Case studies

Results, not reports.

Short, focused engagements with measurable impact. Here is what that looks like.

$400M+client value identified and delivered*

$10M+savings in a single PE-backed turnaround

250+client locations supported

6–12 wkstypical engagement length

*Across the career of our founder, including prior consulting roles.

PE Value Creation · Procurement TransformationSponsor: PE operating partners and CEO

PE-backed healthcare services company

The challenge: A fast-growing company in a turnaround. Costs were rising across 250+ locations in 24 states, and no one was leading procurement.

Stepped in as interim head of a ~$125M procurement function
Renegotiated with key equipment makers and distributors to cut cost of goods and free up cash
Ran the search for, and onboarded, a permanent VP of Procurement

Impact

$10M+in savings

250+locations across 24+ states

Permanent leader in placeprocurement handed over to a new VP

Procurement Transformation · Cost OptimizationSponsor: CFO

$1B+ multi-site hospitality company

The challenge: Every site bought on its own. No one had a full view of spend, so savings never stuck.

Built a cost baseline by vendor and item
Found quick wins in food & beverage and other major categories
Set up a central procurement function and supported negotiations through contract rollout

Impact

10%+cut in addressable spend

Sustained year after yearsavings built into contracts and process

New central procurement teamin place and running

Procurement Transformation · Sourcing & Value DeliverySponsor: Head of Indirect Procurement & Logistics

Global petrochemical company

The challenge: Large indirect and logistics spend with outdated contracts and pricing, and a new procurement leader who needed early wins. We delivered as a partner to a top-tier strategy firm.

Reviewed ~$200M of spend, supplier contracts and pricing
Sized savings and worked with the client's teams to negotiate them with suppliers
Wrote a 100-day plan for the new head of indirect procurement & logistics

Impact

$25Msavings identified

$4.5Mdelivered to date

~$200Mof spend reviewed

AI & Automation · Sourcing & Value DeliverySponsor: CEO / COO

Multi-site healthcare services organization

The challenge: The client wanted to use AI to win more patients, while high-impact projects were running behind and the supply chain team was short of key people.

Sourced custom agentic AI for patient acquisition and helped select an AI-enabled patient call center
Audited the marketing agency-of-record contract and ran an IT hardware RFP during a global chip shortage
Covered the supply chain function while key staff were out, then found and onboarded new team members

Impact

15%savings potential on the agency contract

3+new team members onboarded

Agentic AI livefor patient acquisition, with key projects delivered faster

Supply Chain Resilience · Project ManagementSponsor: COO / SVP Supply Chain

Fortune 200 global apparel & accessories retailer

The challenge: Leaders could not see supply chain problems early enough to act.

Mapped the supply chain and logistics processes end to end
Built one dashboard that tracks performance from the whole company down to each item
Ran leadership updates three times a week to fix issues faster

Impact

4brands, each $1B+, on one dashboard

1,000sof items tracked

Faster responseto supply chain problems

PE Value Creation · Cost OptimizationSponsor: CFO / PE operating partner

PE-backed skincare technology company

The challenge: The investors wanted value quickly, and a few very large suppliers held most of the negotiating power.

Rapid spend review across direct and indirect categories
Led negotiations with the largest suppliers
Secured pricing and payment terms that improved cash flow

Impact

~$10Msavings identified across direct and indirect spend

Better cash flowfrom improved supplier terms

Founder track record

Experience behind the work

Before founding Zai Team, our founder led engagements at a global strategy consulting firm, including:

Client	Result
Fortune 500 automaker	$200M+ improvement identified on $1.8B of spend
Global semiconductor company	$100M+ opportunity identified through process redesign
PE client: industrial acquisition target	$60–70M synergies found in pre-deal due diligence
Fortune 50 grocery retailer	$15M saved on $300M of fresh-produce spend
Global industrial goods distributor	$14M hard savings on $80M of spend
Large industrial distributor	~20% average cost reduction on IT spend