Aldus doesn't generalize.
It takes on your industry's identity.
Every sector has its own operating logic — its own cost structure, its own KPI set, and its own definition of best-in-class performance. Aldus is built to recognize that from the first document upload, map your business to the right NAICS peer set, and apply playbooks that have been proven in that specific operating environment.
The Aldus Industry Engine
Four layers of industry intelligence,
activated on upload.
Aldus identifies your NAICS sector from your data room — financials, contracts, employee roster, and SIC codes — and immediately loads the operating model framework for your industry. Every subsequent analysis is structured through the lens of how that sector actually operates.
Before surfacing a single recommendation, Aldus maps the business's operational DNA: leadership dependencies, process maturity, decision architecture, and workforce structure. The result is an operator identity that shapes how every gap is interpreted and every initiative is scoped.
Aldus indexes your KPIs against industry-specific peer data — sourced from CFMA, ATA, NRF, NAICS sub-code cohorts, and proprietary engagement data. Every gap is compared not to a generic average, but to the benchmark set that a strategic buyer would use to evaluate your business.
Each identified gap is matched to a proven operator playbook — a sequenced, evidence-backed set of initiatives built from real LMM engagements in that sector. Playbooks are not templates; they're frameworks calibrated to the specific financial profile, team capacity, and timeline of your business.
Manufacturing
Throughput, yield, and unit economics — Aldus reads the floor.
Manufacturing businesses carry complexity that general advisory tools can't parse: multi-shift operations, raw material volatility, equipment depreciation cycles, and labor productivity measured in units per hour. Aldus maps to NAICS codes 31–33 and recognizes these patterns immediately — reading your cost accounting, production reports, and QA logs to surface the gaps that constrain EBITDA.
Operator Identity
Aldus establishes the operator identity as a production-first environment: it understands OEE, cycle time variance, and first-pass yield before flagging any recommendation. Every initiative is grounded in the actual economics of your shop floor.
Best-in-Class Benchmarks
- ▸OEE vs. industry median (NAICS 33 benchmark: 72%)
- ▸Labor cost as % of COGS
- ▸Gross margin by product line
- ▸Inventory turns vs. peer set
- ▸On-time delivery rate
Indexed Playbooks
- ✓Lean process re-engineering
- ✓SOP standardization across shifts
- ✓QA defect root cause elimination
- ✓Production scheduling optimization
- ✓Procurement and vendor consolidation
Transportation & Logistics
Fleet economics, route density, and driver retention — the variables that move margin.
Transportation and logistics companies operate on margins that compress with every fuel spike, empty mile, and driver turnover event. Aldus maps to NAICS 48–49 and reads through dispatch logs, fleet maintenance records, IFTA filings, and load factor reports — surfacing the operational and structural gaps that separate break-even operators from high-margin carriers.
Operator Identity
Aldus takes on the identity of a fleet operations specialist: it understands cost-per-mile logic, driver hour compliance, and the revenue impact of underutilized assets. Recommendations are built around the economics of the load, not generic process advice.
Best-in-Class Benchmarks
- ▸Cost per mile vs. ATA benchmarks
- ▸Driver retention rate (industry median: 68%)
- ▸Revenue per truck per week
- ▸Empty miles as % of total
- ▸Fuel efficiency vs. fleet type norms
Indexed Playbooks
- ✓Driver retention and onboarding programs
- ✓Route density optimization
- ✓Fleet maintenance scheduling
- ✓Load factor improvement
- ✓Fuel management systems implementation
Distribution & Wholesale
Margin in distribution is made in the warehouse and lost in the SKU tail.
Distributors live and die on inventory velocity, order fill rates, and their ability to manage a SKU portfolio without bleeding margin on slow-movers. Aldus maps to NAICS 42 and processes your inventory aging reports, purchase orders, supplier terms, and customer concentration data — immediately surfacing where working capital is tied up and where EBITDA is being compressed.
Operator Identity
Aldus operates as a distribution operations specialist: it understands the economics of warehouse throughput, the margin impact of freight terms, and the risk profile of customer concentration. It benchmarks your fill rates, turns, and gross margin to best-in-class wholesale operators.
