Results That Speak
for Themselves.

The Situation

A satellite systems integrator contracted to deliver a LEO/MEO ground station network for a commercial operator was 14 months behind their contractual delivery schedule and $6M over budget when Wentworth was engaged. The program had three prior program managers and no credible path to completion. The customer was in active default discussions.

The core problem was not technical — it was operational. Hardware, software, and RF systems integration teams were working in isolation with no unified schedule, no integrated risk register, and no single accountable program authority. Every team believed they were on track. The program was not.

The Intervention

Within 72 hours of engagement, a complete program re-baseline was initiated. The integrated master schedule was rebuilt from the ground up with input from every functional team, surfacing the true critical path for the first time. A daily standup cadence replaced the weekly status meeting. Customer communication was restructured around weekly written updates and bi-weekly executive briefings with current EAC.

Subcontractor performance was the largest schedule risk. Three underperforming subs were placed on formal corrective action plans with contractual cure notices. One was replaced. The RF integration scope was restructured and partially brought in-house after a supplier delivered nonconforming hardware for the second time.

Testing protocols were redesigned to enable parallel hardware and software validation, eliminating a 16-week sequential testing assumption that had never been challenged in the original schedule.

Measured Results

The program delivered on the revised contract milestone with no further budget overrun. The customer exercised a follow-on option for two additional ground stations within 90 days of delivery acceptance.

The Situation

A specialty metals manufacturer producing titanium and nickel-alloy components for aerospace structural applications had secured a production contract with a tier-one airframe manufacturer but lacked the operational infrastructure to execute at required volumes. The company had strong metallurgical expertise and prototype capability but had never produced at full-rate production scale under AS9100 requirements.

The aerospace prime's qualification timeline was 18 months. The manufacturer had 6 months of runway before the prime's alternate source qualification would proceed, effectively terminating the relationship.

The Intervention

Wentworth was engaged as fractional COO with a single mandate: achieve AS9100 certification and full-rate production capability within the qualification window. The engagement began with a complete assessment of the existing quality management system, production processes, and supplier base.

A documented QMS was built from the ground up, including first article inspection procedures, nonconformance management, supplier qualification, and calibration systems. Lean flow principles were applied to the production floor layout, reducing WIP travel distance by 60% and exposing three previously invisible bottlenecks in the heat treatment scheduling.

The supplier qualification program was restructured to meet DFARS requirements, including domestic source verification for regulated materials. Three offshore raw material suppliers were replaced with qualified domestic alternatives.

Measured Results

AS9100 Rev D certification was achieved 4 months ahead of the prime's qualification deadline. The contract was formally awarded and the client subsequently secured a second production program with the same aerospace prime based on first-program performance.

The Situation

A private equity-backed electronics contract manufacturer in the San Jose area was burning $2M per month at the time of engagement. The company had experienced rapid revenue growth through acquisition but had not integrated the acquired manufacturing capabilities — resulting in three facilities running three different ERP systems, duplicated overhead, and a supply chain with no consolidated sourcing leverage.

Customer on-time delivery had declined to 54%. Two major customers representing 38% of revenue were actively qualifying alternate suppliers. The PE sponsor had a 24-month exit timeline and was 6 months from an accelerated debt covenant breach.

The Intervention

The engagement began with a 10-day financial and operational diagnostic. The analysis identified $4.2M in addressable annual cost through facility consolidation, overhead rationalization, and supply chain consolidation — achievable within 6 months without revenue impact.

One of the three facilities was consolidated into the primary manufacturing site. Fifty-seven positions were eliminated, predominantly in redundant supervisory and administrative functions. The ERP consolidation was scoped and initiated with a 9-month implementation timeline, using the primary facility's existing system as the consolidation target.

Supply base rationalization reduced active suppliers from 312 to 184 and consolidated 70% of direct material spend with 12 strategic suppliers, enabling first-time volume pricing negotiations. Direct material cost declined 11.4% in the first two quarters.

Customer recovery was addressed through a structured delivery performance improvement program with daily tracking, dedicated program management for the two at-risk customers, and direct executive communication from the engagement team. On-time delivery recovered to 91% within 90 days.

Measured Results

The company returned to EBITDA-positive operations in month 7 of the engagement. Both at-risk customers retained their business and neither exercised their qualification of alternates. The PE sponsor completed a successful strategic sale 18 months later.