Case Study: Integrated Planning Improved Efficiency and Profitability for a Mid-Market Dairy Producer
In today’s competitive food and beverage landscape, mid-market manufacturers face mounting pressure to boost efficiency, profitability, and cross-functional alignment—all while maintaining day-to-day operations. This case study explores how a family-owned dairy producer partnered with London Consulting Group to transform its commercial and manufacturing processes, leveraging integrated planning and disciplined execution to unlock measurable improvements in sales, operations, and financial performance.
Client Overview
A family-owned specialty dairy manufacturer with decades of operating history partnered with London Consulting Group to improve efficiency, profitability, and cross-functional alignment across its commercial and manufacturing operations. The company produces multiple fresh dairy products and operates a single primary manufacturing facility in the Western United States.
The Challenge
As the business grew, leadership faced increasing complexity across Sales, Production, Maintenance, and Planning. Siloed decision-making limited visibility, slowed execution, and constrained profitability. The organization needed an integrated operating model that aligned demand, production, and resources while improving plant performance and leadership effectiveness.
LCG Engagement
London Consulting Group led a 26-week transformation focused on aligning the commercial and operational sides of the business while driving measurable performance improvements. The engagement spanned:
Sales and demand planning
Manufacturing performance and maintenance
Production planning and scheduling
Leadership capability and operating cadence
LCG worked directly with leadership and frontline teams, combining practical process design with on-the-job coaching to ensure adoption and results.
Our Approach
LCG implemented a disciplined, integrated operating model designed to improve decision-making and execution across the plant.
Key initiatives included:
Implementing an integrated Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process aligning Sales, Production, and Maintenance
Training plant leaders to operate as effective supervisors and change agents
Establishing clear performance metrics to improve visibility and accountability
Redesigning production planning to reduce downtime, waste, and unnecessary changeovers
Improving pricing discipline, cost analysis, and product-level profitability insights
Results
The engagement delivered significant, measurable improvements across sales performance, manufacturing efficiency, and planning effectiveness.
Sales Performance
Increased sales volume by 8% in a core product category
Increased sales volume by 19% in a secondary product category
Improved product penetration by 8%
Implemented category-level sales forecasting
Strengthened pricing and profitability analysis by product
Manufacturing Performance
Increased pounds per labor hour by 11%
Reduced plant-wide downtime by 50%
Improved operational visibility through standardized performance metrics
Planning and Yield
Reduced production changeovers and cleanings by 43%
Reduced raw material waste by 30%
Implemented a production planning system that automated decision-making and aligned Sales, Production, and Maintenance
Financial Impact
Achieved a 0.5:1 savings-to-investment ratio during the engagement
Projected a 2.2:1 savings ratio in the year following implementation
Expected to increase net income by approximately 10%
Ongoing Partnership
Based on the results achieved, the company extended its partnership with London Consulting Group to expand these improvements into additional areas of the business.
Why It Matters
This engagement demonstrates how integrated planning, disciplined execution, and leadership development can unlock meaningful value for mid-market food and beverage manufacturers without disrupting day-to-day operations.