Robert Wanat is a Certified Turnaround Professional ("CTP"), specializing in business turnarounds, crisis management and process improvement. He has been the CRO for several companies, leading these entities successfully through the restructuring process including industries such as metal products manufacturing and stamping, meat processing, furniture manufacturing, transportation sectors, construction material manufacturing, and auto parts manufacturing.

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Robert has more than 35 years of experience in manufacturing and distribution environments in both Senior Corporate and Line Management positions. As a consultant he is a results-oriented leader. His accomplishments include more than 100 successful profit-improvement turnarounds and corporate restructuring for manufacturing, distribution, food processing, foundry, textile, printing and service companies.

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He has extensive hands-on experience in:

 

• Operations Management/Process Improvement

• Process Analysis and Trouble Shooting leading to improved financial performance and customer service levels

• Inventory Control including: JIT, ERP, Supply Chain and Accounting Systems Development and Implementation

• Strategic Planning and Corporate Restructuring

• Cost and Activity-based Accounting

• Back-Office and Customer Service/Support Activities

 

Robert served as the CRO for the oldest manufacturer of industrial and academic metal lockers, cabinets, filing drawer systems based in Illinois.   Through a 363 Court supervised sale he successfully marketed and sold the Company to a Private Equity group in less than 95 days following the Company’s Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filing.   All employees along with the Company’s four operating facilities were maintained.

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As the Out-of-Court CRO for the largest independently owned beef processing facility located in South Texas, Robert utilized his leadership and company restructuring skills to accomplish an Out-of-Court sale of the Company to a local investor group. The Company employed over 350 people and was able to maintain uninterrupted operations throughout the process.

 

Before joining Focus Management Group, Robert was the Director of the Operations Consulting Group for an International Turnaround and Crisis Management firm. He also served as Principal-in-Charge of an operations consulting group where he directed a wide range of consulting engagements, including company turnarounds and workouts, process/profit improvement re-engineering programs, ERP manufacturing control system implementations, manufacturing lead-time and inventory investment reduction programs, due diligence-operation reviews, and organizational restructuring analyses.

 

Robert has served as Chief Operating Officer for underperforming companies for which he has focused on restructuring the company’s manufacturing processes, reducing inventory investment levels and implementing JIT processes to improve customer-service levels and meet market requirements.

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Robert holds Bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Northern Illinois University, with concentrations in operations research and industrial engineering. He has been active in APICS (American Production Inventory Control Society), Illinois Manufacturers Association, and served on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Suburban Chicago, Chairing the Finance Committee, and a member of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA).