Field notes from the floor

Insights

Real situations from Ontario manufacturing plants — operational turnaround, lean discipline, cultural realignment, succession, and the operations diligence gap that keeps killing M&A valuations. Written by Nash Krishnan.

September 2026 · Culture · AI Readiness

When AI Comes to the Bottling Plant, Who Feels Ready?

An illustrative bottling-plant story explores the questions behind an AI pilot: will my work still be valued, and will my judgement still be heard?

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August 2026 · Owner Dependence · 8 min read + self-assessment

Factory Owner Fatigue: When Every Ordinary Decision Still Comes Back to You

When every grey-area question still comes back to the owner, it is hard to ever really switch off. Includes a short private self-assessment.

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June 15, 2026 · Manufacturing Leadership · 8 min read

Why Manufacturing Improvements Disappear When the Owner Steps Away

An improvement is not yet organizational capability when it still depends on the owner or a few experienced people to sustain it.

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July 13, 2026 · Owner Dependence · 6 min read

When Loyal Factory Culture Still Cannot Hold Improvement

Loyal teams can keep a factory alive, but loyalty does not automatically make the plant capable.

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May 6, 2026 · M&A & Succession · 6 min read

EBITDA was clean. The deal still didn't close.

Five things the buyer's ops team saw on the floor that the owner couldn't — and why this gap is killing Ontario manufacturing valuations right now.

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May 5, 2026 · Approach · 3 min read

What walks in with me.

Most consultants hand you a report. I move in. The five disciplines I work on every engagement.

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