Strategy –
Managing for value to deliver on our medium-term strategy
In 2017 we worked to align both internal and external stakeholders, including board and management, on Barloworld's medium-term strategy, informed by our bold ambition. In our last report we outlined our challenges and shortcomings in value creation, which, along with our assessment of the full potential of each of our businesses, informed the context of our change and identification of value-enhancing opportunities.
We forged a new path by explicitly defining our strategic goals and focus areas to deliver on our ability to sustainably maximise value creation. We began implementation of our strategy without delay, the results of which started to manifest in our 2018 half-year results.
To double the intrinsic value of our business every four years, enabled by the managing for value operating model.
Our vision to delight our customers and maximise shareholder value is grounded in the understanding that we must run a successful business that generates superior returns for our shareholders in order for us to create value for stakeholders and contribute meaningfully to the societies in which we operate.
Forging a new path
During the corporate level strategy review process, we considered all aspects of the group and its businesses.
This review caused us to reflect on the following items:
| What is the full potential of each business in the portfolio today in the context of the constraints of their existing markets? | Are there opportunities within each of our chosen business segments to further expand the group? | What else would we need to deliver on our growth for value ambitions? |
Our new strategy seeks to create value by balancing our long-term growth ambitions while focusing on achieving acceptable returns for our shareholders in the medium term. This will continue to be underpinned by our responsible citizenship programme. In order to adapt to this new operating context and achieve our ambition, the group will drive the strategy by addressing three critical levers in the short to medium term:
 Fix and optimise our existing portfolio |
 Implement a more active shareholder operating model |
 Add high-growth businesses to our portfolio |
Our vision will remain while these levers will change over time as we implement our strategy and adapt to a changing environment. As this change occurs we continue to find the right levers to pull to ensure the ongoing creation of shared value for our stakeholders.
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GRI |
102-15 |
Purpose
Inspiring a world of difference, enabling growth and progress in society
Vision
To delight our customers and maximise
shareholder value
Ambition
Double the intrinsic value created every four years
| Deliver top quartile shareholder returns |
Drive profitable growth |
Instil a high-performance culture |
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Where to focus
| Geography A core presence in southern Africa, with operations in Africa, Russia and Europe |
Customers A balanced portfolio, primarily consisting of business to business (B2B) customers |
Offering Industrial equipment, automotive, logistics and branded goods and services |
How to deliver
| Leadership style Role-modelling customer centricity, living our values, ensuring accountability and One Barloworld |
Talent Robust talent management and diversity to drive excellence and winning behaviour |
Leverage our scale and assets Superior capabilities and footprint with active portfolio management |
Differentiated relationships Deep relationships built on trust, service and delivery |
Leading brands Quality local and global brands that are leaders in their categories |
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Fix and optimise existing business portfolio to get full potential |
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Implement an active shareholder operating model |
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Acquisitive growth – focused on adding high growth businesses to our portfolio |
Key initiatives – Medium-term goals
Fix Optimise Automotive: motor dealership portfolio assessment (Project Optimize) and costbase review (Project Align). Restructure of leasing and rental assets |
Managing for value Talent management Portfolio rebalancing Barloworld Business System |
Value creation |
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Corporate portfolio rebalancing driven by managing for value philosophy and high-performance culture
2017 Key initiatives outlined – executed in 2018
DRIVING GROUP RETURN ON EQUITY IMPROVEMENT 11.4% (2017: 10.5%)
| Fix | ||||||||||
| Equipment Iberia: business improvement, restructuring and disposal | Sale finalised and concluded in June 2018 | |||||||||
| Logistics: business performance improvement and restructuring |
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| Optimise | ||||||||||
| Equipment Southern Africa: operational transformation | Reduced net expenses | |||||||||
| Automotive: motor dealership portfolio assessment and cost base review | Dealer network review resulting in closure of an underperforming dealership and one non-core business | |||||||||
| Dealership and head office cost review and realignment, resulting in headcount reduction, reduced expenses and improved operational efficiencies | ||||||||||
Active portfolio management and performance monitoring
During the reporting period, we implemented the Barloworld managing for value operating model, an integrated managerial process systemically designed to enable us to effectively translate the strategic intent and bold ambition into value, by closing the value gap identified.
The process provides a focused agenda on the identification, execution and monitoring of priorities with the highest values-at-stake that close the value gap, the benefits of which include:
- Decoupling of strategy development from strategic planning
- Embedding a dynamic resource allocation model to allocate capital and talent in line with the most value-maximising options
- Simplification and focus of strategic planning on the main value drivers of the business (supplemented by a detailed budget) to enable the business to get to full potential
- Simplification and focus of the performance management process, with fewer, consistent and value‐related key performance indicators (KPIs) for improved line of sight and consequential accountability
DRIVEN THROUGH A MORE ACTIVE ROLE OF THE CENTRE: ACTIVE SHAREHOLDER OPERATING MODEL
Post the reporting period and, in line with our managing for value principle, we launched the Barloworld Business System (BBS) to help us build execution capability based on a continuous improvement methodology.
