Operations consulting services

In the face of new challenges, including global megatrends and changing industry ecosystems, business operations need to be agile, scalable and resilient.

Embracing operational transformation

To compete in a globalised world, companies need to focus on becoming more digitally enabled and delivering value to their customers.Technology has enabled greater efficiency. At the same time, it has altered the nature of operations, requiring business leaders to embrace new skills, processes and approaches to management.

To deliver real customer value, companies need to leverage market data and design operational frameworks that meet customer needs. Our Operational effectiveness professionals help organisations navigate disruption and change and steer them towards success in the modern marketplace.

Making your business operate efficiently

Business success requires a combination of factors: understanding the front-end customer experience, and providing effective supply chains aligned with lean, efficient back-end operations. Achieving operational excellence requires a commitment to transform and willingness to collaborate across functions.

Complex procurement and supply chains

Changes in both consumer expectations and digital technologies are driving the requirements of future supply chains. Organisations have become more customer-centric and open to adopting digital solutions. Those transformations are challenging the scope of what is possible in the supply chain.

Organisations need to define and implement connected supply chain ecosystems that are going to be competitive in Industry 4.0. We work on engineering supply chains that provide end-to-end visibility, built-in intelligence and automation. We enable clients to operate with the agility and responsiveness required to succeed in today's world.

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Improving outsourcing

As global markets evolve at speed, organisations need to remain relevant in a fiercely competitive market. At the same time, they have to absorb and react to dynamic regulatory, economic and technological forces. Disruption is the new normal. Since globalisation leaves little room for individualisation, the ability to respond to changing conditions is critical for any organisation.

We are the global leaders in the design and implementation of strategic outsourcing capabilities on behalf of our clients. Our best-practice framework solutions provide a disciplined and structured approach to the design, build and implementation of outsourcing arrangements. Our proven expertise and experience means we can support clients from strategy to execution.

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Redefining digital operations

Digital operations, or Industry 4.0, is of critical strategic importance for all global companies. Yet most business leaders have still not come to terms with the conceptual leap it represents.

Industry 4.0 encompasses:

  • end-to-end digitisation of the value chain
  • offering digital products and services
  • operating connected physical and virtual assets
  • transforming and integrating all operational activities
  • building partnerships
  • optimising customer-facing activities

Mastering Industry 4.0 requires a clear strategy, a deep understanding of collaboration, and the commitment of senior management. Companies that fail to embrace this radical change will struggle to survive.

We help classify organisations on the basis of their digital maturity and assess what it will take to turn them into digital champions. We advise companies on how to step forward to design and implement a thriving digital ecosystem.

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Shared services

Shared Service Centres (SSCs) are an essential strategic element for most organisations. SSCs have evolved from providers of transactional, repetitive accounting activities into multi-functional organisations with a global focus. This evolution continues at pace with a shift towards global business services (GBS). GBS involves the full integration of non-business activities into one consistent and independent service organisation, with a specific focus on end to end processes.

The movement to embrace new digital capabilities, including process intelligence, robotics, AI, and IoT has shifted the balance towards more, not less, centralisation of these processes.

We are leaders in the provision of global and shared services advice, and we provide comprehensive support throughout the entire SSC or GBS strategy to execution life cycle.

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Customer experience is key

To transition from a product-led to an experience-led business, companies need to accept and embrace that competing on a customer experience basis is a lever to gain competitive advantage.

The customer has and always will be the central focus of any business. However, customers expectations are increasing through the digitalisation of society. Organisations that fail to embrace and deliver on these expectations risk being left behind. It is only when companies successfully deliver change at the customer frontier across people, processes and technology in unison that they can become a leader in customer experience.

We accelerate that journey with you. We work to deliver solutions that will transform your business into a customer-led organisation.

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Transforming operations and business models

A successful business model relies on more than just a strong vision. To perform, it must align with critical business objectives and activities that wrap around an organisation's structure, processes, systems and people management.

To succeed in an ever-changing digitalised, globalised world, business models need to be agile, scalable and resilient.

We work with organisations to design and implement operating models that deliver effective business strategies. By drawing insight from a variety of perspectives - customers, processes, technology, information, structure and people - we create business models that work for your business. Our deep industry and multifunctional experience help deliver complete answers to the most complex business issues that organisations face.

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Mark McKeever

Director, PwC Ireland (Republic of)

Gary Hanniffy

Director, PwC Ireland (Republic of)

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