Selected recent projects 

The following are selection of projects undertaken by EJC's senior consultants across the food, drink, cosmetics and toiletries, pharmaceutical and packaging industries:  

Operational strategy  

'Our core, cash generative business is suffering, we are losing share and prices are falling in the face of market oversupply.'

Cost cutting measures were implemented, plants rationalised and an innovative strategy of mergers and competitive partnerships brought supply and demand closer to equilibrium, for this leader in its category.

'Our European business moved overnight from significant profit to loss.'

Our client's market had moved from rapid growth to relative maturity.  A rationalised product portfolio, integrated European production platform and new marketing structure stabilised the business and moved it back into profit.

New opportunity development  

'We believe we need to be in the European foodservice market as a supplier, but do not understand it.'  

A series of management workshops clarified the opportunities and led directly to the formation of a dedicated, cross product foodservice division for a major food company.  

'We have developed an innovative new form of food packaging but need to understand where the global opportunity is (by both geography and food category) and to develop an entry strategy.'

A screening programme prioritised the major opportunities, followed by in-country, in-depth research to quantify and fully evaluate the market environment.  Led to the development of a new business model, a business plan and a significant greenfield investment.  

Competitive strategy

'Our major competitors, the two industry leaders have merged.  How can we compete against this superior market scale?'

The major diseconomies were identified in distribution and customer muscle.  A strategy of merging distribution systems with other leading competitors in Europe allowed our client to compete on a level playing field.  

'Our industry is consolidating rapidly at a global level.  We need to know who will stay in and who will not survive.  We need to understand where our competition will come from before we can build a long term strategy.'  

The provision of detailed, strategic profiles on our client's ten major competitors followed by in-depth brainstorming sessions with the client led to the creation of a series of accurate competitive scenarios.  These allowed our client to prepare a flexible long term strategy with increased confidence.  

Corporate strategy  

'We need to build a ten year global strategic vision but do not fully understand where our customers will be over this period.'

Innovative market models were developed which allowed our client, one of the world's largest food companies, to anticipate consumer change.  Led to a radical restructuring of their global organisation and strategy.  

'We still operate and plan as if we were in a stable market.  Our culture is one of incremental, three year planning in a market that is experiencing dynamic, on going step changes.  We need to move from playing catch-up to anticipation and strategic leadership if we are to survive.'

A series of management workshops gained the required ownership for the cultural change needed.  Planning processes were modified to encourage fresh thinking and a monitoring system put in place to provide both pro-active stimulus and to ensure the implementation of change was timed correctly.