Operations Archives

Navigating Complexity in Life Sciences Supply Chains

In today's rapidly evolving landscape, the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries face unprecedented challenges in managing their supply chains, and digital transformation is not just a buzzword; it's a strategic imperative.

In the News: Smarter and Leaner: How the Zero-Based Approach is Unlocking Up to 50% in Procurement Savings

In our latest article, we explore how zero-based approaches, and zero-based spend in particular, is unlocking savings of up to 50% in indirect costs for procurement leaders, providing practical strategies for smarter demand management and therefore rethinking what's bought, why it's needed, and how much is truly required.

In the News: 4C Associates Becomes Part of FourCentric

4C Associates is part of a wider Group of industry leading businesses with expertise across procurement, supply chain, operations and analytics. With the launch of FourCentric, focused on combining our expertise to offer clients impactful, sustainable results across planning, sourcing, manufacturing, and delivery.

In the News: 4C Associates Joins the Management Consultancies Association

Continuing to look at ways to give our team the best foundations in consultancy, 4C have joined the Management Consultancies Association to ensure we are investing in our team, giving back to the industry as well as continuing to learn from our peers.

In the News: Young MCA: Day in the Life of a Young Consultant

Ever wondered what a typical day for a young consultant entails? From data analysis to client presentations, Kate Sinclair and Callum Bradshaw share their daily experiences on the Young MCA News channel.

Digital Procurement: Saving our Government’s Systems

Some 25% of government systems are outdated, according to findings from DSIT (2025) - contributing to an estimated cost of £45 billion a year to the taxpayer. If optimised correctly, technology in public sector procurement can enhance transparency, accelerate strategic decision-making, secure sensitive data and soften long-term cost to the taxpayer.

Cut Smarter, Spend Better: How Zero-Based-Everything Redefines Procurement Efficiency

In today’s economic reality, traditional strategies like incremental savings or across-the-board reductions are just too slow, too blunt, and too superficial to cope with these pressures. Simply put: leaders can no longer rely on yesterday’s budgets or blanket reductions to solve today’s challenges. To thrive, businesses need a smarter, faster approach - one that delivers impact quickly and aligns every...

In the News: The Future of Europe’s Food & Drink Industry: What challenges and opportunities await in 2025?

Pete Hatfield, Director at 4C featured in Food Navigator’s latest article where he explores key trends and challenges shaping the sector in 2025

In the News: The Hospitality Landscape is Shifting: Are you Ready?

Labour’s new policies are set to significantly impact the hospitality and leisure sectors. In Katie Deem’s latest article for CLH News, she discusses how businesses can navigate these changes.

In the News: 5 Strategies for Retailers and Manufacturers to Maximise Profits over the Festive Period

Read 4C Director Pete Hatfield’s most recent article for Food Manufacture where he gives his top tips to supercharge your sales over the festive period. Pete shares expert advice on how to navigate the holiday rush, optimise operations, and boost your bottom line.

4C Associates named in Management Today’s Top 100 Management Consultancies 2024

4C Associates has been named in Management Today’s Top 100 Management Consultancies, a testament to our team’s commitment to delivery exceptional value to over 60 clients we have worked with this year, across the public and private sectors.

Integrated Business Planning Implementation

London Underground handles up to 5 million daily passenger journeys. With core operations to maintain and operate key assets like rolling stock fleet, rail tracks, signalling, stations and electrical and power infrastructure, they came to 4C for help with their end to end planning to address their budget challenges.

In the News: The Shifting Sands of Shopping

Our Head of Consumer Products, Katy Gallagher featured in November’s issue of FMCG CEO Magazine where she talks about changing consumer preferences in food and beverage.

The Importance of Building a Resilient Supply Chain in today’s Dynamic Business Landscape

Our Head of Operations, Robin Agarwal explored the importance of a resilient supply chain in his article for SupplyChain Strategy.

Adapting to Evolution (and Revolution): Is Your Operating Model Fit for The Constantly Changing Global Environment?

We live in an era marked by rapid technological advancements, geopolitical shifts, unforeseen black swan events and the ever-evolving and dynamic nature of business and customer culture. As a result of this, organisations often find themselves having to navigate a fluid, complex and unpredictable global environment. The considerable challenge is to develop sustainable outcomes for the long-term when faced...