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Operators first. Builders by default.
Operations & Supply Chain

Fix what’s broken. Accelerate results. Build it right from the start.

Companies bring us in when operations are underperforming, costs are out of control, or growth has outpaced the system.

We operate at the intersection of execution, data, and technology — building real systems, not presentations.

We work with founders, operators, and investors who need execution — not explanation.
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Prefer email? contact@appelhaken.com
View Our Work ↓
Selected outcomes
$33.7M
Revenue enabled after stabilizing a failing customer relationship and restoring confidence in execution
0 → Live
Global delivery network built from scratch across China, Europe, and U.S. domestic parcel and freight flows
AI-Enabled
Custom systems built to turn fragmented operational data into immediate, actionable decisions
Broken execution compounds quickly when no one owns the root cause.
Growth breaks systems faster than most teams can redesign them.
Fragmented data slows decisions when leadership needs clarity now.
Boards and investors expect speed when performance, margin, or service is under pressure.
The Situation

You don’t need another presentation. You need control.

Operations are underperforming, costs are rising, or growth is exposing the limits of the current model. Everyone feels the pressure, but no one has a clean view of what is actually driving it.

That is where we get involved. We listen first, work from the underlying data, and identify what matters quickly. Then we build the tools, redesign the processes, and stay involved through execution.

The goal is not a deck. It is a better operating system — one that leadership can trust and the business can scale on.

  • 01Turnaround — when service, throughput, or customer confidence is breaking down
  • 02Acceleration — when the business cannot afford to move slowly
  • 03Buildout — when operations, networks, or decision systems need to be designed from scratch
  • 04Optimization — when good performance needs to become a scalable operating advantage
  • 05Data clarity — when better decisions require better systems, faster
  • 06Execution — when leadership needs someone who will stay involved until the result is real
Selected Results

Four examples of what happens when we get involved.

Different environments. Same pattern: identify the real issue, build the right system, and move from analysis to action quickly.

$33.7M
Revenue enabled
Stabilized a failing customer relationship, restored confidence, and enabled 20 new machine orders.
Execution-led
0 → Live
Global network built
Designed and launched a cross-border delivery network spanning China, Europe, and U.S. parcel and freight operations.
Built from scratch
AI-Enabled
Decision systems built
Created automated BOM analytics that unified spend, suppliers, and pricing to support consolidation and renegotiation.
Repeatable
12–37%
Spend reduction achieved
Standardized fragmented spend categories and restructured sourcing models to deliver measurable savings.
Margin impact
What We Do

We solve operational problems that are too complex, too urgent, or too important to get wrong.

Turnaround & Stabilization

Restore control when performance breaks, customers lose confidence, or the operation has drifted out of alignment.

Cost & Performance Optimization

Identify what is driving cost and fix it structurally — not superficially.

Build & Scale Operations

Design and stand up supply chains, processes, and operating models from the ground up.

AI-Enabled Systems

We build AI-enabled systems that turn complex operational data into immediate, actionable decisions.

When something is broken — or when you cannot afford to move slowly — that is when to call us.
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Why Appel Haken

Most firms analyze. We execute.

We do not stop at insight. We build working systems, redesign processes, and stay involved through implementation until outcomes are delivered.

Most Firms
Deliver strategy decks and leave execution to your already-stretched team.
Appel Haken
We build working systems, not presentations. The recommendation only matters if it holds inside the operation.
Most Firms
Disappear after the diagnosis and hope the organization figures out implementation.
Appel Haken
We stay until outcomes are delivered. We stay close to the work so the result becomes real, not theoretical.
Most Firms
Separate operations, data, and technology into different workstreams.
Appel Haken
We tie every action to cost, performance, or revenue impact. Execution, analytics, and systems move together.
How We Work

Ground truth. Rapid insight. Build & execute.

  1. Ground Truth

    We start with reality — stakeholder pain points, available data, operating signals, and what the business is actually experiencing.

  2. Rapid Insight

    We identify what matters and where to act quickly, often within the first 30 days.

  3. Build & Execute

    We implement, not advise — building tools, redefining processes, and staying involved until the operating result is delivered.

This is the operating sequence behind every engagement: understand the reality, isolate the leverage points, and turn them into durable execution.
Featured Work

Selected examples of execution, not theory.

Customer Recovery • Equipment Manufacturing

Recovered a failing customer relationship and enabled $33.7M in new equipment revenue.

A critical customer was preparing to leave due to unreliable aftermarket parts delivery and limited visibility. We stepped in directly, challenged order prioritization, expedited urgent demand, and built reporting that restored confidence.

Revenue enabled
$33.7M
Machines ordered
20
Relationship status
Stabilized
Program economics
Reset
Situation
A major customer had lost confidence and stopped placing new equipment orders.
What changed
Direct customer engagement, order challenge and expedite discipline, and analytics that made performance visible.
Outcome
Confidence returned, 20 new machines were ordered, and the parts subscription was restructured toward breakeven with overage protection.
Network Design • Day 0 Build

Built a global delivery network from zero to fully operational.

Designed and stood up a cross-border delivery network capable of moving product from China and Europe direct to consumer, supported by small parcel and LTL/FTL domestic delivery capability and a multi-carrier last mile strategy.

Starting point
Day 0
Origins
China & Europe
Modes
Parcel + LTL/FTL
Status
Operational
Situation
A new venture needed an operating model and cross-border delivery capability built from scratch.
What changed
Carrier strategy, supplier contracts, network architecture, and operating analytics were built and implemented.
Outcome
A scalable end-to-end delivery network went live with the infrastructure required for direct-to-consumer growth.
AI-Enabled Analytics • Procurement Leverage

Built an automated BOM analytics platform to support supplier consolidation and pricing renegotiation.

We developed a repeatable system that consolidates complex multi-CM bills of material into a unified view of total spend, suppliers, and price paid by part number.

Data state
Fragmented
Output
Unified spend view
Decision enabled
Consolidate & renegotiate
Delivery model
Automated
Situation
Complex BOM data across multiple manufacturers made it difficult to see leverage or pricing inconsistency.
What changed
An AI-enabled tool was built to standardize data and surface spend, suppliers, and pricing by part number.
Outcome
The client now has the output needed to engage the supply base from a position of clarity and leverage.
What This Looks Like In Practice

We listen, diagnose, build, and stay involved.

That means direct customer engagement when trust has broken down, tool-building when visibility is missing, and process redesign when the current model cannot scale.

Engage directly with customers, suppliers, and operators to understand the real pain points.
Pull the data, test its integrity, and use it to find the real sources of cost, delay, and risk.
Build custom tools and reporting layers that leadership can actually use.
Redefine operating processes so performance does not depend on heroics.
Stay involved through implementation until the operational result is delivered.
Who We Work With

Built for founders, operators, and investors who need execution.

Our work fits best where complexity is real, stakes are high, and leadership needs more than advice. Sometimes that means fixing what is broken. Sometimes it means accelerating results. Sometimes it means building the operating model from day zero.

What matters is that the organization is ready to move from discussion to action.

  • Founders building the operating backbone of a new business
  • Operators under pressure to improve cost, service, or throughput quickly
  • Investors and leadership teams who need operating improvement that survives beyond the first fix
  • Teams that need clarity from data, and systems that turn that clarity into action
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When execution matters, we bring clarity, structure, and results.

If something is underperforming, scaling too slowly, or needs to be built the right way from the start, let’s talk.

Typical situations where we get involved:
  • Operations are unclear, underperforming, or out of control
  • Growth is constrained by broken processes or missing infrastructure
  • Better decisions require better data and faster execution
Let’s get to work
contact@appelhaken.com