Crisis issues

A worker was sent to collect samples from a process plant at midnight as there was a recent process upset. For a representative sample, flushing of the sampling line was carried out before taking the actual sample.

• The worker drained the flushing liquid into an open bucket which would then be disposed into a waste pit.
• When the worker failed to locate the hatch on the pit cover for proper disposal of the liquid, he decided to open the pit cover.
• While moving the pit cover, the worker knocked over the bucket.
• Contents from the bucket splashed onto his arms, neck and lower half of his face.
• The worker suffered from chemical burns as result of the incident.

Diagnosis

We investigated and found some reasons. The work area was insufficiently lit for the task and made it difficult for the worker to locate the hatch on the pit cover to carry out the disposal. The worker decided to open the pit cover to dispose of the flushing liquid when he failed to locate the disposal hatch.

Opportunities from the crisis

Ensure any deviation from the standard operating procedures, such as the opening of the pit cover, as mentioned in this case, is subjected to the management of change and risk assessment before implementation.

The Impact

Carry out a risk assessment prior to any work involving hazardous chemicals and develop safe work procedures to include all control measures used to address the identified risks. Control measures are to be put in place to ensure that risks are kept to a level as-low- as reasonably-practicable.

Crisis issues

• The company wanted a better understanding of the needs and patterns of its audience before targeting them.
• This would enable them to tailor their marketing approach.
• While moving the pit cover, the worker knocked over the bucket.
• However, we faced one major challenge

Diagnosis

After an initial brief with Kennametal in order to understand their goals and objectives, Econstra quickly realized the challenges it would meet during the project. What our marketing strategy needed was a lot more than applying conventional approaches. It required abandoning traditional and popular strategies something new.

Opportunities from the crisis

Econstra has been pro-actively providing lists to our targeting newer regions and industries. It is proud to be a marketing partner to a company that not only challenges Econstra to utilize innovative approaches but also to break previously set marketing notions and create new approaches.

The Impact

Considering the fact that electronic mailing wasn’t popular in the targeted industry, the offline and online marketing campaign exceeded expectations. The whole experience turned out to be a fruitful experience. We were happy with the outcome of the campaign, which yielded increased interest from industry leaders.

Crisis issues

A company initiated its demerger exercise in January 2009 after the agreement of the Board of Directors to hive of the Pharmacy business into a new company. After the demerger, the company concentrated on its core competencies in personal care, healthcare, and Ayurvedic specialties. The demerger would allow investors to benchmark performance of these two entities with their respective industry standards.

Diagnosis

Such assistance might involve advising workers well in advance of the possibility of restructuring, and consulting with them closely about how best to achieve their aims jobs. The cases relate to various forms of restructuring whether they involved, for example, job losses, an internal reorganization, a plant closure, or a relocation from one site to another.

Opportunities from the crisis

The case studies provide few examples of new job creation initiatives – such as supporting business start-ups and developing enterprise support networks for new companies – on the part of public authorities. This may in some degree reflect the buoyancy of the labor market prior to the onset of the present economic downturn.

The Impact

The results of the analysis shown in Exhibit:

• The company unlocked value for shareholders. They had a negative EVA, clearly indicating its capital was not properly used in the composite company.
• The total Pharmacy division was lesser than that of composite business indicating a negative synergy was present between the two divisions.

Crisis issues

This company is involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Safety concerns were a major driver for the development of an organized, methodical approach to construction and maintenance projects in the area of power production including wind, water, solar, and nuclear.

Diagnosis

An early strategy advised by Econstra was the establishment of the Major Enterprise Projects organization as a project management Center of Excellence. Econstra was asked to re-assess project management maturity at this company and, after reviewing project management processes, standards, and procedures to measure progress and identify gaps, determined that the company had achieved Level 3 Maturity on Econstra’s Project Management Maturity Model, with few exceptions, which the company immediately acted to rectify.

Opportunities from the crisis

The client company adopted our Project Management Maturity Model to determine the existing strengths and weaknesses of their project management processes. The discovery process, led by our consultants, developed a baseline description of the company’s project management expertise, established criteria to measure improvements and set expectations.s

The Impact

The organization has become the Project Management Office for all large strategic electric and gas initiatives within the company, with over 300 projects under their management, and a portfolio budget of $1.2 billion.

Crisis issues

Primarily franchise-operated, a hotel is one of the fastest growing hotel brands in the industry with over 1,500 locations nationwide. In keeping with America’s growing demand for health- and taste-conscious eating, this major player in the hospitality industry solicited SPE Certifier’s assistance to expand its offering of healthy menu choices and enhance understanding of these changes to its guests.

