Getting a radically revamped business on the right long-term path generally equires fresh insight and some concentrated planning.
Schumacher Company, a Germany-based maker of farm machinery and equipment, drew upon CIRAS expertise to balance and prioritize operations at a time when the agricultural economy was plummeting. Maximilian Droste, director of North American operations for Group Schumacher, said CIRAS helped lead his company through planning and creation of a balanced scorecard following major change tied to a new factory.
CIRAS project manager Joy Donald helped leaders set priorities after Schumacher invested roughly $4.5 million into its new American manufacturing operations. “We did a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) that then translated to an action plan,” Donald said. “My role was to provide structure and be an unbiased guide, to basically walk them through the analysis and help them understand what their highest priority should be.”
Droste said the process helped leaders make the right decisions after Schumacher merged two Iowa locations into a newly constructed facility in Durant. Technology needs, new procedures, and new staffing needs all were clamoring for attention at the time.
“It’s always good to have another set of outside eyes,” Droste said. “I think what Joy really did was help us focus on what was really important. Our goals are aligned now.”
For more information on balanced scorecards, contact Joy Donald at jdonald@iastate.edu or 319-359-0206.
A version of this article was published in the Winter 2019 edition of CIRAS News. To read more of that edition or others, please explore elsewhere on our website.