Case: Vikan
At Vikan, delivery performance is critical
“With the help of Inact, we suddenly realized that there were items we were handling incorrectly.”
– Interview with Planning Manager at Vikan, René Kälberg
Highlights
The challenge
At Vikan, day-to-day delivery places high demands on both production and inventory. With around 3,200 SKUs and orders ranging from a single dish brush to 25,000 units, balancing high delivery performance with low costs and a healthy inventory was a constant challenge. They had plenty of data, but lacked a tool that made it clear what to act on — and why.
The solution
With Inact Now, Vikan established a shared foundation for working more systematically with both raw materials and finished goods. The segmentations made it clear which items were handled correctly, which were not, and where to prioritize action. This gave procurement, production, and warehouse teams a shared view of reality — making planning more precise and less driven by gut feeling.
The result
Vikan has built a healthier inventory without compromising their high delivery performance. With a more systematic approach, it has become easier to balance service and cost, make more deliberate decisions, and understand what actually drives improvements in both delivery capability and inventory value.
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Day-to-day delivery requires high standards in production and inventory
At Vikan, fast delivery is not something they aim for. It’s something they promise.
That’s why their customers get next-day delivery on orders of up to 25,000 units per order. This means customers can order anything from a single dish brush to 25,000 units — and still expect dispatch within 24 hours.
This places high demands on both production and inventory.
Because with around 3,200 SKUs, it’s not just about having enough products on the shelves. It’s about having the right products, in the right quantities, at the right time — without tying up unnecessary capital.
And that’s where complexity begins.
When Vikan needs to deliver quickly on large orders while also keeping costs and inventory value as low as possible, it’s no longer enough to rely on experience and gut feeling.
You need overview. And more importantly: an overview you can act on.
Lack of insight and action
Why did you choose to invest in Inact?
Vikan already knew that.
The company had plenty of data and plenty of tools. But they lacked a unified picture that made it clear what was working, what wasn’t, and where to act first.
The result was that too many decisions were made without a clear, shared foundation. Not because anyone was doing anything wrong — but because they lacked a tool that could present data in a way that made it easy to act.
Inact Now became that tool.
"To manage complexity and improve delivery performance without increasing costs, data-driven decisions in our supply chain are essential."
René Kälberg
Planning Manager
Analysis of raw and finished goods created a better overview
With Inact, it became visible how both raw materials and finished goods were actually performing.
They could see which items were handled correctly, which were not, and where there was potential to improve delivery performance without increasing costs.
This didn’t just create more insight. It changed the foundation for decision-making.
Today, Inact Now is used as part of the dialogue between procurement, production, and warehouse teams when planning and balancing service and cost. It has made collaboration more concrete, because everyone now works from the same version of reality.
And that’s not the only change:
Inact Now has also changed how Vikan works with planning.
"The platform serves all the data and makes it hard NOT to act on the problem."
René Kälberg
Planning Manager
Segmentation ensures proper production planning
The segmentation of raw materials and finished goods has become the foundation for a more differentiated supply chain approach, where not all items are treated the same.
The company is currently developing a rule set based on its ABC/XYZ segments, making it easy for everyone to understand how each SKU should be managed.
This makes it easier to avoid overproducing low-demand items — and underproducing high-demand ones.
The goal is no longer just to plan more. The goal is to plan more precisely.
And that has created a balance between cost and demand.
Maintain satisfied customers and high delivery performance
The new approach is already making a difference.
Even though Vikan has reduced its inventory value, they have maintained a very high delivery performance.
In practice, this means they are building a healthier inventory — without compromising the service their customers expect.
The work is still ongoing. The rule set for the segments is continuously being developed, making it easier for the entire organization to understand how each product should be handled.
But the difference is already clear: decisions are no longer based on gut feeling alone. They are more systematic. More deliberate. And based on a much better understanding of why decisions are made.
"You can compare it to a radio with knobs, where we now systematically start adjusting them one by one. We know exactly what we adjust—and why."
René Kälberg
Planning Manager
Now, Vikan doesn’t just see that adjustments are needed.
They see what they are adjusting — and why.
That’s what makes it possible to both improve delivery performance, reduce costs, and understand what actually drives the results.
About Vikan
Vikan is one of the world’s leading suppliers of hygienic cleaning tools for the food industry and other hygiene-sensitive environments. Their cleaning tools are sold in more than 90 countries and the company has more than 100 years of experience.
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The solution is for you if you:
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Want to prioritize customers, products, and suppliers based on actual business value
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Want to connect strategy and operations so decisions support the core business
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Need insight and overview so you can make better and faster decisions