Contreq is a business management consultancy: Financial Control, Finance and Quality.

Numbers that guide. Processes that sustain.

We connect numbers, processes, people and decisions to turn management into results in micro, small and medium-sized businesses.

Understand · Structure · Monitor

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Finance & Control and Quality & Performance overlap in the management of the company Financial Control & Finance P&L Cash flow Costs & margins Budgeting Quality & Performance Processes Management Systems Audits MASP Indicators and decisions
  • +20 yearsof experience in Finance, Financial Control and Quality
  • Since 2016helping companies decide with reliable numbers
  • Micro, Small and Medium-sizedbusinesses are our focus

Companies that count on Contreq

  • Retífica FocoRetífica Foco
  • WabizWabiz
  • Butique da VarandaButique da Varanda
  • Projetar Injeção e CromaçãoProjetar
  • TopografareTopografare
  • Corporate Therapy

Information exists. Processes exist. Indicators exist.

But it has to work in the everyday routine.

In many companies the problem is not a lack of tools. There are spreadsheets, systems, procedures, reports and meetings. What is missing is the link between the parts: strategy does not reach the process, the indicator does not guide the decision, and the finance team’s numbers do not speak to what happens in operations.

Contreq works on that link, between what the company plans, what it measures and what it does every day.

Signs that management is not connected

  • The same problem comes back every month under a different name.
  • The month-end close arrives too late to support the decision.
  • Indicators are presented, but the routine does not change.
  • The Management System springs to life in audit week.
  • Nobody is quite sure who is responsible for what.
  • The margin is known in total, but not where it is being lost.
  1. Strategy
  2. Processes
  3. People
  4. Indicators
  5. Numbers
  6. Decisions

Contreq Diagnostic

Before proposing a solution, we need to understand the reality.

The Contreq Diagnostic starts from the company’s reality to identify processes, problems, gaps, responsibilities, indicators and the points that are affecting performance.

No project starts from a ready-made package. First we look at how the company really works. Then, together with management, we decide what needs to be done and in what order.

I’d like to know more about the Contreq Diagnostic

What the diagnostic looks at

  • Processes
  • Recurring problems
  • Gaps
  • Responsibilities
  • Indicators
  • Points affecting performance
  1. 1Diagnose
  2. 2Prioritise
  3. 3Structure
  4. 4Implement
  5. 5Monitor
  6. 6Improve

Two areas, one approach to management

Contreq works in Financial Control and in Quality because, in practice, the two subjects meet in the same decisions. You can start with one area or with both.

Finance & Control

Decisions based on numbers, not on intuition.

For companies that need to see their results clearly and in good time: a reliable close, a reading of where margin is won or lost, and close support for management.

  • Structured monthly close
  • Management P&L
  • Cash flow
  • Financial indicators
  • Management dashboards
  • Cost and margin analysis
  • Budgeting
  • Financial monitoring
  • Decision support
Talk about Finance and Financial Control

Quality & Performance

Management systems that work in practice.

We do not work just so that a company passes its audit. The aim is for the system to work in the everyday routine: clear processes, defined responsibilities, indicators that are actually used and problems treated at the root cause.

  • Process diagnosis and mapping
  • Setting up Management Systems
  • ISO 9001
  • IATF 16949
  • ISO 14001
  • ISO 45001
  • FSSC 22000
  • MASP and root cause analysis
  • Audits
  • People development
  • Continuous improvement
Talk about Quality and Performance

Financial Control & Financial Management

Support for the management of small and medium-sized businesses

We set up, control and analyse results to support the growth of small and medium-sized businesses. Financial Control is the part of financial management that organises information so that the owner can decide with numbers, not guesswork. If the company is in debt, has no control over its cash or does not know the month’s result, the way forward starts with financial management.

Financial Control

Objective

  • Organise
  • Analyse
  • Integrate

Information

  • Economic
  • Financial
  • Operational

Result

  • Better decisions
  • Sustainable growth
Financial Control organises, analyses and integrates economic, financial and operational information to reach better decisions and sustainable growth.

If you don’t control it, you can’t manage it.

Without indicators and metrics to follow the processes, managing a business becomes blind and based on guesswork.