Post the reporting period we launched the Barloworld Business System (BBS), a methodology centred on embedding a value enhancing culture of continuous improvement; our Barloworld transformational way of addressing processes that hinder organisational effectiveness.
By simplifying our processes, understanding our value streams better, building execution capability and harnessing value opportunities that will help achieve our bold ambition, we will further embed the core principles of managing for value.
If we are to ensure that our customers win we have to free up our people’s time so they can do those things that add value, create avenues for them to participate in identifying problems, defining solutions, create clarity on outcomes and ownership thereof. That way we create better opportunities for them to grow and thrive, thus building sustainability of improvements where change capacity and operational excellence are the norm.
Capital allocation
In the 2018 financial year Barloworld committed to capital release targets aimed at effective resource allocation, and optimal deployment of capital. We have continued to focus on efficient capital utilisation to enhance ROIC and economic profit.
The cash release of R2.5 billion from the sale of Equipment Iberia allows us to deploy capital in another emerging market territory that is aligned with the group’s competencies and this opportunity is being explored. This is also part of our capital release programme that will see us build cash up to R8 billion over the next six to nine months with focus on the following areas:
- Automotive Avis Fleet – Leasing: R3 billion – R4 billion (six months)
- Equipment Southern Africa Rental: R2 billion (six to nine months)
- Optimising our capital structure through capital reduction (ongoing)
Looking ahead
The group will drive the disciplined allocation of capital by addressing its critical levers in the short to medium term.
| Active shareholder operating model | Further embed our management principles to drive operational excellence and delivery capability through our managing for value and BBS methodology | |
| Add high-growth businesses to our portfolio | Existing portfolio In Equipment and Automotive we will target adjacencies that are asset light, counter-cyclical and offer synergies with customers or product, with growing profit pools New New business will leverage existing distribution capabilities and competency The group will focus on investigating opportunities to deploy capital into higher return businesses utilising strict criteria to ensure value accretive growth Focus will be in emerging markets and regions contiguous to our existing territories |
Progress against our strategic objectives
DELIVER TOP QUARTILE SHAREHOLDER RETURNS
| Objective: | Progress: | |
| Our objective is to be the investment of choice by delivering top quartile returns to our shareholders, as measured by the return we generate on the capital invested. | During the year, we continued implementing the strategy, following the review conducted in the prior year, to identify and address underperforming areas of the business through targeted interventions and projects focused on improving efficiency, while exploring acquisitive opportunities. The effects and sustainability of the interventions are beginning to reflect in the current year returns. | |
Key performance indicators
| Performance | ||||
| Measure | Target | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity* (%) | ≥15.0 | 11.4 | 10.5 | 9.3 |
| Return on invested capital* (%) | ≥13.0 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 9.4 |
* For continuing operations.
DRIVE PROFITABLE GROWTH
| Objective: | Progress: | |
| To deliver on our ambition, we actively drive profitable growth across all businesses, to ensure we meet the expectations of our stakeholders. | During the year, we embedded the reviewed and revised measures used to assess the profitability of our operations, moving towards a more balanced view of value creation. | |
Key performance indicators
| Performance | ||||
| Measure | Target | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic profit (Rm) | ≥0 | (48) | (286) | (859) |
| Economic profit delta (Rm) | ≥0 | 238 | 574 | (140) |
| Free cash flow (Rm) | ≥0* | 3 591 | 3 405 | 4 279 |
* Positive free cash flow after interest, before dividends and before major corporate actions.
INSTIL A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CULTURE
| Objective: | Progress: | |
| To deliver, we need to ensure we instil a high-performance culture that emphasises and rewards sustainable delivery. | During the year, we progressed our understanding of the human capital capabilities we need to support our new strategic ambition. We identified key talent within the business and have developed interventions to support their growth. | |
Key performance indicators
| Performance | |||||
| Measure | Target | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety | |||||
| Work-related fatalities | Zero | 2 | 3 | 1 | |
| Lost-time injury frequency rate (LTIFR)* | ≤0.5 | 0.69 | 0.75 | 0.75 | |
| Development | |||||
| Total direct training spend per employee | ≥R8 000 | R4 171 | R6 472 | R5 195 | |
| Diversity and inclusion (2020 targets) | |||||
| % women of total headcount | ≥35% | 28% | 28% | 26% | |
| % women in middle management level and above | ≥40% | 38% | 36% | 34% | |
| % African, Indian and Coloured (AIC) employees of total headcount | ≥75% | 76% | 74% | 72% | |
| % AIC employees in middle management level and above | ≥50% | 45% | 42% | 34% | |
| Rating level under the dti codes | Level 4 or better | Level 3 | Level 3 | Level 3 | |
* Lost-time injuries multiplied by 200 000 divided by total hours worked.
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GRI |
403-2, 404-1, 404-2, 405-1 |