Thinking Strategically

Think Strategically and Act Decisively

"We have a strategic plan in place. Are you now telling me the plan isn't enough?" Unfortunately no, however, having accomplished the painful process of establishing a strategic plan is a good thing, you need to be able to manage and implement the strategic plan to carry out the action items to implement the strategies that will ultimately allow your company to reach its stated objectives. Thinking strategically can't be reserved for only the strategic planning "team", every decision, and every choice made by each member of your organization will ultimately effect the strategic plan, and the bottom line. Let RJ demystify strategy for you and learn how strategic thinking will make you even more competitive and cause your competitors to wonder what you're doing differently. Make strategic thinking as natural to your every day activities as using your computer.

RJ founded SI because he recognized a need in organizations that were expanding, making acquisitions or simply "right-sizing" that required an objective external view of their organizational strategies. Strategy International's success stems from its expertise in gathering competitive and customer intelligence, and formulating winning organizational and marketing strategies.
Bob's professional experience and problem-solving skills are well anchored in his extensive knowledge of market research techniques, financial analysis and cost and operations analysis of industrial/manufacturing/distribution businesses.

As an experienced strategist for over 30 years, RJ recognizes that knowledge is power and is the essential component in today's increasingly global and electronic arena of competition. He has helped clients develop and execute strategies that succeed in competitive markets.
RJ earned a B.S. in marketing and finance, and a M.B.A. from Northern Illinois University, USA.

A Better Way of Helping Executives Manage Change

SI is a dynamic group of strategy management consultants specializing in serving mid-sized international manufacturing and service firms. Focusing on top management issues, we provide our executive clients with valuable tools to effectively manage the inevitable - change.
Tools like customized thinking and decision-making processes that frame the assessment, development, and implementation of successful corporate strategies in today's rapidly changing marketplace.
Focus on teamwork, an essential tool in the implementation of well-crafted strategies, aided by the most productive and current conflict resolution techniques.
And project management techniques, tools designed and installed to implement strategies and reach the goals of the client and his or her organization.

SI is different - and better

Any consulting firm can identify a problem, determine a solution, and formulate a decision-making process. But SI doesn't stop there. Utilizing our expertise in the strategic disciplines of diagnostics, project management, and competitive intelligence, we:

* Develop a thorough and intimate understanding of our clients' operations and staff
* Collaborate with our clients' staff and other service providers in the decision-making and implementation of strategies
* Bring our clients cutting-edge management, marketing, and industry solutions by continually building our knowledge and honing our core competencies
* Hold ourselves accountable for team performance when managing our clients' projects

Only SI assists executives through the implementation of strategic decisions, from start to finish

We do so by providing skilled counsel, empowering our clients to articulate their thoughts, visions, and desires; formulate them into actions; and communicate them to their organizations.

We also employ market intelligence for making the most educated and informed decisions, as well as anticipating future trends.

And we practice a Socratic method of facilitation, which entails asking tough questions of managers and spurring creative thoughts about future impacts and scenarios.

Navigating the future ... Strategically

All consulting firms identify problems and their sources, determine alternative solutions, and formulate the decision making process. Only Strategy assists you through the successful implementation of strategic decisions.

We believe the creative management of the human, structural, and customer capital of the organization determines the most effective corporate and business strategies. The sum of these three capitals is the firm's total intellectual capital.
We serve clients through the professional facilitation of leadership discussions of the firm's strategies, professional research/knowledge resources for both domestic and international markets and industries, competitor research and ongoing implementation support of customer studies and performance measure reviews.
Strategy Consulting
Corporate Strategy - assess strategic initiatives, organic growth opportunities evaluate merger/acquisition opportunities and strategic alliances; formulate future strategies and establish performance measurements.

e-Competitive Strategy - tackle the possible effect of e-business on our clients' marketplace, their industries, their customers; design actions plans to gain a competitive advantage and grow stakeholder value

Value-Building Growth Strategy - formulate organic growth strategies based upon taking advantage of marketplace opportunities; assess marketplace opportunities through in-depth understanding of customer needs.

Customer-Driven Growth Strategy - develop customer strategies that increase our clients' value to the customers thru relationship development, performance satisfaction, needs assessment, strategic account planning and marketing resource alignment.

Globalization Strategy - determine international business portfolio, geographical markets, product versioning and localization, local content, distribution and fulfillment.

Product/Market Strategy - assess and develop implementation plans for product line expansion, market expansion, new market understanding, and

Supply Chain and Channel Strategy - assess and select sales and distribution channels with the context of maximizing the impact on our clients' supply chain.

Technology Consulting

IT Integration with Business Strategies - assess corporate business strategies with the insight and understanding to develop the most effective technology solutions to implement those strategies.

IT Strategies - assess the current software utilization and systems of managing the corporation's assets; conduct the gap analysis to meet the corporation's future growth needs.

