Sarah Sheppard Email & Phone Number

Penn Street, Amersham, Buckinghamshire

StructureMy experience of manufacturing & network strategy covers the creation and verification of manufacturing and distribution cost models through to financial evaluation & risk analysis of major strategic investment projects for major multi-nationals. Such projects are rare in an operational role, so my experience in framing strategic analysis and defining scenarios can be highly valued in these situations. ProcessBusinesses focus extensively on ensuring effective Supply Chain processes but often embedded approaches, misleading KPIs or internal blind spots mean more value is found by challenging and adopting a new approach. My experience in purchasing & raw materials management through inventory optimisation, supply planning, demand planning, factory scheduling, S&OP and customer service means I am able to bring a fresh data-driven perspective. ToolsFrom (years ago!) creating single-sheet Excel tools to determine safety stock & developing inventory obsolescence calculations, I have overseen Sequoia’s Tools team as they have designed & successfully delivered Sequoia’s pioneering web-enabled Inventory Management application. OnTarget incorporates standard statistical inventory management science alongside our (patent pending) approaches to ensure precision inventory control. Sequoia applies our experience to ensure the OnTarget solution delivers the right parameters to feed the ERP replenishment process in the specific client environment.OnTarget not only provides unrivalled visibility of Inventory decisions and opportunities, it also prioritises further potential improvements from SKU range simplification through to customer SLA negotiation.Sequoia's EOQ, cycle scheduling & forecast analysis tools have also unlocked efficiency gains in hard-worked Supply Chain teams; releasing demand planners to focus on adding value to event analysis and NPI scenarios or refining manufacturing schedules to maximise asset utilisation.

Penn Street, Amersham, Buckinghamshire

My passion is to embed the skills that enable and empower Supply Chain professionals to make a real difference to their business. Past roles in Sequoia include leading the Sequoia Supply Chain Training Practice and I, along with colleagues, have designed, developed and delivered numerous learning events which have been successfully delivered to over 1,000 delegates across the globe. Sequoia is renowned and highly respected for delivering insightful, practical and highly engaging training, tailored to client requirements and business challenges and incorporating our extensive experience. Our belief is that Supply Chain professionals need to Statisticians (confident with numbers), Economists (able to optimise Supply Chains) and Diplomats (excellent communicators and negotiators). I deliver training across all of our areas of expertise.

My extensive consultancy experience, working on a range of manufacturing strategies and supply chain design projects, has proven to me the importance of both technique transfer and team development. Finding an answer is only part of the solution; equipping the team to communicate and work together effectively, implement and manage the change is essential to the success of the project – and beyond!I was initially introduced to Management Drives over 15 years ago and it clicked immediately; a practical, people focused tool that is easy to grasp, offers a language for the tensions and misunderstandings in a group and above all enables teams and individuals to work together well. This all fits well with my Management Drives logic; I am motivated to improve working relationships within groups, I want the approach to be practical and useable and I like the fact it is based on sound theory without being too difficult to get your head around! I trained to become a Master Practitioner in the approach in 2010 and have delivered numerous programmes incorporating Management Drives to a variety of clients.

Uxbridge

Consultant with a focus on supply chain improvement within FMCG businesses.Clients included Unilever, United Biscuits, Thermos and Spillers Pet Foods.Work included manufacturing strategy analysis, engineering improvement programme, risk analysis and inventory optimisation work.