Case: Convena Distribution A/S
Strong focus on KPIs ensures a healthy bottom line
“Our revenue has increased by 19%. And we can see that the focused work with KPIs makes people much more motivated.”
- Interview with Convena owner, Peter Garber.
Highlights
The Challenge
Convena experienced increasing complexity as a result of assortment growth and acquisitions. With more than 300,000 SKUs and many relationships, it became increasingly difficult to maintain an overview.
Decisions were largely based on manual analyses and Excel, making it time-consuming and inconsistent to prioritize efforts.
This created a situation where resources were not always used where they created the most value—and where it was difficult to manage inventory and turnover effectively.
The Solution
Convena implemented Inact Now as a shared decision-making foundation across the entire organization.
By combining automated analyses with a clear KPI structure, product managers were given clear targets and a structured framework for their work.
At the same time, ABC logic was used to differentiate efforts, ensuring focus was directed toward the products that matter most to the business.
This made prioritization concrete: What should we act on—and what should we ignore?
The Result
With a clear overview of which products drive the business, Convena has achieved significant improvements in its supply chain.
More specifically:
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inventory value has been reduced by 9%
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inventory turnover has increased by 19%
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revenue has increased by 8%
In addition, the work with KPIs and structure has created greater clarity within the organization and made it easier to turn insights into action.
Increased complexity and growth required systematization and automation
For a company like Convena, complexity is a fundamental condition.
With more than 300,000 SKUs, an extensive network of suppliers and customers, and delivery within 24 hours across Europe, there are constant decisions impacting inventory, service, and profitability.
At the same time, complexity increased further as the company expanded its assortment and completed acquisitions.
This created a classic challenge:
When the number of products and relationships grows, Excel is no longer sufficient.
Without the right decision structure, it is impossible to control complexity—and ensure that the organization’s efforts create real value.
“As we significantly expanded our assortment and acquired another company, a large number of new SKUs were added. This development required a higher degree of systemization and structure, and we needed tools to support that.”
Peter Garber
Owner
From Excel Sheets to Data-driven Overview
Before working with Inact Now, the organization relied on manual analyses and Excel.
They lacked overview of:
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profitability per product
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inventory turnover
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tied-up capital
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service level
At the same time, it became increasingly complex to assess the performance of individual SKUs as the portfolio grew.
Peter Garber, owner of Convena Distribution A/S, realized that the increasing complexity raised a fundamental question:
How do you create overview and prioritization in a supply chain of this level of complexity?
Clear Prioritization in a Complex Environment
With Inact Now, data was consolidated into a single tool, ensuring everyone works from the same numbers and prioritizes correctly.
“Before we started using Inact Now, it was a major manual effort to create an overview of how each SKU performed based on the Excel sheets we worked with.”
Peter Garber
Owner
At the same time, clear KPIs were established for Product Managers, focusing on:
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profitability versus budget
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inventory turnover
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stock availability
A key part of the work was differentiating efforts:
Not all products are equally important—and therefore should not be managed the same way.
By focusing on relevant ABC categories, it became possible to:
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prioritize efforts where they create the most value
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avoid spending resources on products with no real impact
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create greater clarity in daily work
This gave Product Managers a clear framework for decision-making.
“Our Product Managers are no longer confused by the many new products being added. The platform has become a kind of base they work from. This helps us save a lot of resources and time.”
Peter Garber
Owner
From Complexity to Performance
With a shared data foundation and a more structured approach to prioritization, Convena has achieved significant improvements in its supply chain.
They have:
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reduced inventory value by 9%
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increased inventory turnover by 19%
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increased revenue by 8%
At the same time, the work has become more focused and less noisy.
Product Managers now know exactly what to act on—and what to ignore.
Another key effect is that Convena has established a shared language across the business.
ABC categories and KPIs are now actively used, even at management level, as part of discussions around inventory, prioritization, and performance.
This means everyone now works from the same data and priorities—rather than individual assessments.
And that points to a crucial insight:
Data does not create value. Decisions do.
About the Case
This case focuses on Convena owner Peter Garber's collaboration with Inact. Together, we've worked to create structure and overview in a complex supply chain through KPI management and data-driven prioritization.
This has strengthened both performance and the decision-making foundation across the organization.
About Convena Distribution A/S
Convena Distribution A/S was an international IT distributor with more than 300,000 different products and a large international network of suppliers. Convena Distribution A/S represented customers and suppliers in more than 75 countries and had established offices in Denmark (head office), England, France, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
NB: Convena was acquired by ETT Group in May 2023.
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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