In order to meet client-defined Metrics of Success, the guiding targets for all work delivered, Vanguard provides clients transparency and value added collaboration throughout SOW specific engagement of all the Company’s services.
Project Solutions
SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
Purposeful facility design is the cornerstone to the delivery of ingredients and finished products the market you intend to service is seeking. More often than not, engineering, architectural and general contracting firms that are hired to deliver processing and manufacturing facility projects lack prior experience, causing for project delays, cost-overruns, re-work to meet appropriate fire and safety codes and overall project dysfunction. Vanguard’s team of Subject Matter Experts, Engineers and Integration Specialists work alongside client-contracted professional services providers, providing informed input, advice and hands on facility and process design and implementation services.
Project Solutions
SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
While capable of engagement for larger project development and delivery, Vanguard works with Clients primarily at two scales of operation and during one of several phases of a business’ lifecycle.
SCALES OF OPERATION
LAB SCALE
All Commercial breakthroughs begin first at the laboratory bench. An operation is lab scale when it is processing less than 300 pounds of plant material per day.
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Whether you are seeking formulation and research scale equipment for early ingredient creation and product ideation, or you would like to add complete analytical capabilities to your existing processing operation, we will recommend the right instruments and equipment to meet your Lab needs. Oftentimes, Lab or Pilot scale project targets include feasibility study definition as well as flexibility in function for future dynamic utilization during later stages of the business’ ingredient creation, formulation or productization plans.
COMMERCIAL SCALE
As a business grows, Commercial Scale processing clients are looking to process between 300 and 3,000 pounds of plant material per day.
Often, successful commercial processing facilities offer a number of post-processing purification steps that add value to the oil and extracted ingredients. Consideration of project elements including but not limited to; engineering, process-flow, power availability, compliance and safety all significantly guide and impact client success. At this scale of operation, defining the specific final products you intend to produce is critical to your ability to cost-effectively manufacture. Consultative engagement with clients at this scale of operation sometimes include broader supply-chain analysis and requirements definitions in order to increase the operations viability to consistently and repeatedly deliver the cannabinoid-rich ingredients and finished products they produce.
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START-UP OPERATIONS
Beginning in 2015, Vanguard’s core business was developed working with a small group of Start-Up clients. Today, many of these organizations have grown significantly, expanding across states and countries, merging, re-capitalizing and becoming acquired by new partnerships seeking to leverage existing infrastructure.
Start-Up operations have many special and nuanced requirements for success that are not typically shared by traditional equipment distributors or project consultants including but not limited to; C-level strategic planning including; product road-mapping, realistic production planning, expected costing definitions, regulated markets and requirements of compliance assessment and operational gap analysis are all critical areas of work and consultation recommended to Start-Up clients.
MERGED OPERATIONS
M&A activities throughout the US and international markets are expected to see continued increase as the advancing decriminalization and larger regulatory reform for versions of legalization are being heard in light of the growing amount of pre-clinical support for medicinal as well as therapeutic support for mental wellness has surged worldwide.
As successful operations seek expansion into new markets, the acquisition of existing licensed operators expedite the ability to increase Brand reach. The issue with a “Buy” vs. Build being faced by clients who engage Vanguard surrounds the ability to offer consistent and ‘like’ products when utilizing a new and independent supply-chain.
Equipment, Formulation, Process and People are all elements of Brand consistency, and the best practices for standardizing production also known as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) must be documented, trained-on and adhered-to in order to assure an expanding enterprises ability to give their consumer what they want. Through specifically scoped engagement, Vanguard will collaboratively define the project Metrics of Success to ensure that the work being delivered meets the specific goals of the Client.
TURN-AROUND OPERATIONS
Before the collapse of the Canadian Market’s artificially inflated cannabis industry, and the associated un-realistic revenue assumptions upon which it was built, many processing and manufacturing facilities and businesses were completed. With significant CapX investment deployed, and prevailing cannabis and hemp prices only providing for a fraction of the projected return on investment, businesses are closing. Bankruptcy, capital restructuring, crisis-management and business turn-around activities are underway throughout the ingredient supply chain. Right-sizing your investment needs to be thoughtful, methodical and efficient.
Working together with Vanguard, process improvement, ingredient-product analysis, waste reduction, quality control enhancement and cost improvement activities are defined and delivered collaboratively with client-management as documentation, training and implementation activities are provided to ensure a path to improve business viability.
EXIT OPERATIONS
Owners and Investment groups planning for a public offering, sale or other strategic capital events often need consulting guidance of ‘how best’ to stage the operation and organization to improve its performance, productivity and profitability. Vanguard can provide support and guidance to provide these services with minimum operational disruption and optimum impact.