IT Sourcing - provide our client with the analysis to select the most cost effective and highest return on investment software solutions

e-Procurement - Supply Chain Management - determine and implement web based sourcing models and Supply Chain Management integration models and software integration

Customer Relationship Management - enable clients to define integrated customer strategies and transform themselves into customer-centric organizations; also our implementation create blueprints the organization, processes, and technology models needed for the transformation

Custom Software Development - using state of art programming languages to innovate high-quality Client/Server Applications that meet our clients' business needs

SI Consulting practice has completed assignments for clients in all of these areas:

INDUSTRIES AND PRODUCT GROUPS

Automotive/Transportation
* Recreational Vehicles Appliances
* Suspension/Brake Parts
* Windshield wiper parts
* Air Filtration
* Diesel Engine Components
* Air Conditioning
* Fuel Heaters
* Liquid Filtration
* Handicapped Lifts
* Mufflers
* People Movers
* Tire Chains
Printing/Publishing/Media
* Business-to-Business Catalogs
* Specialty Magazines
* Direct Marketing Materials
* Directories
* Educational Books
* e-Books
* Web Offset & Rotogravure Printing Services
* Electronic Digital Imaging
* Digital Content Management
Wholesale-Distribution
* Automotive Aftermarket
* Industrial Fasteners
* Construction Fasteners
* Heating/Plumbing products
* Machine Tools
* Dealer Shop Equipment
Electronic Products
* Computer Hardware Manufacturers
* CD ROMs
* Peripherals
* PC Software
* Clean Room Filtration
* Electric/Electronic Switches

Telecommunications
* Cell Phones
* PDA Devices
* Long Distance Services
Industrial Products
* Hydraulic Products
* Steel Chain & Fittings
* Industrial Chemicals
* Automation Equipment
* Machine Tools
* Electronic Remote Controls
* Aluminum Extrusions
* Blowers and Fans
* Combustion Burners
* Coolant Filtration
* Plastic Injection Molding
* Inspection Equipment
* Precision Metal Stampings
* Robotic Systems Integration
* Wire Products, Springs
* Gas Processing
* Industrial Gases
* Natural Gas Filtration
Medical Product
* Non-woven Converted Products
* Surgical Devices
* Dental Disposables
* Bio-Medical Chemicals
House ware/Hardware
* Energy Management Devices
* Decorative Packaging
* DIY Fasteners
* Cleaning Chemicals
* Carpet Care Products
* Pet Products
* Electrical Tools
* Hose Clamps

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Case Histories
Strategy Consulting
Mid sized Industrial Equipment Manufacturer - developed in the Netherlands a global selling system to include focused customer approaches, communization of pricing and terms, accounting planning implementation; with results in the first year of implementation of 16% sales growth.
Electronic Products Manufacturing and Outsourcers - defined for an European, USA owned public company providing Distribution and fulfillment the size of electronic products market potential in various Global Markets, including, Computer and Software, Telecommunications, Medical Devices.
Automotive Componetry Manufacturer - developed a global strategic alliance profile, defined the key players, potential alliances and customers for Brazil, facilitates the meeting with potential alliances in Brazil and successful formed an alliance partner.
Retail Hardware Product Importer/Distributor - defined the product line merchandising, product line offering and led the project team to revamp the product line, trained the sales force of the benefits of the new approach, results 10 times sales revenue within the second year.
Industrial Commodity Manufacturer - using our Strategic Planning Process, led the management team to successfully create a plan that positioned the company for the owner to be successfully sold.
Consortium of Netherlands Companies - provided the necessary market and competitive intelligence and strategy guidelines to assist 16 different Dutch companies to locate US customers, strategic alliances, distributors and sales agents.
North American Printer - establish strategic positioning through industry research for the large printer in the Educational Books, Business-to-Business Catalogs, Direct Marketing Materials, and Specialty Magazine Markets.

Case Histories
Technology Consulting
Banta Corporation
Menasha, Wisconsin

Strategy, Architecture, Design, and Development of an Internal Data Exchange Network, used to network several divisions within the Banta Corporation. ASP, and Microsoft SQL Server.

Microsoft Consulting Services at Allstate Insurance
Northbrook, Illinois

Architecture, design and implementation for Allstate's corporate Intranet. Technologies include Microsoft Windows NT Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Site Server. Extensive use of Microsoft Active Server Page technologies on both the client and server side.

Allstate Insurance for Sales and Marketing Executives International
Northbrook, Illinois

Designed and developed a web site for Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI). The site was created with Microsoft's BackOffice Platform including Internet Information Server 3.0 and Active Server Pages. The site facilitates the searching of pre-defined sites. Expert responses to member queries are also stored in a knowledge base of common sales and marketing issues. Using Microsoft Exchange, the SMEI site includes public and private forums for member collaboration and incorporates web based multimedia training. Additional Microsoft products and technologies used to develop the site include Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, Microsoft Access and Visual InterDev. Third party products include Java, Java Script and Verity Search 97 Information Server.

Andersen Consulting
Wellesley, Massachusetts

Design and development of an internal database used to store, display and print textual abstracts. Application tools included Microsoft Visual Basic and Microsoft Access.

American Express
Phoenix, Arizona

Application development involving database maintenance tools and sales tools for a consumer Web site which offers travel bargains and demographics gathering contests to the general public. VB 4.0 and Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 were used to create approximately 200 SQL stored procedures used for all database access as well as VB wrapper functions for these stored procedures using VB 4.0 RDO (Remote Data Objects).

Our Process
Integrated Project Management
We have designed several methods of defining Businesses Strategies that have been implemented many times for various clients. This process is customizable to optimize value for each client. Even though the starting point may vary, a typical project might follow this pattern:
.
Client Needs Assessment
* Opportunity and benefits analysis
* Objective-setting
* Assessment of current capabilities for sales processes, customer needs and wants
* Intellectual Assets evaluations
Project Specifications
* Industry and competitive research
* Identification of critical process issues
* Gap analysis
* Success criteria development
* Initiative planning and prioritization
* Target profile development
Project Management
* Establish sponsorship for the Strategy process
* Assessment of Systems and processes for adaptation
* Map systems for implementation
* Determine implementation strategies and a timeline focused on objectives
* Training business readiness and roll out planning
Implementation
* Develop a comprehensive and ongoing training program for internal staff
* Establish an internal "help desk" and comprehensive support solutions for field sales
* Implement success criteria and measurement process

AFFILIATES: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO; LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM; TIANJIN, CHINA; MUMBAI, INDIA