Originally posted in Forbes

Being strategic about your supply chain can improve cash flow, drive shareholder value, and yield greater profits.

Originally posted in Supply Chain Brain

Anybody with a passing knowledge of the supply chain knows how important it is to a company’s success. So why haven’t some CEOs, boards and investors gotten the memo? Maine Pointe CEO Steve Bowen, along with University of Tennessee’s J. Paul Dittmann, Ph.D., answer that question in this informative podcast on Supply Chain Brain titled “Do companies and investors get the importance of supply chain excellence.” 

Originally posted in Mergers & Acquisitions

It comes as no surprise that the market for PE acquisitions continues to be robust. Global deal value increased from $594.54Bn in 2015 to $825.77Bn in 2018 and that’s nothing compared with the predictions for 2019.

Buoyed by low interest rates, an eager supply of deal financing and a prolonged period of economic growth, PE has plenty of dry powder and has proved to be resistant to the impact of trade wars, tariffs and political uncertainty. However, not all factors are positive: Valuation multiples remain high and there’s considerable competition among PE firms to find and acquire those elusive “diamonds in the rough.” At the same time, corporate “strategics” looking for suitable acquisitions to support their growth, are offering a viable alternative for firms considering sale.

Originally published in Supply Chain Dive

A false sense of comfort after months of trade truce has left many businesses unprepared for the new tariff list, which covers nearly all previously untaxed Chinese imports.

A relatively calm trade environment suddenly turned stormy earlier this month after a Sunday night tweet from President Donald Trump. The long-anticipated tariff hike on $200 billion worth of imports became reality on Friday, May 10, as the duty rate rose from 10% to 25%.

Originally published in Chief Executive

Maine Pointe CEO Steve Bowen and GSCI’s Paul Dittmann take on “Why CEOs are still in the dark about the supply chain” in Chief Executive magazine, in an insightful piece  showing a surprising number of top executives don’t have a formal strategy in place for managing supply chain risk. Geopolitical uncertainty and volatile trade relations are adding to the risk profile, making it all the more necessary to have a plan in place. The  article highlights not only the risks, but the solutions – starting with redefining supply chain excellence and identifying best practices.

Originally published in Supply Chain Dive

"The USPS is required by law to deliver to all United States postal addresses in all jurisdictions, regardless of geography and density. This makes them an ideal partner for others that want to deliver to those locations, but do not have the infrastructure or capability to do so," Michael Notarangeli, an executive VP of Maine Pointe, told Supply Chain Dive last year.

Originally published in Supply Chain Brain

In the IT world the ability to recover data and systems fast when disaster strikes is an organizational priority. Doesn’t it make equally good sense to have a plan in place to protect your supply chain?

Global supply chain risk events increased by 36 percent in 2018 according to Resilinc’s annual Event Watch. The threat of trade tariffs from the U.S. looms large, the U.S.-China dispute rumbles on — and then there’s Brexit. 

 Originally published in Consulting UK

Prior to joining Maine Pointe, a global supply chain and operations consulting firm with offices in the Americas, Europe and Asia, Loder worked as a company director, a partner in professional services, an entrepreneur and an accountant, among other roles. 

Throughout his career, he has helped numerous private equity firms assess targets (financial, operational due diligence) and deliver deal drivers. Loder has further led management buy-outs, and has successfully exited businesses he founded.

 Originally published in PE Hub

Maine Pointe has promoted Mark McTigue to executive vice president, private equity, North America. Boston-based Maine Pointe is a supply chain and operations consulting firm to private equity firms.

Global supply chain and operations consulting firm Maine Pointe today announced the promotion of Mark McTigue from Vice President, Industry Partner, Private Equity; to Executive VP, Private Equity, North America.

In his new role, McTigue will continue offering hands-on experience to help PE firms solve their toughest supply chain and operations challenges while achieving new levels of performance.
As a senior business professional with more than 25 years’ experience solving complex business problems, McTigue has a strong track record for helping C-level and private equity executives improve value and optimize performance across the end-to-end supply chain.

 Originally published in Smart Industry magazine

Are you considering your customers' customers?

There are a few business capabilities that truly drive a company’s growth. Among them is the ability to quickly, accurately predict what is coming next. In global manufacturing, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is already underway and is becoming widely recognized as providing an advantage for companies looking to take over their competitors’ market share.

These smart operations, with fully integrated and collaborative systems that react in real-time, along with digitalization and deep-data insights that focus beyond functional limitations, are central to exploiting the potential of Industry 4.0. Companies that embrace them are able to consistently achieve significant reductions in operational costs and substantially improved customer experience, all while driving additional growth opportunities and increasing EBITDA.