Business Optimisation

Overview

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A leading global renewable energy company required support to optimise its operating model. The business had experienced rapid growth, achieving a 38% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), but had also significantly increased its headcount across 8 countries to accommodate this expansion.  Headcount was growing in line with the asset base, and economies of scale were not being fully leveraged.  Ways of working were not optimal, with significant duplication of activities across departments, and outsourced work was not delivering the expected value. Technological solutions had been attempted, but with little success.   Additionally, increased competition, rising capital costs, and a forecasted reduction in energy prices meant future business growth would require reducing operating costs and refining internal departmental cost allocations.

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Approach

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•Conducted interviews with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Senior Management Team (SMT) members to identify potential areas for improvement.

 

•Investigated improvement opportunities by analysing relevant data, creating and evaluating headcount ratios and performance metrics, and leading deep-dive sessions to explore ideas.

 

•Developed a shortlist of opportunities across Asset Management, Operations & Maintenance, and Engineering & Construction, highlighting potential benefits and financial savings.

 

•Collaborated with Department Heads to define the scope, priorities, dependencies and timelines for each opportunity.

 

•Created project charters for high-priority opportunities and recommended appropriate internal project leads to execute each initiative.

 

•Developed a demand-driven global resource planning tool for the Engineering & Construction (E&C) department to optimise resource allocation and sharing across regions.

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Outcome

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•Identified a cost-saving opportunity of €9M in annualized savings by leveraging technological solutions, streamlining workflows, and simplifying the organisational structure to enhance interdepartmental collaboration.

 

•Created a KPI dashboard with headcount efficiency metrics to track the impact of ongoing improvement efforts.

 

•Upskilled staff in the use of the global resource planning tool, enabling optimized headcount allocation across E&C.