Supply Chain Assessment Study

Transcription

1 Supply Chain Assessment Study How well do your supply chain performance and practices stack up? Your Org. Benchmarking Results February 2015

2 Contents Approach Overview of PwC s Supply Chain Benchmarking Service Background, Objectives, and Scope Custom Comparison Population Characteristics Benchmarking Results for Your Org. Executive Summary of Results Quantitative Performance Complexity Qualitative Practices Value Proposition for Improvement Conclusions and Next Steps About PwC 2

3 Approach 3

4 PwC s benchmarking methodology compares client data to Parity, Advantage and Superior performance Benchmarking is used as a guide to get a fact-based assessment of the opportunities for improvement and the value from achieving these results: Understand a company s position relative to population s Parity, Advantage and Superior Parity indicates the 50th percentile of performance in the SCORmark database. Advantage is the performance level halfway between Parity and Superior (i.e., 70th percentile). Superior indicates the 90th percentile of companies in the database. Provide a basis of comparison against similar supply chains Provide insight into potential opportunities for growth and improvement Establish performance targets 4

5 Objectives: Measure Your Org. supply chain performances against similarly structured supply chains to identify improvement opportunities and areas of competitive advantage Compare Your Org. to other supply chains with a similar manufacturing strategy Help Your Org. identify target metrics to continuously measure and provide associated performance levels to drive operational improvement efforts Provide Your Org. with potential financial opportunities associated with achieving superior levels of performance Scope: Business Unit: ABC Market: Global/World Wide 5

6 Your Org. s comparative population includes supply chains with the following characteristics: Peer population consists of 28 supply chains, representing submissions from 20 companies. Your Org. Industry: Telecom and Networking Equipment Product Revenue: $978.5M Strategy: Make-to-Order Industry Breakdown 100% Telecom and Networking Equipment Geographic Scope 19% 57% 24% Europe Global/World Wide North America Revenue Size (US $) 10% 20% 70% < $500M $500M to $1B $1B to $2B > $2B 0% Primary Manufacturing Strategy 15% 20% 65% Stocked Product Make-to-Order Configure-to-Order Engineer-to-Order 6

7 Your Org. s comparative population is comprised of supply chains from the following companies: Company 1 Company 2 Company 3 Company 4 Company 5 Company 6 Company 7 Company 8 Company 9 Company 10 Company 11 Company 12 Company 13 Company 14 Company 15 Company 16 Company 17 Company 18 Company 19 Company 20 7

8 Benchmarking Results Executive Summary of Results Quantitative Performance Complexity Qualitative Practices Value Proposition for Improvement 8

9 Executive Summary of Benchmark Results for Your Org. 9

10 Benchmarking Results Executive Summary of Results Quantitative Performance Complexity Qualitative Practices Value Proposition for Improvement 10

11 Internal Facing Metrics Customer Facing Metrics Level 1 Scorecard SCORmark Level 1 Scorecard Attributes Metrics Parity Advantage Superior Target Level Performance Your Org. Gap to Target Reliability Perfect Order Fulfillment (%) 77.5% 85.6% 93.7% Advantage 69.2% 16.4% Responsiveness Order Fulfillment Cycle Time (days) Parity Agility Supply Chain Flexibility (days) Supply Chain Adaptability (%) Advantage 30.5% 51.3% 72.0% 10.0% 41.3% Cost Total Supply Chain Management Cost % Revenue 8.7% 5.6% 2.4% Superior 8.1% -5.7% Asset Management Efficiency Cash to Cash Cycle Time (days) Parity

