At Total Productivity Solutions, we believe that the best answers aren’t always the biggest, flashiest, or most immediate ones. They’re the solutions that actually move your business forward — strategically, sustainably, and in line with your long-term goals.
Recently, we worked with a manufacturing leader in the chilled food sector facing serious operational challenges. His contract packing partner was consistently letting down his direct-to-consumer (D2C) customers — missed deliveries, poor service, unhappy buyers. Frustrated and under pressure, he believed his only option was to break away completely and set up his own food production facility to bring everything in-house.
This was exactly the kind of project many consultants would jump at — high-value, complex, and profitable. In fact, many firms offering food business consulting would have immediately scoped out and designed this new facility.
But at Total Productivity Solutions that’s not how we work, we take a different view.
Our first [silent] question is always – Is what you’re asking us to do for you – really what you need?
The Client
- Medium Sized Chilled Produce Packer
Constraints
- Regulated industry
- Fulfilment Reliability (D2C Operations)
- Cash Flow & Core Revenue Dependency (B2B Contracts)
- Resource Limitations
- Scalability & Flexibility
- Strategic Timing
- Financial Feasibility
- Supply Chain Collaboration
- Risk Management
Our Structured Discovery Framework: Solving the Right Problems
Instead of rushing into facility design or production specs, we applied our Structured Discovery Framework — a core part of our approach to food industry operations.
We asked the questions that really mattered:
- What’s your core business, and where does most of your revenue come from?
- Where is your business facing the greatest risk right now—and why?
- What do you need in this moment to stabilise and grow sustainably?
- Who else in your network can still add value?
Through this strategic process, we discovered something crucial:
His contract packer was indeed struggling with D2C — but they remained highly effective at fulfilling his B2B retail accounts. These were his “cash cow” customers, and they represented the backbone of his business.
Walking away entirely would have been a risky move, potentially disrupting profitable relationships and overextending his resources.
Operational Efficiency Through Smarter, Smaller Solutions
Instead of recommending a costly full-scale facility, we proposed a targeted, lean production solution focused solely on D2C operations:
- Start small — build a focused, flexible D2C packing operation.
- Design for scalability — create a facility that can ramp up gradually as D2C demand grows.
- Preserve core strengths — continue leveraging the contract packer for retail B2B fulfilment.
This approach gave him exactly what he needed: a way to regain control of his D2C channel without jeopardising his B2B contracts. He’s now working on financing this new D2C-focused division, without rushing into a risky expansion.
Strategic Business Consulting That Prioritises Integrity
At Total Productivity Solutions, we’re often asked why we don’t simply act on client requests from the start.
The answer is simple: Good data tells you where you’ve been – Asking the right questions tells you where you need to go.
Our experience in food manufacturing consulting and complex supply chain solutions allows us to:
- Identify the right strategic moves.
- Help food businesses balance their B2B and D2C operations effectively.
- Solve real problems with scalable production solutions—not just temporary fixes.
- Support clients in making decisions that improve both operational efficiency and long-term business growth.
Why This Approach Works
Our deep industry knowledge, combined with a commitment to integrity, enables us to help clients:
Focus on what matters most.
Solve the right problems.
Position themselves for long-term success — not just short-term relief.
At TPS, we don’t just solve problems — we help businesses think ahead and think differently.
Our experience in food manufacturing consulting and supply chain solutions allows us to:
- Identify the right strategic moves.
- Help food businesses balance their B2B and D2C operations effectively.
- Solve real problems with scalable production solutions—not just temporary fixes.
- Support clients in making decisions that improve both operational efficiency and long-term business growth.
When You Feel Like You Need More Data — You Actually Need Direction
Data can show what happened yesterday. But moving your business forward requires a clear, strategic vision—and the confidence to follow it.
At Total Productivity Solutions, we help food manufacturing leaders think ahead, navigate manufacturing strategy, and unlock new opportunities for sustainable growth.
This client is now planning a D2C-focused packing facility that will strengthen his business without putting existing contracts at risk. He has time and space to think strategically about financing and long-term growth, rather than reacting out of panic.
Whilst his contract packer was failing at D2C, they were still doing an exceptional job servicing his retail B2B customers – we didn’t want him to introduce fresh risk and uncertainty into an already difficult industry sector.
Walking away from his current delivery partner completely would have created unnecessary risk and huge disruption, not to mention his team would be learning new skills as they went. He could be left with no customers at all.
What he really needed wasn’t a huge facility — but a targeted, scalable solution to improve D2C operations while keeping his profitable B2B relationships intact. Bringing our property specialist into the conversation early – because finding that Goldilocks property always takes longer than you expect – meant that he could set the criteria and step back, focusing on what he and his team did best.
Help When You Need It - How You Need It
If your business is facing tough decisions about facility design, B2B or D2C fulfilment, or production challenges, we’re here to help you take a step back, ask better questions, consider the constraints that might hold you back and find the right path forward.