Revenue, margin and cash flow gaps identified within 48 hours of your evidence pack
Packaging Supply and Fulfilment Operator Strategy
Case Study | Published July 2026
At a Glance: Mid-sized regional Victorian packaging supplier and fulfilment operator | 38 FTE | Cash runway at engagement: 1.2 weeks | EBITDA: -$67,000 per month | Gross margin: 12.9% | Revenue growth target: 20% by month 12 | EBITDA positive target: month 9 | Fixer48 Plan delivered: 160 days
The Situation
A mid-sized packaging supplier and fulfilment operator in regional Victoria was running out of time. With only 1.2 weeks of cash runway at the point of engagement, the business was making reactive payment decisions, managing supplier relationships under duress, and watching its operational performance deteriorate as pressure mounted across every part of the business.
The business employed 38 people, operated a 2,200 sqm warehouse with four loading bays, and carried genuine commercial capability. But five customers represented 58% of revenue, margin had collapsed to 12.9%, and EBITDA was negative $67,000 per month. Without intervention, the path was predictable.
The owner needed a plan that could stabilise the business immediately, recover margin fast, and build a foundation for controlled growth - in that order.
The Brief
Fixer48 was engaged to diagnose the position honestly and deliver a complete plan the owner could execute with confidence.
The brief covered four areas:
- Stabilise cash and supplier relationships within 30 days to stop the immediate bleed
- Identify and close the margin leakage points driving the EBITDA loss
- Build a controlled growth program to reach 20% revenue growth by month 12
- Install a weekly operating system to prevent relapse once stability was restored
The Approach
Fixer48 sequenced every action using gates and proof. Nothing moved to the next phase until the current phase held. The plan ran across three stages.
0 to 30 Days - Stabilisation
The immediate priority was creating time. A single approvals gate was installed for all payments. A 13-week cash forecast was built and updated weekly with variance tracking. A daily Top 20 debtor war room was established with a dispute register, owners, and closure dates. On the supplier side, written continuity confirmations were secured from the top three suppliers and a staged payment plan tracker was put in place to reduce stop-supply risk. Pricing was reset across top SKU groups, surcharge rules were issued, and discount governance was tightened - approvals required for any discount above 2%.
30 to 90 Days - Growth Phase
With survival controls holding, the focus shifted to revenue. Account expansion was targeted across the Top 20 customers to lift share without discounting. Service bundles - packing, kitting, labels, and value-add fulfilment - were designed to lift margin per order. Quote speed was reset to lift conversion. A win-back program was activated for lost accounts, and competitor displacement plays were identified in selected accounts.
90 to 160 Days - Control Foundation
A weekly control operating system was locked in covering cash runway and forecast variance, collections and dispute closure, supplier continuity and aged creditor exposure, margin discipline and discount exceptions, service reliability and rework, and pipeline coverage and sales activity. Every control had an owner, weekly proof required, an escalation trigger, and a response plan.
Challenge and Outcome
Key Challenges Addressed
How do you stabilise a business with under two weeks of cash runway without triggering supplier or customer panic?
How do you recover margin fast when pricing lag, discount exceptions, and execution waste are all compounding at the same time?
How do you restore service reliability when rework and overtime are already lifting cost and driving customer disputes?
How do you build a credible growth program when the business has no operating room and a fragile commercial engine?
What Fixer48 Delivered
A 26-week weekly implementation schedule with owners and outputs at every step - reducing overwhelm and driving completion with proof rather than intention.
A financial forecast annualised comparing status quo vs Fixer48 plan: status quo annual EBITDA of -$804,000 against a Fixer48 plan EBITDA of $516,000. That's a $1.3 million swing on $18 million revenue.
Revenue growth target of 20% by month 12, lifting annual revenue from $18 million to $21.6 million, achieved through account expansion and service bundling - not discounting.
Gross margin target of 21% by month 12, with 17% targeted inside the first 30 days through pricing reset and discount governance alone.
The Deliverable
Fixer48 produced a complete Fixer48 plan covering the situation assessment, baseline metrics, cash stabilisation program, margin recovery actions, supplier continuity strategy, growth phase plan, 90-to-160-day control foundation, 26-week implementation schedule, and a 12-month financial forecast comparing status quo against the Fixer48 plan.
The document was structured for immediate owner execution - sequenced by priority, owned at every step, and built around proof rather than good intentions. Each phase was gated so the business could not advance until the previous stage held.
"Packaging businesses fail fast when cash control slips, supplier trust breaks, and margin governance disappears. The plan restored control by installing approvals gates, enforcing weekly proof, and sequencing actions so the business first created time, then stopped margin leakage, then stabilised service, then grew without discounting." From the Fixer48 Plan conclusion
What This Engagement Demonstrates
This engagement is representative of Fixer48's approach to high-urgency work. The client did not need a strategy workshop - he needed a sequenced plan that could be acted on the same week, with every action owned and every outcome tracked. Fixer48 delivered a document that moved straight from the advisory process to daily execution.
Core capabilities demonstrated in this engagement include cash flow stabilisation, margin recovery strategy, supplier relationship management, operational performance improvement, commercial growth planning, and weekly control system design.
To discuss how Fixer48 can help your business, contact Ashley Kent. ashley@fixer48.com.au fixer48.com.au
