A multinational beverage company had decided to close one of its manufacturing plants and move production to a lower-cost facility. Looking for a steady, neutral, and disciplined hand to create more detailed plans and execute the work, the head of the company's project management office (PMO) turned to our team.

We connected the client with a manufacturing operations expert who had trained at Deloitte and led operational improvement initiatives across multiple industries. Working with the PMO, the consultant created a detailed work plan that included 16 different workstreams. After visiting the company's manufacturing facilities, however, he realized there was an opportunity to make operational improvements to the failing plant— and realize a higher long-term return. At the client's request, he provided additional analysis to support senior management as they discussed the best way forward.

Ultimately, the client decided to keep the plant operational, and the work of the consultant we placed shifted to providing project management and data support for the new business process optimization initiative.