Overview:

The company was founded in the 1940s becoming one of the premiere mold-making facilities in the United States.  Eventually, they offered complete injection molding and product assembly along with other manufacturing support processes to their customer base which included the furniture industry. The company consists of two manufacturing locations within the United States and has approximately $15M in revenue.

The Situation:

• Ownership had established a comprehensive estate plan but had not developed a succession plan.
• The owner passed away leaving his beneficiaries without a clear path forward regarding the business interests.
• Estate trustees were looking for a third-party recommendation on how best to maximize the enterprise value of the estate.

The Solution:

• DWH performed a thorough assessment of the company’s leadership, financial and management information, operations, and marketing and sales to draw conclusions regarding the company’s current situation and future prospects.
• DWH provided numerous recommendations which included a risk/benefit analysis.
• DWH determined the best path forward was an expedited sale or a winddown and liquidation of the company.
• DWH was hired to implement its recommendations which included facilitating an expedited sale of the company to a strategic buyer within 90 days of engagement to maximize value.

The Outcome:

• The transaction was successfully completed within the desired timeframe.
• All creditors were paid and the proceeds to the estate were double what would have been achieved through a liquidation.