  • Data-driven decisions

    Replaces intuition with real numbers on costs, sales and productivity.

  • Course correction

    Makes it possible to spot operational failures and deviations from targets before they cause serious losses.

  • Efficiency and effectiveness

    Helps measure the correct use of resources and the delivery of the expected results.

How this shows up in Contreq’s work

Each Financial Control objective becomes concrete deliverables, the same ones we put in place for our clients.

Organise

Putting the house in order

  • Cash flow spreadsheet with correct allocation of income and expenses
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Setting up internal controls
  • Migration from spreadsheets to an ERP system

Analyse

Turning data into a reading of the business

  • Management reports on sales, purchasing and financial movements
  • Results in a P&L structure
  • Analysis of costs, sales and margins
  • Forecast cash flow and performance indicators
  • Payroll variances: salaries, benefits and headcount

Integrate

Connecting owners, departments and partners

  • Support for the owners on finance, sales, HR and production decisions
  • Liaison with banks, lawyers and outsourced accountants
  • Follow-up of operational and financial management
  • Economic, financial and operational information in a single view

The dashboard we deliver, in practice

A sample with fictitious data, built on the same structure as our clients’ dashboards: close, results and cash in a single view. Click an image to enlarge it.

  • Executive summaryRevenue, contribution margin, EBITDA and the month’s points of attention.
  • Income statement (P&L)Actual, budget and variance, with the underlying accounts behind each figure.
  • Cash flowBalance and forecast, receivables by due date and the cash cycle.

Systems and routines we work with

  • Cash flow
  • Management P&L
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Budgeting
  • ERP
  • Xero Accounting
  • BrightPay (payroll)
  • Bookkeeping
  • Management dashboards
Talk about Finance and Financial Control See what we do

Quality & Performance

Quality that sustains the company’s results

We set up and sustain Quality Management Systems so that the company performs well in customer and certification audits and, above all, so that the system works in the everyday routine: clear processes, defined responsibilities, indicators that are actually used and problems treated at the root cause. We work with small and medium-sized businesses, with strong experience in industry and the automotive sector.

Quality

Objective

  • Structure
  • Audit
  • Improve

Information

  • Customer and standard requirements
  • Processes and indicators
  • Non-conformities and causes

Result

  • Fewer failures and less rework
  • Certification sustained
Quality structures processes, checks what happens in the routine and treats the causes of problems, in order to reduce failures, protect the customer and sustain certification.

Quality is not what is in the manual. It is what happens in the routine.

A system that exists only on paper does not protect the customer, does not reduce losses and does not hold up at the next audit.

  • Compliance that lasts

    Meets customer and standard requirements, and keeps meeting them after the audit.

  • Fewer losses

    Reduces scrap, rework and complaints by acting on the cause rather than the symptom.

  • A culture of improvement

    Teams that understand the system, use the indicators and suggest improvements.

How this shows up in Contreq’s work

Each Quality objective becomes concrete deliverables, applied in the company’s daily routine.

Structure

Putting the system in order

  • Process diagnosis and mapping
  • Setting up and maintaining the Quality Management System
  • Integration with environment and safety (ISO 14001 and ISO 45001)
  • Transition between versions of a standard, such as from ISO/TS 16949 to IATF 16949

Audit

Checking before the customer does

  • Planning and carrying out internal system, process and product audits
  • Preparation and support for customer and certification audits
  • Corrective action plans and deadline follow-up
  • Quality and environmental indicators brought into management decisions

Improve

Treating the cause, not the symptom

  • MASP, 8D, 5 Whys and the Ishikawa diagram
  • Core Tools: APQP, PPAP and SPC
  • Lean, Kaizen and Six Sigma to reduce the cost of poor quality
  • Team training and development

The Quality Management System dashboard in practice

Compliance with the standard, indicators with targets and the QMS process map in a single view. Example with fictitious data, in the same structure as our clients’ dashboards. Click the image to enlarge it.

  • QMS executive summaryIATF 16949 compliance, indicators on target, PPM, cost of poor quality and the priorities for the coming weeks.
  • Process mapManagement, realisation and support, with customer feedback and PDCA. Each process shows how many indicators are on target.
  • IATF 16949 diagnosticGaps by chapter, compliance trend and a plan with owner and due date to close each gap.

