About Poplar Field Consulting
Adelaide-based manufacturing efficiency consultants serving small producers across South Australia since 2014.
Registered business
Poplar Field Consulting Pty Ltd is the official registered business name. We were established in 2014 in Adelaide, South Australia, and have worked with small producers across the state ever since.
How we started
Founder Helen Marsh spent twelve years as a production supervisor in a regional food packing plant before moving into independent consulting. She saw the same patterns repeat in smaller operations: capable people working around layout problems, informal scheduling that broke under seasonal demand, and handover gaps that caused rework every Monday morning.
Poplar Field began as a one-person practice focused on half-day floor reviews. By 2017, James Okonkwo joined as a second consultant, bringing experience from a metal fabrication workshop in Elizabeth. Today the practice remains deliberately small — two senior consultants and a part-time administrator — so every client works directly with someone who has stood on a production floor.
Our approach
We observe before we advise. A typical engagement starts with watching a live batch, not reviewing slides. Recommendations are written so a shift lead can act on them without a management degree. We do not sell software, equipment, or ongoing retainers unless you ask for follow-up coaching.
Values we hold
Honesty about scope. If your bottleneck is a capital constraint we cannot fix with layout changes, we say so early.
Respect for floor knowledge. Your operators often already know what is wrong. We help name it and build a plan your team owns.
South Australian focus. We know local suppliers, seasonal patterns in food and agriculture, and the realities of running a workshop outside a capital city.
The team
Helen Marsh — Lead consultant. Former production supervisor. Specialises in food packing, beverage, and preserved goods operations.
James Okonkwo — Senior consultant. Background in sheet metal and general fabrication. Focuses on tooling changeovers and workshop layout.
Sandra Li — Administration. Handles scheduling, invoicing, and initial enquiry responses.
Working with us
Most engagements are one-off assessments or targeted reviews. Some clients return seasonally — before a busy harvest period or after adding a new product line. We are based at Office 10, 25 Sample Avenue, Adelaide SA 00000, and travel to client sites across South Australia.
Get in touch to describe your operation.