Strategic plan for the digital economy

Challenge

A regional logistics service provider sought a business strategy and investment plan to strengthen its product offerings and competitive positioning across the increasingly digital global supply chain. Our client’s board of directors was concerned that the existing strategic plan did not adequately address rapidly-evolving customer demands and the emergence of non-traditional competitors with strong technology-based solutions. This prompted the board to seek expert outside assistance in repositioning the company for its next phase of profitable growth.

Approach

• Benchmarked leading regional and global competitors, with focus on their investments and new services in e-commerce and technology
• Profiled non-traditional competitors with business models heavily based on IT innovations, automation, and the sharing economy
• Analyzed the company’s internal capabilities, IT systems, and organizational strengths and weaknesses
• Developed alternative growth paths with pros/cons and risk assessments
• Recommended new strategic avenues for growth, proactive investments to leverage the new economy and thwart potential digital competitive disruptors, and enhanced marketing/sales capabilities
• Prepared a time-phased, prioritized action plan

Results

• The board of directors, with senior management’s support, adopted the recommended strategy 
• Strategic initiative implementation teams have been staffed and launched across the organization
• New Harbor continues as a valued strategic resource to the company as it moves forward