12 Reliability Delivery Performance & Perfect Order Fulfillment 100% 80% 60% 77.3% 87.1% 96.9% 69.7% 91.9% 95.8% 99.8% 87.1% 77.5% 85.6% 93.7% 69.2% 40% 20% 0% Delivery Performance to Request Delivery Performance to Commit Date Date Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Perfect Order Fulfillment Delivery Performance Metrics Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Scheduled Orders to Customer Request 78.4% 89.2% 100.0% 76.0% Delivery Performance to Request Date 77.3% 87.1% 96.9% 69.7% Delivery Performance to Commit Date 91.9% 95.8% 99.8% 87.1% Perfect Order Fulfillment 77.5% 85.6% 93.7% 69.2% 12

13 Responsiveness Order Fulfillment Cycle Time (Days) Primary Manufacturing Strategy: Stocked Products Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Cycle Time (Days) Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Customer Signature/Authorization to Order Receipt, Days Order Receipt to Order Entry Complete, Days Order Entry Complete to Start Pick/Pack of Order, Days Start Pick/Pack of Order to Order Ready-to-Ship, Days Order Ready-to-Ship to Customer Receipt of Order, Days Customer Receipt of Order to Installation Complete, Days Total Order Fulfillment Cycle Time Note: A benchmark of 0 implies that a) the OFCT component is irrelevant to population companies (e.g. installation is not applicable), or b) the OFCT component is highly automated/handled electronically. 13

14 Agility Supply Chain Agility Supply Chain Flexibility Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Upside Source Flexibility (Days) Upside Make Flexibility (Days) Upside Deliver Flexibility (Days) Supply Chain Adaptability Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Upside Source Adaptability (%) 8.5% 12.8% 17.0% 10.0% Upside Make Adaptability (%) 11.5% 15.8% 20.0% 10.0% Upside Deliver Adaptability (%) 30.5% 51.3% 72.0% 10.0% 14

15 Cost Total Supply Chain Management Cost as % of Revenue 10% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0% 8.7% 8.1% 5.6% 2.4% Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. % of Revenue Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Order Management Cost 2.5% 1.9% 1.3% 0.4% Material Acquisition Cost 1.1% 0.6% 0.0% 2.4% Inventory Carrying Cost 3.5% 2.1% 0.6% 4.0% Supply-Chain-Related Finance and Planning Cost 0.3% 0.2% 0.0% 0.2% Supply-Chain-Related IT Cost 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% 1.0% Total Supply-Chain Management Cost 8.7% 5.6% 2.4% 8.1% 15

16 Cost Total Supply Chain Management Cost as % of Revenue Order Management Cost % of Revenue Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. New Product Release, Phase In, and Maintenance 0.1% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% Create Customer Order 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% Order Entry and Maintenance 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% Contract, Program & Channel Maintenance 0.1% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% Installing Planning 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Order Fulfillment 0.3% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% Distribution 0.5% 0.7% 0.1% 0.2% Transportation, Outbound Freight and Duties 0.8% 1.0% 0.3% 0.3% Installation 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% Customer Invoicing/Accounting 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% Order Management Cost 2.5% 1.9% 1.3% 0.4% 16

17 Cost Total Supply Chain Management Cost as % of Revenue Material Acquisition Cost % of Revenue Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Materials (Commodity) Management and Planning 0.4% 0.8% 0.0% 0.3% Supplier Quality Engineering 0.1% 0.4% 0.0% 0.3% Inbound Freight and Duties 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% Receiving 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.3% Incoming Inspection 0.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% Component Engineering 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% Tooling 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% Material Acquisition Cost 1.1% 0.6% 0.0% 2.4% 17

18 Cost Total Supply Chain Management Cost as % of Revenue Inventory Carrying Cost % of Revenue Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Opportunity Cost 1.0% 1.1% 0.2% 1.8% Shrinkage 0.1% 0.3% 0.0% 0.1% Insurance and Taxes 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% Total Obsolescence for Raw Material, WIP and Finished Goods 1.9% 1.4% 0.1% 2.1% Channel Obsolescence 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Field Service Parts Obsolescence 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Inventory Carrying Cost 3.5% 2.1% 0.6% 4.0% 18

