Package
Entry Point
Quick Assessment
2.5 weeks. Five dimensions. One clear picture of what your operation is costing you — and exactly what to do about it.
duration
2,5 weeks
Delivery
Senior-Led
Fixed Fee
€ 29,000
Typical Payback
< 4 weeks
Recognise Any of These?
The signals are already
visible in your operation.
These aren't edge cases. They're patterns we see in well-run operations that have drifted — gradually, invisibly — into performance gaps that compound over time.
Processing cost per unit is rising without a clear explanation
Freight costs increasing faster than volume justifies
High stock write-offs, aged inventory, or poor stock accuracy
Throughput constrained by automation running below design assumptions
High unwanted returns or delays getting stock back on sale
KPIs look stable but aren't connected to actual cost impact
Store service levels or customer fill rates falling short
Space limitations, poor product flow, or persistent congestion
Capital decisions made without independent validation
Supplier DIFOT issues or quality problems requiring costly rework
Designed For
Operations at an
inflection point.
The Quick Assessment is most valuable when something has shifted — or is about to. Here's where we see the clearest returns.
01
Distribution centres under
labour pressure
When headcount is growing faster than throughput, something structural is wrong. We find it.
02
Transitioning to
ecommerce
Store replenishment and ecommerce have fundamentally different operational demands. Most warehouses aren't set up for both.
03
Preparing for
automation
Before you commit capital, understand what your operation actually needs — not what a vendor's model says it needs.
04
Hitting throughput
ceilings
Congestion and capacity constraints are rarely a space problem. They're usually a flow problem — with a very different solution.
What We Consistently Find
Value hiding in
plain sight.
Across sectors, the same patterns appear. Not because operations are poorly managed — but because these inefficiencies are genuinely difficult to see from the inside.
Automation Running below potential
Throughput, rework, and downtime figures that don't match design assumptions — often for years, without anyone owning the gap.
flow imbalance misread as a space problem
Congestion and capacity constraints that look like a footprint issue — but are actually a sequencing and layout issue with a far cheaper fix.
KPIs disconnected from decisions
Metrics that are tracked but can't drive action. Reporting that measures activity rather than performance — giving false confidence.
Capital decisions without independent validation
Investment cases built on vendor projections, with no independent baseline to test them against. Significant capital at risk.
Workarounds that became standard practice
Informal fixes to recurring problems that never got resolved — now embedded in daily operations and quietly inflating cost per unit.
Activity that adds cost, not value
Tasks that exist because they always have — not because the customer or business benefits from them. Often 10–15% of operational effort.
Our Approach
A structured diagnostic across
five core dimensions.
We use standardised frameworks to analyse your operation — then translate every operational finding into financial impact. Not observations. Not recommendations without numbers. Quantified opportunity.
01 Operational flow & bottlenecks
02 Labour productivity & cost drivers
03 Space utilisation & layout effectiveness
04 Automation performance vs. design assumptions
05 KPI transparency & cost linkage
Methodology — Workshop Frameworks
Product Flow
Warehouse layout and how product — including returns — moves through the operation.
Root Cause
Getting past symptoms to identify the underlying drivers of recurring problems.
Value Analysis
Identifying activities the customer genuinely values — and stripping out those they don't.
Waste Removal
Processing efficiency, inventory efficiency, and eliminating bottlenecks in the flow.
Fault Analysis
A systematic approach to diagnosing automation issues at their source.
KPI Framework
Defining the metrics that actually drive performance — and connecting them to financial outcomes.
Package Scope
Defined scope.
No surprises.
What's included
4-day on-site visit to one warehouse for assessments and structured meetings
2 days of assessment workshops (delivered remotely)
4 days to develop the full assessment report
1 presentation and readout session (delivered remotely)
How the 2.5 weeks unfolds
Day 1-4
On-site assessment
Senior-led site visit. Operational observations, data capture, and stakeholder interviews across all five dimensions.
Day 5-6
Remote Workshops
Structured analysis workshops using the relevant methodology frameworks — tailored to your specific pain points.
Day 7-10
Report Development
Findings translated into financial impact. Improvement opportunities quantified. Action plan structured and prioritised.
Day 12-13
Readout & handover
Senior-led presentation of findings and recommendations. Q&A. Full report and 90-day action plan delivered.
What You Receive
Five deliverables.
Every time.
No vague recommendations. No generic observations. Every assessment ends with the same five outputs — tailored entirely to your operation.
01
Performance
Baseline
A clear, evidence-based picture of where your operation stands across all five dimensions.
02
Quantified
Opportunity
Improvement potential expressed in euros — not percentages. Specific, defensible, and traceable to your own data.
03
Three
Quick Wins
Immediately actionable improvements you can begin this quarter — without capital expenditure or structural change.
04
90-Day
Action Plan
A prioritised roadmap with clear ownership, sequencing, and milestones. Ready to execute from day one.
05
Risk &
Constraint Overview
Dependencies, blockers, and risks documented so your leadership team can act with eyes open.
Typical Impact
Numbers that
justify themselves.
Every operation is different. But across the engagements we've run, these are the ranges we consistently see.
5%+
Cost optimisation
commonly identified
10-20%
Throughput recovery potential identified
5-12%
Labour productivity improvement
<4 wks
Typical assessment payback period
“Quick wins identified in the assessment typically cover the assessment cost multiple times over. The payback isn’t theoretical — it’s usually visible within the first quarter of implementation.”
Package Pricing
Fixed fee.
No ambiguity.
Every operation is different. But across the engagements we've run, these are the ranges we consistently see.
Package Investment
€ 29,000
Ex VAT · Ex travel costs
≈ £ 24,900≈ CHF 27,800≈ A$ 48,500
A fixed-fee engagement with defined scope, defined deliverables, and no scope creep.
4-day on-site assessment
2-day remote workshops
4-day report development
Senior-led readout session
Full report + 90-day action plan
Duration
2.5 weeks
From kick-off to final report. No extended timelines, no drawn-out engagements.
Team Structure
Senior-led
The consultant who leads your assessment is a senior practitioner — not a junior analyst supervised remotely.
Commitment
Assessment only
No obligation beyond this package. The findings are yours to act on — with us or independently.
Ready to begin
Find out what your operation
is actually costing you.
The Quick Assessment is the fastest, lowest-risk way to get an independent view of your operation. Speak with a senior Ethon consultant — no commitment beyond the conversation.