Tweet

Consolidate or merge a checklist

Written by: Jack Greene

Article Overview: Merge or consolidate to concentrate resources for successful operation; use economies of scale to minimize cost. In any economy, especially this one, consolidation or merger can make economic and strategic sense. First plan, and later integrate, equipment, processes and facilities properly because they affect not only the balance sheet but also future P&L results of the entity.

Consolidate or merge a checklist

Consolidate or merge, a checklist

Equipment, facility and process issues

Merge or consolidate to concentrate resources for successful operation; use economies of scale to minimize cost. In any economy, especially this one, consolidation or merger can make economic and strategic sense.

To consolidate or merge successfully, through choice or because it has been imposed by market forces, a company must properly integrate equipment, processes and facilities in the final entity. A well done facility project can create an effective, productive enterprise, maximize operating and distribution relationships, and achieve the original objectives. This checklist points out the major topics to consider. Jackson Productivity Research Inc. uses this approach for its consolidation or merger clients.


The following issues are often involved in facilities consolidation. Mergers are similar, built on the same framework. This article is a checklist of topics, but see also my article “Merger or consolidation; facility actions help it succeed” for elements of strategy. And when you are ready, Jackson Productivity Research Inc. will be glad to assist with the many details necessary for successful facility consolidation or merger both in the due diligence steps and later in implementation.



1. Background
In order to consolidate physically and integrate practically, the project team must clearly understand the strategic and logistical aspects of the project; strategy, scope and objectives, timetable, budget. Responsibility of the source facilities and of the destination facilities must be carefully set forth, and assigned to resources of the organizational chart after the change expected. At this point an appropriate plan should be established for both internal and external communications.

2. H. R. Issues
A merger by nature is likely to involve personnel actions. Address what H. R. actions will be taken to accomplish the financial objectives of the merger, what company policy is regarding the actions, and timetable for announcements and actions. Be sure to consider not only the final situation, but also the transition period.

3. Integrate electronic and manual systems of acquired company with existing company
Start with specs, part numbers, financial systems, inventory of product materials and supplies. Keep or change hardware, software, control systems? Location of final computer system and plan to reach the integration. Cutover plans for systems and communications.

4. Inventory plan during transition
Receive, use, store raw materials, ship products from multiple plants. Inventory drawdown to minimize shipment.

5. Customer relationships
Before, during, after to assure continuity of delivery.


6. Vendor relationships
Before, during, after to assure supply and minimum relocation.


7. Day to day operation
Source shut down plan, equipment transfer or dispose of, destination startup plan.


8. Status of destination facility
Physical characteristics of facility and grounds, capacities and limitations. Changes and timetable necessary to develop a more suitable facility.


9. Plan for relocation
Process and technology, equipment, inventories, administrative and support. Training plan for startup team.


10. Prepare the destination facility
Plan, modify or construct as needed. Add operators and train them.


11. Complete the relocation itself
Shut down, pack and ship

12. Start up the relocated equipment with the trained operators.

Jack Greene Jackson Productivity Research Inc.

Related Articles
  Mail Merge Your Newsletter
  Better Than Mail Merge
  Duplicate Customers or Vendors in QuickBooks? Merge Them!
  Consolidate Student Loans
  Assumptions

Article Tags: acquisitions integration, business facility acquisition, business facility merge, business move planning, business moving, consolidate building, consolidate business, consolidate companies, consolidate company, consolidate facilities, consolidate facility, consolidate facility, corporate facility merge, corporate integration, corporate move, corporate moving, corporate office move, corporate relocation consultant, corporate relocation specialist, corporation move, corporation moving, corporation relocation, facility expansion, facility site search, facility space planning consultant, facility strategic planning, ma integration, merge buildings, merge companies, merge facilities, merge facilities, merge plants, merged facilities, merger and acquisition integration, merger operational checklist significance of consolidation versus merger, mergers integration, plant expansion, plant relocation, post ma, post ma integration, relocation services, site search, small business technology transfer, technology transfer