Standards and tools we work with

  • ISO 9001
  • IATF 16949
  • ISO 14001
  • ISO 45001
  • FSSC 22000
  • VDA 6.3
  • APQP
  • PPAP
  • SPC
  • MASP
  • 8D
  • Lean
  • Internal audit
Talk about Quality and Performance See what we do

Where Financial Control and Quality meet

Each area works on its own, and many clients start with just one. But both look at the same company: one through the numbers, the other through the processes that produce those numbers. When they meet, management sees both the cause and the cost of the same problem.

The cost of poor quality

Quality measures scrap, rework and complaints.

Financial Control takes those numbers into the P&L and shows what they cost.

Together: prioritise the problem that weighs most on the result.

One dashboard for management

Quality brings process indicators, targets and action plans.

Financial Control brings the P&L, cash flow and financial indicators.

Together: a single reading, with targets and trends.

Investing with judgement

Quality defines what the certification or improvement requires.

Financial Control assesses cost, timing and return.

Together: decide what to do first using numbers, not urgency.

The experience behind both areas

Finance & Control

Controller & FP&A · Business Administration, Accounting, Finance and Financial Control

Over 20 years of generalist experience, with training and expertise in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance and Financial Control, across sectors including manufacturing, trade, services, construction and technology.

Key qualificationsProfessional Master’s in Business AdministrationMBA in Financial Management, Financial Control and Audit · FGV
  • Business Controller and Financial Controller of a holding group spanning several sectors, reporting to boards and head offices in Brazil, Australia, the USA and the Netherlands
  • Budget management (Budget, Capex and Opex), working capital, contribution margins, cash flow, and industrial and import costs
  • Monthly closes, balance sheet analysis, income statement (P&L) and KPIs, advising directors and senior leadership directly
  • Business partnering with Human Resources, Procurement, Logistics, Foreign Trade, Projects, Legal and IT, and ERP system implementation as Key User
  • Leadership of teams of more than 15 professionals in Brazil and abroad, and five years of experience in the United Kingdom, with fluent English
  • Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Business Administration, and technical accounting training (IFRS) in the United Kingdom

Skills

  • Financial Control
  • FP&A
  • Income statement (P&L)
  • KPIs
  • Budget, Capex and Opex
  • Cash flow
  • Working capital
  • Costs & margins
  • Import and export
  • Business partner
  • Process improvement
  • IFRS
  • ERP (Key User)
  • Accounting
  • Audit
  • Fluent English

Quality & Performance

Quality Manager and Lead Auditor · Chemical Engineering

Over 15 years turning Management Systems into business results, in Brazilian and multinational automotive manufacturers, Tier 1 and Tier 2.

Key qualificationsMBA in Production and Quality Management · FGVChemical Engineering
  • Leading and sustaining IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications and VDA 6.3 process audits, as a Lead Auditor
  • Migration from ISO/TS 16949 to IATF 16949 approved in an external audit, and implementation of integrated Quality and Environmental systems
  • Application of the Core Tools (APQP, PPAP and SPC) and structured problem solving with MASP, 8D, Ishikawa and 5 Whys
  • Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma and Industry 4.0 projects, focused on reducing the cost of poor quality and tracking indicators in real time
  • Executive business programme in the United States, and work as an instructor in Quality, Production and Management courses at SENAI

Skills

  • IATF 16949
  • ISO 9001
  • ISO 14001
  • ISO 45001
  • VDA 6.3
  • Internal and customer audits
  • APQP · PPAP · SPC
  • MASP · 8D
  • Lean · Kaizen · Six Sigma
  • SAP (Quality Key User)
  • Industry 4.0
  • Team leadership
  • Training and development

A story that brings together management, numbers and processes.

Talk about both areas

How we work

Each area follows its own cycle. Neither ends with the delivery of a document: each turn starts from what the previous one taught.

Finance & Control

  1. CollectFinancial and operational data.
  2. CloseP&L, cash flow and indicators.
  3. AnalyseA critical reading of the result.
  4. PresentA clear view for management.
  5. MonitorAdvice and decision support.

