Manufacturing

Our Expertise

Tackle challenges. Reduce uncertainty. Capitalize on opportunities.

The manufacturing and distribution industry has been undergoing dramatic change and facing significant challenges. Manufacturing leaders need to be resilient, agile, and innovative to succeed amid global supply chain disruption, fluctuating material costs and availability, ever-changing market conditions, and an evolving trade and tariff environment. As an experienced industrial accounting, tax, and consulting advisor, we’ll help you get ahead of constant challenges, avoid surprises, and seize transformative opportunities for your business. We’ve walked the walk alongside manufacturers for nearly 100 years and come equipped with the expertise to help you find sustainable success.

We were founded in the Midwest — the heart of American manufacturing — and we’ve been serving manufacturing and distribution clients since our inception. Our manufacturing practice is the largest in our firm, with over 3,000 clients and 400 specialists representing this industry alone, serving owner-managed businesses, global market leaders, and private equity firms across several sectors, including automotive and mobility, food and beverage, plastics, metals, machinery and equipment, logistics, and distribution. Our deep manufacturing expertise and personalized services and solutions will help you compete and succeed on a global scale.

Manufacturing accounting, tax, and consulting services

With a full line of accounting, tax, and consulting services, we help our manufacturing clients tackle today’s challenges and build global resilience.
Audit and financial strategy
Our industry experts are prepared to provide year-round compliance guidance and forward-looking recommendations. We help ease the burden of compliance for you and provide guidance to help you proactively implement the standards and accounting policies to balance risk, value, and cost. We’ll also help you develop and refine your financial strategy to consider cash flow impacts, ROI for large investments like digital transformation, and more.
Cost and margin intelligence

Automation is helping manufacturers streamline operations, compress costs, and boost their bottom lines. Yet, rising revenues do not always lead to corresponding profit increases. Let our cost and margin experts help you understand where you make money – and where you don’t. We’ll tailor a practical cost and margin model that produces valuable insights so you’ll be able to make faster, more confident decisions.

Environmental, social, and corporate governance
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting is becoming an important initiative for many organizations. Do you have a plan in place for ESG reporting? If you’ve prioritized developing an ESG strategy but don’t know where to begin, we can help.
International expansion
Are you looking to accelerate growth and drive additional revenue streams? Cross-border M&A could be the solution. We can help you develop an international business expansion strategy that will help you access new markets and customers, diversify your portfolio, achieve cost synergies and scale efficiencies, and more. We can also help you navigate the unique risks of operating in foreign markets and evaluate the effect footprint changes will have on your business.
Mergers and acquisitions
Are you looking to capitalize on a strong M&A market? Our transaction advisory experts will help you tackle every step to minimize risk, maximize opportunity, and ensure a successful transaction. Our expertise covers the entire process, including identifying and effectively preparing you for a transaction opportunity, negotiation and deal structure as well as deal closure, and post-merger integration.
Operations improvement
Is there untapped potential within your operations? Our operational assessments evaluate performance, identify strengths and risks, quantify efficiency opportunities, and most importantly, provide you a prioritized, customized action plan. We’ll help you improve operational efficiency and achieve greater manufacturing excellence through automation in manufacturing, plant floor optimization, process improvement practices, and efficient technologies that provide real-time, traceable data and relevant KPIs to support your goals.
Risk management
Is your risk management strategy evolving fast enough to protect you in a changing environment? Our experts will help you strengthen your internal controls to reduce your risk in every category, including one of the most important risk categories of the era: cybersecurity in manufacturing. As technology gets more advanced, so do cyber risks like phishing attacks and ransomware. We’ll help you upgrade your security, train your people, and protect your data and systems.
Smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0 smart manufacturing leverages technology and automation on the plant floor to achieve greater operational efficiency and open doors to new and incremental revenue. From assessing where you stand to creating your best course of action, we’ll help you level up.
Supply chain strategy
Do you have enough insight into your supply chain? We have the expertise to help you improve your supply chain performance including planning and forecasting, sourcing and supplier management, distribution logistics, inventory management, and more. We’ll work alongside you to develop a supply chain strategy that will reduce risk and disruption, improve visibility, and increase your ability to meet customer expectations.
Tax
Are you optimizing your tax position or leaving savings like R&D tax credits on the table? Our tax specialists — armed with a thorough understanding of manufacturing — will help you capitalize on opportunities to maximize your cash flow. From proactive tax planning to transfer pricing and cost segregation, our tax experts have you covered.
Technology and data analytics
Is your data driving better decision-making or piling up in your system? Our manufacturing analytics experts can help you upgrade to the Industry 4.0 services, systems, and processes you need to generate shop floor insights that lead to better results. We’ll assess your current tools, then guide you through ERP technology selection, implementation, and enablement, with a costing and margin analysis to ensure you’re making the most of your investment.

Are you ready for the future of mobility?

The automotive industry is changing at top speed. It’s time to rethink your business model and adopt new strategies to compete in tomorrow’s electrified automotive market. Explore insights and strategic intelligence from our future mobility experts to drive your company in the right direction.
Video Poster



Manufacturing leaders: You can’t avoid risk — so don’t. Learn how to risk the right way.

Insights

More Insights
Return to top of section


Client Experience

The right partner to take you to the next level

Clients tell us our people are our secret weapon. We build lasting relationships to foster a client-focused, collaborative culture. We know the manufacturing industry inside and out — and the better we know you, the better we serve you. We entrench ourselves in your businesses, from the shop floor to the boardroom, to keep you positioned for success.

Future-focused manufacturers today need creative thinking, multiple perspectives, and bold ideas from their professional services provider. That’s why we involve multiple, knowledgeable Plante Moran partners for every client we work with. We refer to this extra level of partner involvement as our colleague partner approach to working with clients, and it allows us to ensure you’re getting the best possible ideas and guidance well beyond the immediate needs of your engagement. And, with some of the lowest turnover rates in the industry, you’ll get consistent service from a team you trust.

In the words of Brian Wiedenhoeft, our manufacturing industry group leader, “When we work with clients, we’re always looking for opportunities to exceed expectations. We tailor everything we do to match your unique needs because we want you to succeed, and because we know the industry so well, there’s no challenge we can’t handle.”

Our clients say

Our transition to Plante Moran was remarkably smooth. We were impressed with the experience level and knowledge of everyone that worked on our audit. The communication and planning were exceptional, meeting all of our expectations, requirements, and deadlines.

Jim DeVleeschouwer
Corporate Controller PVS Chemicals, Inc.

FT Precision engaged Plante Moran to assist with implementation of a new ERP software, Plex. One of the main reasons we partnered with Plante Moran was their bilingual capabilities. Being a Japanese-English company, it was very important to have smooth communication with our executives and our people on the shop floor, especially when our workforce was not technically savvy. Their ERP specialists came in and worked side by side with our staff to achieve a quick implementation, while establishing best practices moving forward. Plante Moran and Plex have made our jobs easier and more efficient, by helping FT Precision collect real-time data which has increased our decision making capabilities and made us much more flexible as a company.

Kent Baxter
IT Assistant Manager, FT Precision