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Ledger & LockFinance & security

Manufacturing & engineering

Financial leadership for manufacturing and engineering businesses

Manufacturers and engineering firms tie up cash in materials, stock, work in progress and machinery long before customers pay. Knowing the true cost of each product or job, and planning cash and investment around it, is the difference between growing profitably and growing into trouble.
Arrange an introductory conversationFinance & Fractional FD

What drives performance

The numbers that matter most in your sector.

  • Accurate product and job costing
  • Margins by product, customer and contract
  • Stock and work-in-progress levels
  • Capital investment in plant and machinery
  • Supplier pricing and material cost changes

Common challenges

What we often see in manufacturing & engineering.

Margins eroded without anyone noticing

Material, energy and labour costs move faster than prices and quotes. Without job-level costing, unprofitable work can run for months.

Cash tied up in stock and WIP

Busy order books can absorb cash in materials and work in progress, leaving the business stretched despite strong sales.

Investment decisions on instinct

New machines, sites or shifts are big commitments. Without a forecast and business case, it is hard to know whether they will pay back.

Customer and lender scrutiny

Larger customers, lenders and asset finance providers expect credible numbers, and often ask about information security too.

Production disruption

A system outage or cyber incident that stops production hits cash and customer relationships immediately.

How well do you know your numbers?

Take the one-minute check

An illustrative scenario

How it typically plays out.

This is an illustrative example of a common pattern, not a description of a specific client or event.
  1. 1

    A growing engineering firm wins a large contract and turnover rises by a third.

  2. 2

    Materials are bought up front and payment terms are long, so cash gets tighter every month.

  3. 3

    Without a cash forecast, the overdraft limit is reached just as a major supplier asks for payment.

  4. 4

    A 13-week forecast, renegotiated terms and job costing would have shown the squeeze months earlier.

How we help

Where we focus for businesses like yours.

  • Product and job costing that reflects real costs
  • Cash flow forecasting around stock, WIP and payment terms
  • Business cases and funding plans for capital investment
  • Monthly reporting the production and sales teams can act on
  • Controls and resilience that protect production and payments

Finance

Fractional Finance Director

Senior financial leadership for a set number of days a month, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time appointment.

Finance

Management reporting and financial insight

Clear, timely monthly reporting that tells you what is happening, why, and what to do next.

Finance

FP&A, budgeting and forecasting

Budgets, forecasts and scenario models that turn your plans into numbers you can steer by.

Finance

Cash flow and working capital

Forecast, protect and release cash, so growth does not leave the business short.

Resilience and security

Protecting what you've built

Financial controls, fraud prevention, cyber risk and operational resilience.

Other industries we work with

Next step

Talk to people who understand your sector's numbers.

An introductory conversation is free. We'll ask about your margins, cash and plans, and tell you honestly where senior finance support would make the biggest difference.

Arrange an introductory conversationBook an introductory call

  • 30 to 45 minutes, by video or in person

    At a time that suits you.

  • A conversation, not a sales pitch

    We want to understand your business first.

  • A clear proposal

    If we can help, you will know what we suggest and what it will cost.