The need of financing a new Group-wide strategy

In the spring of 2019, ViaCon was separated from the SafeRoad Group and by November the same year, the recently hired Group Executive Chairman, Stefan Nordström, was appointed as a new CEO. The company had struggled with stagnating performance in the past years, and the ambition to enter into a new growth phase was clear. With a new strategy, ViaCon needed to sustainably increase its capital efficiency and release cash for financing growth investments.

To ensure best practice in pursuing ViaCon’s many ambitious goals, they decided to engage our consultants and enroll in a working capital optimization program focusing on AP, AR, and inventory. The target of the program was to reduce the operating working capital by 35 percent by the end of H1 2021.

The project aimed to identify and realize quick wins but at the same time have a long-term focus in order to reach sustainability at targeted working capital levels. The proposed approach was set to create awareness and understanding as well as establish a cash culture within the ViaCon Group. The work was divided into two phases:

Phase 1: Group wide assessment and pilots

The first phase consisted of a group wide assessment and pilots capturing all business areas and main working capital components. The pilot focused on the four largest countries in the group and an analytics center in Power BI was set up to follow the progress. During phase 1 an as-is analysis was done and future activities and potentials were set together with the organization to ensure local commitment and that the most relevant actions were prioritized.

Phase 2: Roll-out of working capital improvement

The implementation was initiated in the pilot countries and then rolled out throughout the group. The activities were carried out in close collaboration with the project members and involved people from all levels of the organization.

The focus areas for each unit were tailored to their situation, the main activities include:

• Identified and realized quick wins while also maintaining a long-term focus in order to reach sustainability at targeted working capital levels
• Optimized processes and working capital management within AR and AP by implementing methods to improve the length of payment terms and collection process, both towards suppliers and customers. Harmonized quotation-to-invoice process established throughout the group
• Set responsibilities for working capital management and conducted training sessions together with selected individuals within each unit to ensure local capabilities. Kept group perspective to ensure alignment and ownership when the project ends
• Implemented an inventory control model to support the day-to-day decision-making within purchasing and production
• Specific activities for dealing with slow-moving and obsolete inventory (SLOB). Also implemented group best practice processes to avoid the occurrence of SLOB
• Implemented a structured analytics setup to enable supplier and assortment harmonization
• Monthly updates of the analytics center in Power BI to enable project participants and steering group to continuously follow up the process to identify and understand the effects of the activities

Through a new Group Organization based on three Business Units and a Group-wide Operations function consolidating all 9 production sites (vs the former model of 34 different fully independent operational legal entities in 18 countries), a working capital-focused culture was institutionalized. Through a new reporting system, individuals were empowered to make fact-based decisions by having access to relevant data available at all levels.

Main results

• A cash culture established within ViaCon Group
• Run rate cash release above target level and on track to reach the final target of 35% reduction in tied-up capital 
• Established responsibilities, processes, and tools to enable sustainable results
• The released capital allowed the ViaCon Group to acquire the German competitor and market leader Hamco making the ViaCon Group the European market leader for corrugated steel Bridges & Culverts. The acquisition is also an important part of ViaCon’s plan for further expansion into Western Europe.

ViaCon was founded in 1986 in Sweden and has approximately 800 employees in 19 countries throughout Europe. ViaCon is a leading provider in the European market with a focus on production and technical sales of flexible corrugated steel structures and plastic pipes used to build Bridges and culverts, GeoTechnical- and StormWater Solutions. ViaCon offers innovative, competitive, and sustainable solutions.

• Industry: Infrastructure
• Company size: 200 MEUR
• Markets served: Europe, CIS and Middle East
• Majority owner: FSN Capital

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