Diagnosis

• Food prep is limited to microwave/convection oven cooking and staff has little or no knife skills
• Breakfast buffet is self-service, making communication of how to build a healthier breakfast difficult
• While items on the menu are primarily pre-packaged and processed, the brand wanted to include healthier menu options that could fit into its existing model
• Current nutritional information is not easily accessible and meaningful to guests

Opportunities from the crisis

After reviewing, assessing and analyzing close to approximately 100 mandated Breakfast buffet items, SPE Certified provided feedback and data on items that represented significant ingredient and nutritional concerns using a “red/amber/green” traffic light approach.

The Impact

• Based on our capabilities and proposal, the hotel chose SPE Certified to help evolve its offerings to represent the best possible choice to for guests. Within our phased approach.
• We conducted a comprehensive review and analysis of menu for nutritional value and health safety of ingredients.
• Recommended new and alternative breakfast offerings that would allow guests to create more balanced breakfast combinations

Crisis issues

When providing products with “purity, integrity and care” is a key to your company mantra, they must arrive in peak condition. And if you’re a specialty company, distributing those products from thousands of miles away, you need a logistics partner who can deliver. For an Australian company, an Australian manufacturer of organic skin-care products, an indigenous Logistics Services is a natural fit.

Diagnosis

The company needed a 3PL ready to offer personal attention and turnkey capability. The manufacturer ships 80,000 to 120,000 units per month; including glass bottles, aluminum tubes, samples in small plastic envelopes and promotional materials. These products, which require temperature-controlled warehousing and distribution, must be piece-picked and shipped from a single distribution centre. The diverse product line and changing volume require flexibility.

Opportunities from the crisis

The company now provides comprehensive services for its neighboring cities, including receiving and sorting product, order receipt and processing, handling pick packs, coordinating reverse logistics, managing inventory control, and customer invoicing.

The Impact

The company’s comprehensive service, online reporting capabilities, and flexibility to handle ever-changing needs make for a strong partnership

Crisis issues

The pharmaceutical company offers a broad spectrum of proven tools and technologies, in cooperation with performance solutions innovations, dedicated to helping customers succeed in the research, development, and production of biotechnology and pharmaceutical drug therapies. Comprising three business units—Bioscience, Lab Solutions, and Process Solutions—the company is a top-tier supplier to the life science industry and serves as a strategic partner for scientists, engineers, and researchers.

Diagnosis

A few years ago, the company’s corporate staff realized that its generic in-house project management training was not adequate to address the challenges faced by its staff, a diverse group of researchers and engineers who took on project and program management responsibilities. The program needed to get project management skills and going quickly across the company and standardize on a process, thus prompting the development of an internal project management certification program.

Opportunities from the crisis

In the first three years of the program, over 400 participants attended 30+ courses in the US and Europe in response to high demand for the training. Project review documentation and skill checklists were developed for participants to use on the job, allowing them to apply new knowledge immediately.

The Impact

The company’s program first identified the business drivers and corresponding success criteria, emphasizing the execution of business strategy, retention of top talent, delivery consistency, and accelerating the pace of innovation.

Crisis issues

A global company provides land, sea, and air power solutions worldwide. The Company has established leading positions in civil aerospace, defense, marine, and energy markets. With an aging data center and a long-term lease expiring, this company desired to implement a new state-of-the-art data center. After securing $6 million in funding approval and identifying an 8,000 square foot new facility location, they were still lacking a proven resource with prior data center move experience to lead this 10-month, time sensitive initiative.

Diagnosis

With an established vendor relationship already in place, the company turned to Econstra who provided an expert program manager with extensive data center move experience. Econstra’ program manager led a team of technical IT and engineering resources, working with additional external resources involved in the program.

Opportunities from the crisis

The new 8,000 square foot data center was delivered on time and within its $6 million budget. All objectives were met and there was zero business disruption during the entire 10 months of the project. The Company now has a modern data center with the capacity to grow by an additional 33%, allowing for further consolidation of operations in the future.

The Impact

The first course of action taken by Econstra’ program manager was to divide the 10-month program into four distinct components with clear objectives as follows:

• Build-out a new state of the art 8,000 square foot facility
• Relocate 225 physical and virtual servers along with the supporting network infrastructure to the new data center.
• Perform leasehold improvements on the existing office space and relocate 70 employees from the old data center to their new office space in the Company’s main office campus
• Decommission the old data center and return it to the landlord