Related Forum Posts
Re: 10 Tips to Start an Online Business - Thanks for the tips Anya101. They make a useful checklist for anybody building a new website or starting an online business.
Re: Want to outrank your competition? Research guide - Hey Jeremy, Those are all great tips... so I say well done for creating an effective guide to outrank your competition. You provided a great checklist of things that we should all look for when spreading out into new niches or even when deciding on what keywords to shoot for in our current niche. Thanks for sharing with us. To answer your question: I usually check the top 10 sites for any given keyword. I check on-page factors (not HTML) and the Page Rank of those sites. I usually don't go as in-depth as I should regarding off-site factors like number of backlinks, etc. I usually decide from the on-page factors along with monthly search volumes for a chosen keyword if it's worth pursuing. With a little work and elbow grease it's not hard to outrank the competition. I also try to focus on long-tail keywords more so when trying to rank certain blog posts.
Re: How I answer the phone - [quote="BuzzAroundBooks":3oqi2iso]When my phone rings, I typically just say "hello", "hello, Kevin speaking" or "hello, this is Kevin speaking" because I use my personal cell as my business line. Therefore, I assume that whoever is calling me is either a friend, family member or at least someone who already knows who I am and what I do, unless it's a caller who simply dialed the wrong number. However, retail expert and author, Doug Fleener believes that incoming calls are rich with potential and greetings should be consistent to provide the best customer experience. For instance, Fleener says "The phone script should be short and to the point. It should always end with the employee's name, not 'How may I help you?' This allows a better human connection over the phone. The best script goes like this: 'Good [morning, afternoon, evening] and thank you for calling Dynamic Experiences Group [insert your company name here], this is Doug [insert your name here]'" ("The Profitable Retailer" 201).[/quote:3oqi2iso] That's a good point. But let me ask you, I've noticed that when people have said a script like that over and over again they tend to merge all the words together and it ends up being one monotone word - losing the effectiveness of the script. So do you think something shorter would be better? Something like what Andy used to say in the Call center?
The Old Girl's Network - (2003) - Haven't read this one yet... Contents A business of one's own: setting the stage Passion: Turning what you love into a real business Vision: Bringing Your Idea Into the World Pioneering Spirit: Discovering new frontiers Tenacity: Passions Bulldog Raising Capital: Translating your vision into dollars and cents Focus, feedback and flexibility Leadership lessons Life after the survival stage: Managing onward There's a Took Kit in the back that has lots of good stuff, including: Outline for competitive analysis: the basic issues to address before starting your company Outline for executive summary and business plan, with sample summary Explanation of non-disclosure agreement Milestone setting "Do you have what it takes" quiz Sample financing term sheet Due Diligence checklist Sample advisory agreement Process and systems review Outsourcing overview
Re: Let's Talk CRM - Unlike other CRM providers, Luxor CRM is a robust web-based application that offers businesses a wide range of CRM and SFA tools and capabilities within a single application. Specifically speaking, Luxor CRM provides your business with a dynamic set of Sales Force Automation tools, such as competitor tracking, deal expiration notification, forecast & quota management, lead management and routing, mail merge, opportunity management, quote generation and the list goes on. If you require systematic reporting, Luxor CRM provides you with advanced analytics capabiltiies, customizable reports, KPIs (key performance indicators), report export directly into Excel and many other features. In terms of functionalities and features, Luxor CRM provides an endless amount, but depending on what your business does and how it is structured, our system can be tailored to meet your specific needs. Recently, Luxor CRM has gained enormous attention from the Restoration Industry. In response to their demand, we customized the system to better suit the every day processes of a Restoration company. As a result, our developers created a restoration-specific format that includes claims and job management, alongside contact and schedule management, so to help these companies better manage their key accounts and close more business. Even if your company isn't within such a specific industry, we don't simply sell you a software that has a conventional template, instead we take the time to get to know your company and your needs, and from there we work to set out an action plan to implement the software in the most efficient and effective way. Though we serve clients as big as Air Canada and the National Bank, we specialize and appeal most to small businesses. Firstly, we are extremely affordable. We don't lock our clients into lengthy contracts and allow them to purchase the system on a month-to-month basis. We also pride ourselves on providing free-assisted deployment, free training, free requirements analysis and free data migration. All of these services are at an additional cost if you choose to go with a different CRM provider. The reason why we provide these services for free is because we want to establish a relationship with our clients. We want to know what you like or don't like about the system and what improvements we can make to serve you better. We strive to create a CRM system for our clients that works the way they do, because after all, the main purpose for CRM is to nurture and create relationships with clients and therefore we aim to do the same. Small businesses strive to work quickly and gain as much exposure from their specific industry or niche as possible. With Luxor CRM in place, less time is spent organizing and populating information and more time is spent on flourishing client relationships and of course, making money! Luxor CRM specializes in ensuring that no client slips through the cracks and does so with the use of proactive alerts. Let's say you just had a meeting with a client and need to schedule a follow-up appointment. All you need to do is login to Luxor CRM via a computer or cell phone, schedule a new activity under that client's contact information and then Luxor will remind you of when that appointment is and even better, Luxor will not erase that appointment until it has been completed. Our clients say that this is one of their most favourite features because they are able to stay on top of each and every one of their clients, maintain constant communication and close more business. Our clients also love how easy the Luxor CRM interface is to navigate through. It mimics a desktop tool, allowing users to quickly learn how to use our system and feel at ease with it. I hope that answers your questions. Let me know if you'd like me to expand on something a little bit more.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

An Intelligent Contact Sheet

Ten Twitter Tips For Work-at-Home Moms

What I Really Want Is...

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.