19 Cost Total Supply Chain Management Cost as % of Revenue SC Finance & Planning Cost and SC IT Cost % of Revenue Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Supply-Chain Finance Cost 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% Demand/Supply Planning Cost 0.3% 0.2% 0.0% 0.1% SC Finance & Planning Cost 0.3% 0.3% 0.0% 0.2% % of Revenue Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Plan 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% Source 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.2% Make 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.8% Deliver 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% IT Cost 0.2% 0.3% 0.1% 1.0% 19

20 Asset Management Efficiency Cash-to-Cash Cycle Time Days Sales Outstanding Average Payment Period Total Inventory Days of Supply Cash-to-Cash Cycle Time (Days) Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Inventory Days of Supply Breakdown Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Inventory Days of Supply (Raw Material) ND Inventory Days of Supply (WIP) ND 61.7 Inventory Days of Supply (Finished Goods) ND 60.8 Inventory Turns

21 Forecast Accuracy Forecast Accuracy Per Unit Forecast Horizon >6 months, 12% <3 months, 29% Per Dollar Forecast Horizon >6 months, 13% <3 months, 33% Your Org.: >6 Months 3-6 months, 59% Your Org.: >6 Months 3-6 months, 53% Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Unit Forecast Accuracy (% of Actual Units Shipped) 70.0% 75.2% 80.33% 83.2% Dollar Forecast Accuracy (% of Actual Dollars Shipped) 73.00% 79.67% 86.33% 81.0% 21

22 Benchmarking Results Executive Summary of Results Quantitative Performance Complexity Qualitative Practices Value Proposition for Improvement 22

23 Supply Chain complexity Complexity is assessed along multiple dimensions High levels of supply chain complexity, left unmanaged, reduce operational performance and lead to higher costs - Complexity-driven costs are often hard to identify, making it difficult to address Supply Chain Complexity Configuration and Structure Processes and Systems Products and Services Physical product flow Number of manufacturing plants Number of distribution centers Number of customer locations Processes and systems in place to manage complexity, for example: Sales and operations planning New product introduction Postponement and configuration strategy Number of SKUs offered Number of annual product introductions 23

24 Supply Chain Complexity Product Portfolio Complexity 0%-20% Very Low 20%-40% Low 40%-60% Median 60%-80% High 80%-100% Very High Your Org. Number of Finished Product Item Codes Number of finished product Item codes purchased in a finished good state from a co-manufacturer or other 3rd party New Product Introductions End of Life products retired during the year Number of SKUs that are promotional or seasonal in nature

25 Supply Chain Complexity Supplier Base Complexity 0%-20% Very Low 20%-40% Low 40%-60% Median 60%-80% High 80%-100% Very High Your Org. Number of Direct Material Suppliers Number of Direct Material Suppliers that account for 80% of material expenditure Number of Raw material item codes Number of sub assembly item codes Number of packaging item codes

26 Supply Chain Complexity Customer Base Complexity 0%-20% Very Low 20%-40% Low 40%-60% Median 60%-80% High 80%-100% Very High Your Org. Number of active customers Number of active customers that account for 80% of Total Product Revenue Number of orders received Number of locations performing order entry and management

27 Supply Chain Complexity Manufacturing Complexity 0%-20% Very Low 20%-40% Low 40%-60% Median 60%-80% High 80%-100% Very High Your Org. Number of manufacturing locations Number of manufacturing locations company owned Number of manufacturing locations outsourced

28 Supply Chain Complexity Distribution and IT Complexity 0%-20% Very Low 20%-40% Low 40%-60% Median 60%-80% High 80%-100% Very High Your Org. Number of shipments/delivery notes M Number of ship to locations Number of ship from locations Number of distribution centers Number of logistics/transportation suppliers %-20% Very Low 20%-40% Low 40%-60% Median 60%-80% High 80%-100% Very High Your Org. Number of unique systems/applications

