Which products and customers earn an acceptable return?
Separate material, labour, freight, scrap, overhead, discounts, and payment terms so volume is not mistaken for contribution.
Fractional CFO for Manufacturing
Manufacturing growth absorbs cash before the income statement explains why.
I run the finance function around inventory, purchasing, throughput, labour, gross margin, working capital, equipment, and the tradeoffs between more volume and better economics.
The questions that matter
Use the numbers to make the operating call.
The work is useful when it connects the financial result to what management can change next.
How much inventory does the business really need?
Connect demand, lead times, safety stock, obsolescence, supplier terms, and cash capacity.
Can we afford the next machine or shift?
Model the fully loaded investment, ramp period, financing, labour, maintenance, and throughput required to earn the return.
Why did gross margin move?
Bridge price, mix, volume, material cost, labour efficiency, scrap, and overhead absorption into an explanation management can act on.
What I take responsibility for
Run the finance function around the business model.
The bookkeeper and accountant remain important. The CFO role makes sure their work comes together into one management view.
- Manage the close, inventory reporting, and outside accounting work.
- Maintain cash, working-capital, margin, and capital-spending forecasts.
- Build product, customer, and plant-level management reporting.
- Support pricing, sourcing, hiring, financing, and capacity decisions.
Where I work
Remote across Canada and the United States.
I am based in Hamilton, Ontario. Most work runs remotely. The local pages below remain available for businesses looking by market.
A useful first conversation
If one of these questions is already on the owner's desk, that is enough for a first conversation.
Tell me what the decision is, what information exists today, and who is currently handling the finance work.