The client for the interim manager is a retail company with a focus on mobile phone products and services. The company operates 20 branches and employs around 200 people. Following the takeover by a mobile communications company, the retailer needed to focus on its core competence: sales proximity to the customer.
The economic goal of the post-merger integration: a reduction of around 30 percent in the logistics costs of the retail goods, while at the same time increasing the flexibility of deliveries and clearing the space previously occupied by the warehouse at the company headquarters.
Project manager for outsourcing logistics
The interim manager took over the outsourcing of logistics for the stores as project manager. This began with the analysis, documentation and optimization of the existing processes, from orders to returns processing. He drew up a specification sheet for the outsourcing and coordinated the input of several internal functional areas.
The interim manager identified several suitable service providers and made a pre-selection for the tender in consultation with the management. He prepared the negotiations and conducted the talks on the awarding of these processes.
Together with the selected contractual partner, the interim manager drew up a binding project plan for handling the handover and derived work packages for releasing employees and utilizing inventories that were no longer required. These were handed over to the client's organization as part of the project completion.
Make-or-buy decision and preparation for execution
In a related area, the interim manager prepared data for a meaningful assessment of profitability. This required consistent scrutiny of the company's previous cost accounting. In doing so, the interim manager identified a structural deficit in this area that had previously gone unnoticed.
Closure decision after weighing up opportunities and risks
In consultation with the management, he drew up several scenarios for possible optimizations to reposition the division. As a result, an expansion of the order volume or the closure of the company's own capacities remained the most sensible scenarios. After weighing up the opportunities and risks and due to the restructuring nature of the company's current situation, the management accepted the recommendation to close this division.
The interim manager was tasked with preparing the division's liquidation ready for implementation. To this end, he drew up a business case and a project plan.
