We serve chemical, energy and other process industry companies that aspire, plan and execute at the highest level of operational excellence. Companies committed to constant improvement and change. Organizations with very capable people and competitive spirit who are always looking for an edge.
We partner with companies that don't want a longer list of projects to implement—they want a better set of solutions. Organizations willing to explore new ways of thinking "out of the box" to create innovative solutions for technical and business challenges. Teams ready to maintain a high performance culture by empowering execution across the enterprise using the 5DN SIO methodology.
Discover MoreOur mission is to act as a catalyst to help chemical, energy and other process industry companies liberate value across the enterprise and create sustainable improvement in operating profitability.
5 Degrees North is a team of highly motivated professionals with decades of experience in complex process industry operations. We are dedicated to collaborating with our customers while applying our methodology, leading to organizational transformation that generates amazing results.
We help our customers optimize the interfaces between their infrastructure, manufacturing processes, human capital, and technology systems to advance operational excellence. This optimization involves leveraging your organization's operational experience, intellectual capital, and existing hard assets, generating sustainable improvements to bottom line performance.
Make better, more profitable operating and investment decisions while driving toward consensus and aligning behind enterprise-wide changes. We help identify and harvest no- and low-cost improvement solutions across multiple operating areas, then implement these solutions faster and more effectively. Our approach generates and sustains a continuously adapting Operational Excellence culture within your organization.
We use our proprietary Strategic Interface Optimization (SIO) process, which applies a proven methodology, a distinct structure, and a disciplined approach that works fast to create superior results. Our approach is like a reaction and refining process in a chemical operation with 5DN team members acting as a potent catalyst.
We provide a view of the entire value chain including operational, business, and support processes so that it broadens and transforms the way the SIO participants understand their role in supporting enterprise value. Our highly experienced, creative professionals have the capability to think on multiple dimensions, helping your team to generate robust solutions.
We have a knack for challenging existing assumptions in a non-threatening way, and for stimulating the creativity of your team members while applying it to your own business processes. We work with your team during the SIO field session to identify and explore your specific issues and opportunities, collectively creating high-impact solutions for your business that have gained the support of the SIO participants and are immediately actionable. SIO Field sessions are very concentrated and are typically concluded in one business week, minimizing disruption within the organization.
Our people are difficult to put into one category, but all have a passion for unconventional thinking that creates measurable bottom line results. 5DN team members have been employed everywhere from the shop floor to the executive suite at companies like BASF, Dow, DuPont, Eastman Chemical, ExxonMobil, Shell, Texaco, Stone & Webster, and Lummus.
Each member of our team provides a unique perspective and is committed to applying all of their experience and expertise to help the SIO team develop "out of the box" solutions. Our roster includes a former senior executive who implemented $10 billion in chemical plant projects on 3 continents over 25 years, seasoned process optimization methodology trainers who have worked with Fortune 500 organizations, an internationally known expert on steam and cogeneration systems whose software is used by hundreds of companies, and a prior division VP who developed and implemented a strategy that created a $15 billion/year chemical business.
We have JV specialists who forged billion dollar ventures with Shell, Air Products, Total and others, senior level design and construction managers who developed world scale ethylene plants on 3 continents, and project managers who identified solutions saving $20 million/year in energy while winning ACC awards. Our senior refinery technology managers have increased feedstock and product flexibility at major operations resulting in over $50 million/year in benefits, and our former VPs have designed, commissioned and operated air separation and synthesis gas plants around the globe during 20+ year careers.
Perhaps the most important characteristic of our people is humility. We've learned that the best ideas come from collaboration and that team support leads to successful implementation.
5 Degrees North believes that the key to change starts with people. In the right environment, innovation can be unlocked and people can cross-fertilize their experience and intellect with that of others, expanding their view of the enterprise's potential. We also believe that a good idea isn't worth anything until it's executed, so distilling out the best opportunities, turning them into actionable plans, generating critical mass consensus, and execution are also essential for success.
Results, Innovation, Speed, Teamwork and Fun.
We've helped our clients collectively save over $300 million. We are committed to making a sustainable difference with our customers. We prefer to leave behind tangible and real results anchored in our client's organization rather than to generate yet another consulting report to put on your bookshelf. Our ideal client is motivated to achieve an ambitious outcome. Are you ready?
We strive to innovate and create customized executable solutions and we ignite this innovation capacity in your team. Each of our team members is cursed with a high level of intellectual curiosity and a desire to improve complex business and operational processes. We believe that everything great can become even better. We can help.
Faster is better. Speed creates focus and focus creates superior results. We innovate and implement faster and help others do the same. Our philosophy is to question why it can't be done sooner. Our methodology is geared toward speed and execution.
Just like safety and quality, process improvement, operational efficiency and organizational effectiveness are created or missed at the "shop floor" level. Our entire business model is "shop floor" focused and our projects engage business people, engineers, operators and other service providers to make sure real changes are put in place to achieve sustainable results.
We do what we love and we love what we do. We need to make the things we do fun for our clients and for ourselves. We keep our tone light, and have found that some of the best ideas come out of extreme concepts that wouldn't be possible if there wasn't a little laughter in the room. We don't take ourselves too seriously, but our work produces serious results.
Sailors know that there are areas on the sea where the winds are unreliable. One is called the "Doldrums" and it exists in a band around the globe that is approximately 5 degrees North and South of the equator. Sailors who want to cross the Doldrums quickly are forced to adjust their strategy from reading wind signals to using the ocean current to move their vessel in the desired direction.
