Tamarack is a new name in Supply Chain Consulting

							Tamarack is a new name in Supply Chain Consulting – So what?

There are lots of small supply chain focussed consulting companies out there, so why
should I be interested in yet another one? Good question.

Back in the ‟90‟s, when the larger retail and manufacturing companies needed external
support in answering crucial questions about their Supply Chain, they went to the big
boys; firms such as Coopers and Lybrand, Arthur Anderson and Ernst & Young. By
doing so they got good quality thinking from typically excellent and experienced people
and everyone was happy. However, over the last few years, the big firms have begun to
shift their focus towards systems oriented consulting: which system to use, how to
implement it and the biggest prize, implementation itself.

Arguably, and not everyone will agree, this meant less focus on the (poorly named)
“process” side of supply chain consulting – answering the age old but ever important
questions such as: What stock to hold? Should I hold stock? Where should I hold it? How
many DC‟s do I need?, right through to more the more topical challenges such as; How
do I best manage a supply chain that no longer starts in the UK but from factories in the
Guangdong Province of China? How does my supply chain need to change to cater for
the proliferation of small format stores – should I pick singles or cases?

Many of the highly rated people that are skilled at answering precisely these kinds of
questions left the big firms at the end of the nineties. Many of them now work
successfully either independently or within very small firms tapping into their old client
and colleague networks. But where does a Supply Chain Director go with a difficult
question – a systems focussed big consultancy, or a „random‟ niche player that may or
may not have the right skills and experience? Another good question.

Tamarack has been formed to address just this need.

Its five founders are all highly respected ex-Coopers and Lybrand supply chain “process”
consultants who‟ve been happily working together for “blue chip” (apologies, another
hackneyed term) clients for a number of years - effectively as independents under a single
brand name. The founders include James Warner, the Head of Coopers & Lybrand and
then PwC‟s global supply chain practice until 2002 - so they‟re hardly new to this game.



Tamarack Partners Ltd, Innovation Centre Oxford OX2 0JX
Phone: +44 (0) 1865 811 136 e-mail: supplychain@tamarack-uk.com
www.tamarack-uk.com
Tamarack Partners, beyond its founders, are a hand picked group of exceptional
individuals who are not only highly respected supply chain consultants from major firms
but who have also delivered in line roles. Some continue to work as independents as
well. Tamarack Partners brings together the best supply chain consulting talent under
one roof thus taking the risk and effort away from the Supply Chain Director looking for
external help.

Tamarack also has attitude – and it‟s a challenging one. Ask John Sewell, another
founding member and ex-Senior Vice President of Reckitt Benckiser what he thinks
about supply chain decision making. “Too much [of it] is based on poorly founded gut
feel, based on rules of thumb and custom & practice. What Tamarack individuals do is
bring a greater rigour and objectivity of analysis combined with an „attitude‟ about how
supply chains can and do operate elsewhere. We therefore promise what I call
numerically supported decision making - we have to get into the nitty griity analysis of
the numbers because that‟s the only place where you the right answer lies. Once found,
you‟ve then got to pull yourself out of the detail and make the results transparent for the
Board”

Tamarack are always looking for the brightest Supply Chain thinkers to join their group,
so for those readers who may be interested in doing so, or for those looking to talk further
about their services their contact details are below.




Tamarack Partners Ltd, Innovation Centre Oxford OX2 0JX
Phone: +44 (0) 1865 811 136 e-mail: supplychain@tamarack-uk.com
www.tamarack-uk.com