Knowing what you know now, would you do it again?
“Absolutely – without question.”
What would you say to others thinking of working with Transfirm?
“Look, without sounding corny, I couldn’t speak more highly of them – it’s their professionalism, empathy and experience”
CASE STUDY
ShawX Manufacturing commenced in 2016 to bring over 40 years of earthmoving experience to the manufacture of high-quality, custom equipment. ShawX Manufacturing is well known within the earthmoving industry for its innovative designs and customer-focused solutions. ShawX has a team of highly experienced engineers, boilermakers, machinists and painters who are dedicated to advancing manufacturing within Australia.
What was happening when you engaged Transfirm?
We needed help to clarify our strategy and improve cash flow.
We wanted to take the business to the next level and although we had a gut feeling of how to move forward, we needed someone to help put us on the right track.
What was the first thing you did with Transfirm?
Transfirm took time to listen to our concerns – we needed a higher gross margin but our costs where already low and we didn’t feel we could raise prices.
That’s when Transfirm suggested we could achieve the outcome we needed without raising prices or lowering costs; but by altering the product mix. Using data we confirmed this was the way to go and we were able to get management on board. Transfirm then helped us track progress against the target product mix by collecting data on a visual board. This empowered management to make decisions. We are now able to agree quickly as a management team, where in the past it could take a long time.
This alone has been huge for us – not only is cash flow where we need it, but it helped us build consensus.
We then moved on to improving important processes and developing the ShawX management system.
How did you feel at the time?
We felt a bit demoralised before engaging Transfirm, but I was very excited after our first couple of meetings. I became really confident that Transfirm could work with management and get the results we wanted. David from Transfirm is respectful and a quiet achiever – he has so much experience, yet when you meet him you wouldn’t know – he is humble in his approach.
What made the most impact?
The most impact has definitely come from having a clear strategy, getting the product mix right and using data to make decisions.
What would you say you achieved overall from working with Transfirm?
We are now much happier coming to work and there have been significant increases in profit and cash flow. We can see a future clearly and are now planning five years ahead.
We are well on our way to taking the next step with our business.
Knowing what you know now, would you do it again?
Absolutely – without question
What would you say to others thinking of working with Transfirm?
Look, without sounding corny, I couldn’t speak more highly of them – it’s their professionalism, empathy and experience.
Donna Shaw
Business Owner and Finance Manager – ShawX Industries
