What keeps manufacturing owners up at night
Input cost volatility
Energy, steel and freight costs can wipe out margin on fixed-price contracts. Build pass-through clauses and reprice regularly.
Not knowing true product cost
Without standard costing, your best-selling product may be your least profitable.
Working capital
Raw materials, WIP and finished goods tie up cash. Set targets and track them weekly.
Capex and grants
New equipment, automation and energy-efficiency projects often qualify for grants or incentives. Your CFO builds the business case.
The KPIs your CFO should report
| KPI | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Gross margin by product & customer | After freight and rebates |
| Standard cost variances | Price, usage, labour efficiency |
| OEE / capacity utilisation | Return on plant |
| Inventory days by category | Raw, WIP, finished goods |
| Energy cost per unit | A rising input |
| Capex payback | Investment discipline |
All of these appear live in CFOAvatar, your AI CFO dashboard.
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How CFOSurge works with you
One of our Australian CPA partners owns your relationship, leads board and investor conversations, and signs off the advice that matters.
Experienced CFOs and analysts with Big Four and Fortune 500 backgrounds build your forecasts, reporting and models, working to Australian business hours.
Connects to your accounting software and watches cash, margin, debtors and KPIs every day. It answers questions 24/7 and flags risks before month-end.
Frequently asked questions
What does a manufacturing CFO do?
Sets up standard costing and variance reporting, measures margin by product and customer, manages inventory and cash, and evaluates capex and funding.
Can a CFO help reduce energy costs?
A CFO quantifies energy cost per unit and the payback of efficiency projects, and builds pass-through into pricing.
Do you work with defence suppliers?
Yes. We build contract-grade costing and cash forecasts for manufacturers supplying defence primes.
How do I know my true product cost?
Allocate materials, labour, machine time and overheads using standard costs, then compare actual against standard monthly.