. Performance dashboards and governance routines were introduced so that leadership could track progress with precision and intervene early when results drifted.

Over time, the manufacturing platform began to operate as a truly integrated enterprise rather than a loose collection of sites. The investor gained greater confidence in the durability of earnings, and management benefited from a clearer, more disciplined way of running the business, grounded in the practical, execution-focused approach that defines Tellen Advisors.