30% Turnover Boost Provides Profit for ACS
The Company Amenity Contract Services Ltd helps keep the highways and byways of North West England free of weeds and unwanted vegetation.
The Challenge
Providing specialist vegetation management services to local authorities for over 16 years, the company employed 20 spraying machinery operatives when it contracted Business Doctors with a view to improving profitability and developing a strategy for growth.
The Solution
Working together with managing director Richard Rainford, Business Doctors conducted an analysis of the businesses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. From this analysis a Strategic Review Summary was produced. With a number of changes for the better identified, Business Doctors engaged with the company’s entire staff from management to back office staff to spraying machinery operatives to ensure “buy-in” to all proposed changes throughout the company.
The Result
Working with Business Doctors over a period of twelve months to define the strategy and roll out its implementation, ACS ended the period with a significant improvement in profitability and with the company able to employ a further seven spraying machinery operatives in order to meet a substantially expanded order book.
With a more than 30% sales increase in the 12 months following the Business Doctors process ACS increased its net margin from -2% to + 9%.
Richard Rainford says: “After working with Business Doctors we experienced a significant boost to turnover and now employ 27 sprayers. But more than that was the boost in profitability and overall profit, which was considerable. “I honestly can’t say enough good things about the Business Doctors experience. Energising and challenging yet approachable and straight talking – it’s a white knuckle ride but one I’d definitely recommend. And with the growth we have achieved since working with them, the benefits are there to be seen.”
“From the first stage of the Strategic Review, the process of self analysis uncovered some very helpful ideas we had never thought of before. Looking at administrative working methods and management, t alking to the management team, contract managers and offi ce staff, they really know how to get people on board. You want to be on board with them and they get you thinking outside the box.”
“Identifying procedures that could be improved, they helped the back office to run a lot better. Working with business auditors, they also introduced us to very useful new people such as potential investors. Moving with us into another growth stage, profits have improved dramatically. They get hold of you and don’t let go – in a good way! They get you out and get you through, but are always really easy to talk to. There energy is balanced with a relaxed, interpersonal way of doing business. I would say any size company could benefit from working with them.”