29 Benchmarking Results Executive Summary of Results Quantitative Performance Complexity Qualitative Practices Value Proposition for Improvement 29

30 Qualitative Practices Methodology The qualitative practice assessment framework evaluates how well your organization is integrating processes and information systems across your supply chain. Transitional - Below 2 Mature Above 2 Stage 3: Advanced Stage 4: Differentiated Stage 2: Emerging Stage 1: Basic Discrete supply chain processes and data flows well documented and understood Resources managed at department level and performance measured at functional level Company-wide process and data model continuously measured at the company, process, and diagnostic levels Resources managed at both functional and crossfunctional levels Strategic partners throughout the global supply chain collaborate to: - Identify joint business objectives and action plans - Enforce common processes and data sharing - Define, monitor, and react to performance metrics IT and ebusiness solutions enable a collaborative supply chain strategy that: - Aligns participating companies business objectives and associated processes - Results in real-time planning, decision- making, and execution of supply chain responses to customer requirements 30

31 Practice Assessment Your Org.' Self Assessed Practices Level 1- Overall Supply Chain Practice Maturity STRATEGY Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 PLAN SOURCE MAKE DELIVER RETURN = Industry Average = Your Org. 31

32 Practice Assessment Your Org. Self Assessed Practices Level 2- Strategy STRATEGY Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Supply Chain Strategy Supply Chain Risk Management Supply Chain Performance Management Supply Chain Process Architecture Supply Chain Talent Management = Industry Average = Your Org. 32

33 Practice Assessment Your Org. Self Assessed Practices Level 2- Plan PLAN Sales, Inventory, & Operations Planning (SIOP) Demand Planning Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Supply Planning Inventory Management = Industry Average = Your Org. 33

34 Practice Assessment Your Org. Self Assessed Practices Level 2- Source SOURCE Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Procurement Positioning Sourcing Processes Order Processing P2P Systems Spend Data Procurement Organization Structure Procurement and Benefits Management Supply Risk Management = Industry Average = Your Org. 34

35 Practice Assessment Your Org. Self Assessed Practices Level 2- Make MAKE Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Product Planning and Management Maintenance Management Production Quality Management Manufacturing Strategy Material Issue, Move & Tracking = Industry Average = Your Org. 35

36 Practice Assessment Your Org. Self Assessed Practices Level 2- Deliver DELIVER Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Warehouse Transportation Network Design Order Entry & Scheduling Invoicing & Cash Collection = Industry Average = Your Org. 36

37 Practice Assessment Your Org. Self Assessed Practices Level 2- Return RETURN Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Service Parts Planning Reverse Logistics Warranty & Repair Field Services Operations = Industry Average = Your Org. 37

38 Benchmarking Results Executive Summary of Results Quantitative Performance Complexity Qualitative Practices Value Proposition for Improvement 38

39 Internal Facing Metrics Value Proposition Value Proposition for Your Org. Improving working capital efficiency (Days Sales Outstanding, Average Payment Period, and Inventory Days of Supply) to Best-in-Class levels could result in onetime cash boost up to $461M: Population Performance Key Performance Indicators Parity Advantage Superior Your Org. Working Capital Improvement Value to Parity or Advantage Value to Superior Days Sales Outstanding $16.2M $24.5M Average Payment Period $8.3M $22.5M Total Inventory Days of Supply $148.5M $459M Cash-to-Cash Cycle Time (days) Asset Reduction Potential $156.4M $461M Notes: Cash-to-cash assumes better of median or current performance 39

40 Benchmarking Results Executive Summary of Results Quantitative Performance Results Complexity Results Qualitative Practice Results Value Proposition for Improvement Conclusions and Next Steps 40