Best-in-Class Benchmarks
- ▸Inventory turns by category
- ▸Gross margin by SKU tier
- ▸Order fill rate vs. NAICS 42 median
- ▸Customer concentration (top 5 as % of revenue)
- ▸Days Payable Outstanding vs. Days Sales Outstanding
Indexed Playbooks
- ✓SKU rationalization and portfolio pruning
- ✓Warehouse layout and pick path optimization
- ✓Supplier contract renegotiation
- ✓Customer tiering and pricing strategy
- ✓Inventory replenishment automation
Business Services
Revenue quality, utilization, and the cost of client acquisition — the levers of a services business.
Business services firms — spanning staffing, consulting, managed services, facilities, and professional services — have a fundamentally different EBITDA structure than product businesses. Margin is made through utilization, pricing power, and low churn. Aldus maps to NAICS 54–56 and reads through your P&L, utilization reports, client contracts, and employee rosters to map where revenue quality is degrading and where the cost structure has drifted.
Operator Identity
Aldus takes on the identity of a professional services operator: it understands billable utilization, realization rates, client lifetime value, and the true cost of turnover. It benchmarks your financials against industry-specific peer sets from NAICS 54 and 56 sub-codes.
Best-in-Class Benchmarks
- ▸Billable utilization rate vs. sector median
- ▸Revenue per employee
- ▸Gross margin by service line
- ▸Client churn rate
- ▸Sales & marketing as % of revenue
Indexed Playbooks
- ✓Pricing model restructuring and rate card discipline
- ✓Utilization and capacity planning
- ✓Client retention and expansion programs
- ✓Service line profitability analysis
- ✓Workforce planning and skills mapping
Construction & Contracting
Job costing, backlog quality, and subcontractor risk — the three variables that determine margin.
Construction businesses carry project risk that compounds across the portfolio: overbids, scope creep, subcontractor performance, and working capital tied up in WIP. Aldus maps to NAICS 23 and processes your job cost reports, subcontractor agreements, WIP schedules, and backlog reports — surfacing the structural gaps that turn profitable backlogs into margin erosion events.
Operator Identity
Aldus operates as a construction financial operator: it understands job-level profitability, backlog conversion rates, overbilling vs. underbilling positions, and the risk profile of key subcontractor dependencies. It benchmarks your gross margin and G&A ratio against CFMA peer data.
Best-in-Class Benchmarks
- ▸Gross margin per job vs. CFMA benchmark
- ▸G&A as % of revenue
- ▸WIP overbilling/underbilling ratio
- ▸Backlog months coverage
- ▸Change order capture rate
Indexed Playbooks
- ✓Job costing system implementation
- ✓Subcontractor pre-qualification framework
- ✓WIP schedule accuracy improvement
- ✓Change order management process
- ✓Estimating accuracy and bid review protocol
Specialty Retail & Consumer
Average transaction value, return rate, and inventory productivity — the metrics that separate retailers.
Specialty retailers and consumer-facing businesses face margin pressure from inventory carry costs, labor scheduling inefficiency, and a shrinking pricing window between acquisition cost and consumer willingness to pay. Aldus maps to NAICS 44–45 and processes your POS data, inventory aging, labor schedules, and customer purchase history to build a full picture of where margin is being left on the floor.
Operator Identity
Aldus takes on the identity of a retail operations specialist: it understands sales per square foot, inventory productivity, labor scheduling efficiency, and the economics of customer lifetime value. It benchmarks your metrics against specialty retail peer data from NRF and NAICS 44–45 sub-codes.
Best-in-Class Benchmarks
- ▸Sales per square foot vs. category median
- ▸Inventory turnover vs. peer set
- ▸Gross margin return on inventory (GMROI)
- ▸Labor as % of net sales
- ▸Return rate by product category
Indexed Playbooks
- ✓Assortment planning and inventory rationalization
- ✓Labor scheduling optimization
- ✓Customer loyalty and repeat purchase programs
- ✓Vendor margin negotiation
- ✓Loss prevention and shrink reduction
Your industry.
Your playbook.
Upload your data room. Aldus identifies your sector, maps your gaps to NAICS-specific benchmarks, and activates the right playbooks within hours.