Interim Leadership – Metal Fabrication Turnaround
Stabilizing Chaos: Turning Siloed Plants into a Unified, Data-Driven Operation
Challenge
A PE-backed metal fabrication company faced operational breakdown across three sites. Without unified systems or visibility, performance declined sharply—putting the investment at risk.
Disconnected Operations Across 3 Sites: The three facilities lacked a shared ERP/MRP system, operating in silos without centralized visibility or coordination across teams. Spreadsheet-Driven Management Key functions like inventory, HR, and finance relied on siloed spreadsheets, causing errors, delays, and inconsistent reporting.
No Unified Scheduling or Inventory Control Conflicting schedules and poor material planning led to missed deliveries, excess inventory in some plants, and shortages in others. Lack of Performance Measurement Without KPIs or dashboards, management couldn’t track operational efficiency, capacity, or on-time performance. Declining Sales and Market Credibility Ongoing delays and disorganization eroded customer trust, resulting in sales losses and a threatened investment.
Solution
Delta Driver provided interim COO leadership, implementing performance management across people, inventory, and scheduling.
Invented a "stacked table" scheduling system across disconnected entities Guided the company through the Forming → Storming → Norming cycle of change
Deployed custom dashboards aligned to the Plan-Do-Check-Act model Positioned the organization to mature from a “Don’t Fix / Reactive” stage to a Planning-ready environment Created invented back-scheduling logic in Power BI to simulate MRP/ERP control in the interim
Results
Delta Driver stabilized the company by implementing leadership, tools, and processes tailored to its stage of operational maturity. Our interim COO approach enabled real-time visibility, improved planning, and a shift from reactive firefighting to structured performance management—positioning the company for long-term sustainability and eventual growth.
Restored Operational Control: Stacked MRP tables aligned scheduling and inventory across all three plants. Enabled Real-Time Decision-Making: Custom dashboards provided daily visibility into OTD, inventory levels, and production constraints.
Advanced Maturity Stage: Moved the company from “Reactive” to “Planning” phase using BI-driven scheduling logic. Protected PE Investment: Prevented near-term bankruptcy by restoring customer trust and internal accountability.
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