41 Conclusions and Next Steps 41

42 1 Benchmarking is only the first step in a continuous improvement program Benchmarking Set the priorities for change Continuous Improvement 2 3 Design the solution Adapt the supply chain Understand the business situation and competitive environment Evaluate your current capabilities and the capabilities of others Establish where your supply chain will excel versus others Confirm realistic performance goals Confirm the supply chain vision Identify opportunity areas for improvement Understand what s already there (process and data) map as is situation Identify opportunities to streamline processes Develop the design of the supply chain future state and organization to be processes Incorporate the next-generation characteristics of transparency, flexibility and simultaneity Use a phased implementation Provide program management, change management, and value management assistance Communicate consistently and frequently with a broad set of stakeholders Evangelize successes by communicating performance improvements Results! Primary scope of the project 42

43 Putting It All Together Changing your supply chain isn t a project it is an iterative and ongoing activity You need to develop a roadmap to change - Describes each major initiative to be executed over a given timeframe - Created and managed via a cross-functional effort - Identifies an approach to self fund the transformation from quick wins - Major transformations often take 6 18 months to fully deploy Define the Supply Chain Strategy 1 Set the Priorities for Change Design the Solution Adapt the Supply Chain Operate the Supply Chain Process Architecture Organization Performance Measures Collaboration 43

44 A Logical Next Step Is To Prioritize Improvements and Take Action! PwC is available to help Your Org. continue its supply chain improvement efforts. We are: Objective and factual Supports senior management to make key decisions Acts as a blind trust manager where information can not be shared Focused on the value proposition Keeps all decisions focused on highest value creation in shortest time frame Works across functions and processes where organizations have limits Experienced in managing the process Provides expertise in critical path management: Internal staff do not have a learning curve Understands human dimension of change Committed to knowledge transfer Ensures leave behind process Migrates from player/coach to coach/cheerleader : Positions owners to be successful We welcome the opportunity for further conversations with Your Org. about improvement projects as well as engaging with other divisions who might also be interested in benchmarking 44

45 About PwC 45

46 PwC continues to earn top recognition from clients, industry analysts, and competitors 180,000 professionals worldwide 157 countries and 776 locations No. 1 Global Business Consulting firm IDC & Kennedy Information 85% Fortune Global 500 are PwC clients Leader Gartner CRM Service Provider Broad client base across Fortune 1000 Works with Private and Public Companies No. 1 Product and Service Operations Kennedy Information No. 1 In Innovation Solutions Kennedy Information No. 1 In Operations Strategy IDC (2012) No. 1 Global Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory Kennedy Information No. 1 Of 8 named to Kennedy Vanguard of Supply Chain Consulting Kennedy Information Enterprise Applications Partnerships SAP Oracle Salesforce.com Jive We have an unparalleled combination of global scale and functional expertise 46

47 PwC is a recognized, global leader in operations consulting and benchmarking services We coined the term supply chain management in 1982, and co-led the development of the SCOR Model in 1996 Manufacturing & Production Strategy Consulting Kennedy Vanguard Leader [3] Oracle Applications Implementation Services Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader [1] Change Management Consulting Kennedy Vanguard Leader [4] Operations Consulting Services IDC MarketScape Leader [7] PwC is seen as the most capable of all firms at providing a full spectrum of business consulting services on operations engagements. [8] Supply Chain Risk Management Consulting Kennedy Vanguard Leader [6] Business Operations Consulting Services Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader [2] New Market Entry Strategy Consulting Kennedy Vanguard Leader [5] For precise, end to end supply chain benchmarks, consider The Performance Measurement Group -AMR Research Gartner SC leaders also hold in high regard PRTM s ability to benchmark supply chains.consider PwC/PRTM, particularly if you are in the market for benchmarking services - Gartner [1] Gartner Research, Magic Quadrant for Oracle Applications Implementation Services, Worldwide, September 2013, Alex Soejarto, Susanne Matson, [2] Magic Quadrant for Business Operations Consulting Services, Worldwide, December 23, 2013, Dana Stiffler. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product, or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research #2 publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose; [3] Kennedy Research, Manufacturing & Production Strategy Consulting, [4] "Change Management Consulting Market, [5] New Market Entry Strategy Consulting, [6] "Supply Chain Risk Management Consulting ," Kennedy Information LLC. Reproduced under license. [7,8] IDC, IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Operations Consulting Services 2012 Vendor Analysis, Cushing Anderson, July 2012 (IDC #236022). 47

