Tony: Corporate Restructuring Expert to Major Manufacturing Businesses

A turnaround, mergers and acquisitions specialist, as European Managing Director of the $160m-turnover engineered products division of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Tony was responsible for the formation of a new European HQ in Belgium; oversaw the integration of three acquisitions, the start-up of two manufacturing plants, and managed the creation of a distribution network in Eastern Europe.

In a succession of very senior appointments at Gates Rubber Company (a $1.5 billion subsidiary of Tomkins PLC), Tony successfully managed the turnaround of a $120 million loss-making division; arrested a declining market share, and restored profitability to a second division; and achieved 40% sales growth, turning a $1 million annual loss into profit in a third division.

Areas of Expertise

• Change management
• Sales and marketing management
• Profit improvement
• Industrial relations
• Business turnaround
• Corporate restructuring
• Company start-ups and closures
• Mergers, start-ups and joint ventures

Career Highlights

• Managing Director for Europe for a division of Goodyear Tire & Rubber with a brief to grow the business by acquisition and organic growth from $40 million to $550 million.
• As vice president of marketing at Gates Europe NV initiated and successfully delivered measures to achieve 40% sales growth and restore profitability to a $350 million European business.
• President of Gates Canada Inc - over four years turned around the $65 million business from a loss-making (facing possible closure) situation, to profit.
• Managing Director of Gates Hydraulics - grew and changed the business by forming a new German manufacturing operation; performed a lead role in a Spanish acquisition, recruiting highly skilled engineering teams and introducing TQM throughout the company - all contributing to new market revenues and a sales increase from $12 million to $50 million.

Interim assignments

• Smiths Industries PLC - managed closure of production at a UK site and transferred equipment and processes to an alternative site, whilst maintaining uninterrupted production; managed the sale of a second business unit and took ownership of all personnel management actions, the production process, training, risk management and quality validation.
• Alpha Technologies, Europe - developed three-year strategic plan for Europe; completed restructuring of the service organisation, and relocated the European HQ to Germany and Dutch software business within the Netherlands.

This Expert in Action

The Challenge

• A Canadian subsidiary of multinational manufacturing company had static sales.
• Losses were running at $1 million per annum.
• The business suffered from low manufacturing productivity, poor product quality and lack of distribution.
• There were very bad employee relations and militant trade unions.
• The advent of a new Free Trade Agreement meant the removal of trade barriers which had previously offered protection.
• To resolve all these issues or close down manufacturing activity - leading to the importation of all products from lower-cost US plants.

What He Delivered

He reduced overall production costs by 14% - to levels better than US plants. Quality levels and customer satisfaction were judged 'best in class' by customers. Over a three-year period annual sales increased by 40% with EBIT at 8% and still improving.

How?

• He introduced effective communications with employees and unions, and clearly spelled out the options and the needs for productivity improvements and changes in work practices; he also led crucial negotiations with unions to change work practices.
• He created a culture of Total Quality throughout the business and achieved ISO 9001 accreditation.
• He removed under-performing manufacturing and quality management
• He consolidated warehousing and distribution into a new 18,000 square metre distribution centre.