Where consumer transformation programmes tend to struggle
Transformation in consumer companies usually fails in predictable places: data that does not migrate cleanly, controls that are lost between old and new processes, and benefits that are assumed rather than measured. The priorities below are the ones consumer businesses in Bangladesh most often ask RRH to help with. They describe our approach rather than the outcome of any particular engagement.
A further pattern is that programme governance concentrates on timelines and budgets, while the finance and tax consequences of design decisions are left until late. Choices about how discounts are recorded, how distributors are set up in the system or how intercompany charges are processed affect the financial statements and tax returns for years. Bringing finance, tax and internal audit into design discussions early costs far less than correcting the results afterwards.
ERP and core system replacement
Many consumer companies are replacing locally built systems or older ERP versions. The main risks are in data migration for customer, product and price records, opening balances that do not reconcile, segregation of duties lost when user roles are redesigned, and VAT invoicing requirements that are not properly configured in the new system.
Our IT Advisory team reviews these risks at design stage and again before go-live, tests migrated data against source records, and checks that tax and reporting requirements are built into the system rather than handled outside it.
Route-to-market digitisation
Distributor management systems, outlet-level ordering apps and digital collections give companies far better data on secondary sales. They also create new reconciliation points between distributor systems and the company ledger, new ways to misuse discounts and promotional schemes, and questions about who owns the data under contracts with distributors and platform providers. We help companies define the controls and reconciliations these channels need before volumes grow. Reconciliation rules agreed early also make it easier to settle claims with distributors quickly, which supports the commercial relationship.
Finance and people processes
Consumer companies often employ large factory workforces and field sales teams, which makes payroll, incentive calculations and statutory funds a significant administrative load. Redesigning these processes brings attention to the accuracy of tax deducted at source, provident and gratuity fund administration, and the Workers' Profit Participation Fund required under the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006. Our Payroll & Fund Management team can run or review these processes as the finance function changes.
Throughout a programme, our Risk Consulting team can provide independent checkpoint reviews at design, pre-implementation and after the first period close, so that leadership has evidence, not only status reports, that the change is working.
Related RRH services: IT Advisory, Payroll & Fund Management and Risk Consulting.