48 PwC brings integrated best of the breed supply chain capabilities and thought leadership to its clients Business Strategy Pre-eminent strategic management consulting firm Explicit focus on pragmatic capability driven transformation and growth Broad operational design capabilities Operational Excellence Leading Operations Strategy Consulting Firm Deep expertise in supply chain design and implementation Unique benchmarking capabilities through focused Performance Management Group Category of One Technology Strategy & Implementation Dominant technology strategy and ebusiness design firm Explicit focus on strategic use of technology architecture and capability planning Digital /Omnichannel Leadership Thought-leading boutiques in social media and digital Extensive experience in consumer marketing and engagement design 48

49 We create client value by building the critical link between strategy and execution Driving Strategy to Execution Business Strategy Operations Critical Link Business Design and Operational Strategy Organization Design and Change Management Execution End-to-end Capabilities Strategy Customer Operations People and Change Finance Technology Risk Deals Tax High Impact Depth Intellectual Property Tangible Results Delivering Value High value, high touch consulting services for mission-critical, C-suite objectives Drive growth Increase profitability Innovate Unique industry depth, hands-on functional experience, and technology enablement to deliver bottom-line results Thought leadership and innovation across industries and service areas Seasoned consulting teams solving complex problems and implementing customized solutions to produce results 49

50 We help clients address end-to-end supply chain performance challenges while thinking like a ruthless competitor Global Productivity and Agility Cost Optimization Tax Efficient Supply Chain Operational Excellence Plan & Execute Effective & Efficient Sense & Respond Agile & Reliable Product Life Cycle Mgt Design for supply chain Design collaboration NPI process design and optimization Technology transfer & scale up Operations Strategy & Transformation Assessment & analysis Network optimization Operational strategy Performance metrics Risk management Quality Systems Culture change Design controls Assessment Consent decree remediation Governance & infrastructure Supply Chain Planning Demand planning Supply planning Sales and operations planning Clinical supply chain Procurement & Sourcing Strategic sourcing Procurement technology Procurement transformation Contract manufacturing Logistics and Distribution Logistics strategy Logistics operations Transportation Customs & duties Track/trace e- pedigree Operational Excellence Lean operations Cycle time reduction Inventory optimization Cost reduction Supply Chain IT Strategy People & Change Governance, Risk, Compliance 50

51 PwC brings significant benchmarking capabilities that span major functional areas that impact top and bottom line performance PwC benchmarking capabilities across the value-chain PwC Financial Effectiveness Benchmark PwC Saratoga Finance & Accounting Human Resources IT Procurement/Sourcing Supply Chain G&A Operating Expenses PwC Performance Measurement Group Product Innovation & Development R&D 51

52 PwC Benchmarking Team Contact information PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 125 High St Boston, MA 02110; USA T: Name/Last Name Advisory PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 125 High St Boston, MA 02110; USA T: Name/Last Name Advisory 52

53 Thank you PricewaterhouseCoopers has exercised reasonable care in the collecting, processing, and reporting of this information but has not independently verified, validated, or audited the data to verify the accuracy or completeness of the information. PricewaterhouseCoopers gives no express or implied warranties, including but not limited to any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use and shall not be liable to any entity or person using this document, or have any liability with respect to this document. This report is intended for internal use only by the recipient and should not be provided in writing or otherwise to any other third party without PricewaterhouseCoopers express written consent PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved. "PricewaterhouseCoopers" refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership, or, as the context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or other member firms of the network, each of which is a separate legal entity. This document is for general information purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional advisors.