5DN understands when the time is right to look at one set of signals, or when it is time to adjust and use another set of signals to achieve the desired outcome. Many companies find themselves in a similar predicament where the rules of their business change and they need a different approach to get beyond a plateau and to the next level of performance. Our methodology and expertise provide that "different approach" to help you get "5 Degrees North" where the wind is much more reliable.
Our first priority in all of our client relationships is confidentiality—our business model revolves around this covenant. We ultimately maintain confidentiality by employing people that have demonstrated proven experience with this level of responsibility and trust. We sign confidentiality agreements with all of our clients and have internal processes to make sure confidential information is secure, but the integrity of our people is the ultimate guardian.
SIO is a rapid, multi-dimensional process that applies a proven method, structure and discipline to optimize the interfaces between different areas of your business—between people, technologies, assets, service functions, markets, and other processes. Each project is customized to meet a pre-defined strategic outcome, and unlocks the door to significant new opportunities to improve financial performance.
SIO creates a framework that cultivates synergies between business, operational and technical components, while leveraging a view brought in from the outside by 5DN. It creates the environment where innovation leads to results and provides a bridge linking strategy and operations, creating a feedback loop from the shop floor to the corner office.
This approach can lead to global optimization across multiple sites and business units, empowering your people with a new way of thinking that will continuously generate new ideas and create a beneficial cultural shift in your organization. Solutions are typically worth millions of dollars and many do not require any capital to implement. It is the perfect platform for launching a cultural change towards enterprise collaboration.
SIO can generate significant gains in virtually every situation, but results can be extraordinary with very aggressive goals for growth, throughput improvement, or cost-savings. When considering acquiring or just acquired a new plant or entire business, when plant processes are highly complex and very resource intensive, or when considering or just entered into a strategic alliance or joint venture.
Also when you want to streamline portfolio and optimize the net revenue of divestitures, need to bring new products to market faster, have a new management team in place, want to leverage R&D pipeline and develop new markets for products, are planning or have implemented a re-organization, or developing and implementing a major new business strategy.
EIO is a subset of SIO focusing on optimizing the interface between energy and process systems at manufacturing locations. EIO combines our experienced people with your team to create better energy and process projects with higher rates of return than your existing list of solutions. And we do it quickly.
Our clients typically achieve a minimum of 10% energy savings with less than a 2 year payback, along with an equivalent dollar amount of savings in process areas including increased throughput, yields, quality, and procurement savings—usually much more. One-tenth of the total savings will be non-capital and make the 5DN EIO project self-funding. All solutions are documented, qualified and quantified with economics and risk assessment.
EIO easily integrates with existing corporate improvement programs like Six Sigma and Lean. No cost and low cost solutions can be implemented immediately. New projects will be identified faster and implemented more effectively than before, while existing project ideas will be improved—sometimes increasing IRR by over 200%.
The EIO process will "breed" new thinking among staff to create better solutions even after the 5DN session. Your team will have a sense of ownership for these solutions, not just a list of consultant ideas. Work done in "bursts" produces results in minimum time and reduces resource requirement of your people. You will have a road map that facilitates a realistic implementation plan, results provide a platform to support your strategic goals, and EIO improves your competitive position.
Some solutions are easier to implement and can be completed quickly. In fact, some ideas are executed during the Field Sessions. Other implementations are more complex and require interaction between departments, regulatory agencies, and other service providers. 5DN can assist your business with implementation based on your needs.
After any SIO work session, there is a period when some solutions may need refinement, additional exploration and preparation before they can be implemented. In our Post-Session Support Service, we employ a task force approach to provide our customers with leadership, coordination, communication, focus, and an execution timeline for your team. If needed, we can also supply Implementation Support ranging from project management support to managing outsourced service providers for swift, successful implementation.
Our proven capability to help clients make better, more profitable decisions extends to various special projects. If we can jointly define your desired outcome and are confident we can achieve it, we'll respond with a customized proposal.
Project areas include portfolio expansion and contraction activities, mergers and acquisitions with due diligence, environmental issues and opportunities, supplier contract negotiations, build or buy scenario analysis, infrastructure reliability and availability scenarios, cogeneration system analysis, technology optimization initiatives, and feedstock procurement requirements. 5 Degrees North has successfully helped companies both small and large reshape their future and reset their business goals using its proven bi-directional approach from shop floor to corner office and back to shop floor.
Our approach is based on years of experience working with complex business models and leading world-wide companies.
While each engagement is customized to meet your needs, we follow a 3-step methodology to achieve your goals.
5DN meets with your organization to understand your challenges and desired outcome. Once we fully comprehend your situation and agree with your outcome, we create a customized proposal for consideration.
Every engagement has a preparation phase that typically takes about 1 month. The product of this effort positions our collective teams for success during the onsite work.
We collaborate with you in a very specific manner that we have found creates the best results. These sessions are like a reaction and refining process with 5DN acting as a catalyst. Our SIO Field sessions take place at your location in 1 week bursts. This approach maximizes the value of the sessions while respecting time constraints.
Enterprise-wide, multi-dimensional integration is worth doing and can be a significant competitive differentiation. The concepts of synchronization and alignment can create significant economics, beneficial culture change, enhanced shareholder values, and stronger community partnerships.
The interfaces between areas of specialization, processes and technologies are typically not optimized and therefore present a great opportunity for the enterprise. Hidden assets and opportunities are hard to identify and harvest without a structured method and the right environment.
Unique human resources used on an "as needed" basis can magnify results and help create solutions to challenging problems. Focus, speed and group support are essential for developing solutions that get implemented. Outcome is king. Confidentiality is critical.
Learn how companies have experienced bottom line benefits from our SIO work sessions and EIO projects.
130 Tree Line Drive • East Stroudsburg, PA 18301