Pemeco Consulting

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a large animal nutrition company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pemeco Consulting?

We were trying to replace our ERP system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Pemeco as our consultant to walk us through the selection of a new system. They helped identify our needs and then take the universe of systems down to a manageable number that applied to our use case. Then, we demoed all the systems, interpreted the results, and made our final selections. One big thing they did was help us negotiate the final agreement, which generated significant savings.

We could have found the same system, and obviously it helps to have the confidence of a group like Pemeco, but they paid for themselves ten times over during the negotiation. We actually had a major blow-up with our chosen vendor a few months into the project and they came in to hold the vendor's feet to the fire. This helped us reach a solution that worked for everybody.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people. I also interacted with Jonathan (Owner).

How did you come to work with Pemeco Consulting?

I worked on a research project during business school about how to determine organizational readiness for ERP change in small and medium businesses. I interviewed 30 different consultants as part of that project and found two that I would work with. Most consultants want to prescribe their methodology on your organization and have no empathy to figure out who you are as an organization. Their results aren’t tailored to their clients’ needs. Only Pemeco and one other firm understood how small businesses thought, and Pemeco had more expertise than the other firm.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $3,000,000–$5,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2017. Once we defined the scope of the project their role diminished to that of an advisor who checks-in to make sure things are going well. As we look at additional add-ons and systems to integrate into our ERP in the future they’ll continue to advise.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We greatly enjoyed working with them. In the selection process, it was about confidence and organization. They identified the right consultants to demo for us, showing us the ones who would speak to our secret sauce.

There were 128 different negotiated items in our final contract with the vendor, and the vendor told us they’d never had as detailed a negotiation as ours, and they work with companies way bigger than us. That aspect gave our team a ton of confidence. If the negotiation had gone wrong with the ERP vendor, we would have been upstream without a paddle, but Pemeco helped us navigate it.

How did Pemeco Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They came alongside us to be a true part of the team, telling us if we were being crazy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There are three things I’ve said and would say again. First, they listened to our specific needs. They took 3-5 days to learn about what made our business special. They didn’t describe a pre-determined methodology that won’t fit but 1% of the world’s businesses. They took note of what was important to us. The second thing was the contract negotiation. I don’t believe there is another consulting company we could have worked with to get a contract like we have. If there is, our vendor wouldn’t have been shocked at the number of things we went after. Nobody handles the contract negotiation how we did, and that’s because of Pemeco, and it saved our butts. I told Pemeco after the negotiation that they could have charged me ten times more than they did and I still would have worked with them. They saved us seven digits. The third piece is their ability to be an objective third party. They were always on our side giving us fair, wise counsel.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t know. They were really responsive, especially one individual on the team. This person was very smart and capable but they didn’t have the world’s best communication skills. That probably created a bit of extra work, but nobody is perfect. I don’t really have any complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would tell them to fire whoever they were working with and hire Pemeco.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of enterprise systems at Price Industries. We primarily work in the North American heating, ventilation, and air conditioning market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address Pemeco Consulting?

We were looking to replace our ERP system because it was over 20 years old.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us select an ERP system. Their team reviewed our documentation and worked with us both in-person and over the phone. They helped us take our existing requirements and build on them to make them more standard and clear. Their work included initial outreach to vendors, and they helped guide us throughout the selection process. 

We’ve since expanded their work to include implementation and consulting about manufacturing routing. 

What is the team composition?

John (Managing Director) was our initial contact. He took care of the administrative duties and legal work. Peter Gross (Founder & President) and Peter Santaniello (Principal Consultant) were the principal consultants. 

How did you come to work with Pemeco Consulting?

We interviewed three companies, but we connected the best with Pemeco. They understood our business and offered competitive pricing. 

How much have you invested with them?

The initial engagement cost about $250,000, and I expect the implementation will also cost several hundred thousand dollars. So, all together, we’ll probably spend about half a million dollars. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We first connected with them in September 2018. We selected our ERP vendor in December 2019 which marked the end of our initial engagement. Since then, we’ve re-engaged them for ERP implementation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re happy with the results which is why we decided to engage them for implementation as well. We’re going to be working with them for years to come. 

How did Pemeco Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

We had regular touchpoints with them. They provided a pretty detailed schedule as well. In the first month, it took some time to adjust and learn how to work with them, but since then everything has been very smooth. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their experience is most impressive. Their consultants have decades of experience in manufacturing. They excel in working with midmarket enterprises. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing was ever a deal-breaker for me. They’re a smaller firm, so occasionally, scheduling was challenging. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Be very clear about what you want them to work on and what you’re comfortable doing on your own. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Vice President of Business Excellence for a leading producer and supplier of high-value, mission-critical raw materials, ingredients, and additives that are vital to businesses and integral to a lower-carbon economy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pemeco Consulting?

To protect our core and build a strong foundation for our future.

What were your goals for this project?

A multinational vertically integrated enterprise Sophisticated planning and customer service Controlled corporate agility through:

• Decision-making: timely analytics
• Systematized processes & optimization
• Evolving to “Industry 4.0”
• Integrated enterprise and industrial automation systems
• Machine learning

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

First reviewed several agnostic vendors on line. Invited 3 vendors to present to our executive committee. Pemeco was awarded the contract unanimously.

Describe the project in detail.

Pemeco in conjunction with our internal team has built a business transformation program spanning the next 5 - 10 years. Included is the selection and implementation of a new ERP across our sites globally.

Several other programs are included such as a new TMS implementation, a LMS selection and implementation, a Grain Procurement system and others. They are involved in every phase, selection, contract negotiations and project management.

What was the team composition?

Pemeco led the selection process with their 2 most senior people. Once selected the allcoated a senior consultant to work side by side our internal ERP Director as a project manager. I continue to work with their most senior person as my go to for all other program related issues. They will be as involved as you'd like.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

From a contractual perspective they always "win". We got improved, locked in pricing from our vendor that was unimaginable at the start of negotiations. They assist from a project management perspective as well as automation of the project and the in house creation of our PMO office. Their services truly are invaluable.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I am super close with the two most senior people and i meet directly with one of them every week. Their senior consultant is part of the core ERP team and he is highly regarded. He is quiet, extremely observant and very direct and professional. He is very well respected by the team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have knowledge in every area imaginable. It never ceases to amaze me the experience and knowledge they have. They are super professional but also very collaborative and approachable. Since we have worked with them so long, they have truly become like family.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I honestly can't think of one area for improvement.