Quality & Performance

  1. DiagnoseUnderstand the reality.
  2. StructureOrganise processes and responsibilities.
  3. ImplementPut the system to work.
  4. MeasureTrack indicators and performance.
  5. ImproveTreat causes and drive progress.

Ongoing work with our clients

Companies that rely on Contreq day to day, in Brazil and abroad. This is monthly, recurring work, and these clients continue with us.

Wabiz

Technology for food delivery and restaurants

What Contreq has been doing

  • Cash flow spreadsheet for financial control, correct allocation of income and expenses, and bank reconciliation
  • Management reports on sales performance, payroll variances and financial movements
  • Result indicators in a P&L structure
  • Finance & Control

Visit the Wabiz website (opens in a new tab)

Butique da Varanda

Glazing · Eleve Soluções em Envidraçamento

What Contreq has been doing

  • Cash flow spreadsheet and migration to an ERP system
  • Analysis of sales, costs and margins
  • Analysis of headcount movements: salaries, benefits and other variances
  • Management reports, performance indicators and support for the owners’ decisions
  • Finance & Control

Retífica Foco

Engine reconditioning

What Contreq has been doing

  • Follow-up and support for operational and financial management
  • Support for the owners in finance, sales, human resources and production
  • Support in liaising with banks, lawyers and outsourced accountants
  • Internal controls and performance reports on sales, purchasing and financial movements
  • Finance & Control

Visit the Retífica Foco website (opens in a new tab)

Topografare

Surveying and geotechnology

What Contreq has been doing

  • Cash flow spreadsheet for better allocation of income and expenses
  • Analysis of financial movements and of future cash flow
  • Management reports and setting up of indicators
  • Support for management and the owners in decision-making
  • Finance & Control

Visit the Topografare website (opens in a new tab)

Projetar Injeção e Cromação

Plastic injection moulding and chrome plating

What Contreq has been doing

  • Data gathering and analysis of processes, figures and results
  • Organising financial and operational controls
  • Analyses and performance indicators, with targets and trends
  • Management P&L, cost and margin analysis, and actual and forecast cash flow
  • Review meetings with management and support for quality management
  • Finance & Control
  • Quality & Performance

Corporate Therapy

Accounting and bookkeeping · United Kingdom

What Contreq has been doing

  • Payroll processing for Corporate Therapy’s clients, in BrightPay
  • Bookkeeping for those clients in Xero Accounting
  • Working as an outsourced partner, from Brazil, for a UK company
  • Finance & Control
  • International service

Visit the Corporate Therapy website (opens in a new tab)

What changes when Contreq steps in

  • Diagnosis before solution

    Understand before proposing.

  • A view of numbers and processes

    The company as a connected system.

  • Hands-on experience

    Experience built in real environments of management, production, Quality, Finance and Financial Control.

  • Indicators connected to management

    Measure to decide, not to file away.

  • A system applied to the routine

    Management that happens day to day.

  • Developing people

    Teams that sustain the system and the results.

About Contreq

The name Contreq brings together the two disciplines at the company’s origin.

Financial Control brings the reading of results, costs and cash. Engineering brings the view of processes, quality and root cause. Together they let you see the whole company: what happens in operations shows up in the numbers, and what the numbers show has to go back into operations. The two areas, Finance and Engineering, belong to the same field: Business Administration.

Two disciplines, one brand. And a symbol inspired by the concepts of Business Administration.

CONTR Financial Control
EQ Chemical Engineering
Quality Engineering

Financial management + Quality + Processes + Performance

The Contreq symbol

The “O” in the Contreq name is a symbol of our own, inspired by classic concepts of Business Administration, the foundation of both of the company’s areas. These are ideas Contreq brings to each client’s routine.

  • Balance and solidity

    Geometric shapes resting on a point: stability to support decisions and movement for the company to evolve.

  • From the process inwards

    Planning, organising, coordinating and controlling. The internal routine that underpins results.

  • From results outwards

    Targets, execution and the company’s growth in the market. What a well-organised routine delivers.

  • Deep blue

    Trust and seriousness in dealing with numbers, processes and people.

The first step is to understand your reality.

Tell us what is happening in your company. Starting from the reality of the business, we identify the points that need attention and build the right path.

Let’s talk Discover the Contreq Diagnostic

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