How do you turn a complex inventory challenge into coordinated action across functions and regions?
At Husqvarna Group, our Excellence Awards celebrate significant achievements that help ensure we remain fit for the future and recognize the teamwork behind them. This year’s Operational Excellence Award goes to a cross-functional team that took on a significant inventory challenge and created greater visibility, clearer ownership and a more consistent way of working across functions and regions.
The challenge was to reduce a significant amount of finished-goods inventory tied to products that had already been identified for elimination. Led by project manager Logan Gray, Enterprise Program Manager, the initiative brought together colleagues from Product Management, Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, regional leadership and manufacturing partners around a shared objective.
“This was never an individual effort. My role was primarily to connect the pieces, maintain momentum and help the team translate information into action,” says Logan.
From information to action
A key turning point came when the team shifted its focus from identifying the problem to creating shared accountability.
The team developed and implemented a dedicated BI dashboard that provided a common view of progress, priorities and actions across the business. Combined with clearer ownership and recurring reviews, it helped teams move from fragmented processes to a coordinated management approach.
“Once everyone could work from the same picture, discussions became much more action-oriented. What needs to move? Who owns it? What is preventing progress? What decision is required? The combination of better data, ownership and recurring reviews was more important than any single tool,” Logan explains.
The result was not only a substantial reduction in eliminated inventory, but also stronger collaboration, improved operational discipline and a framework that can be applied to future business challenges.
A framework for future challenges
Beyond the business results, the project also changed how teams worked together. People across regions and functions started working from the same data, with clearer roles and a shared understanding of what needed to be achieved.
The initiative also reflects how we are putting our 2030 Strategy into action – simplifying how we work, strengthening collaboration and creating greater clarity and accountability across the organization.
For the team, receiving the Operational Excellence Award recognizes both the results achieved and the collaboration behind them. Along the way, colleagues built relationships, trust and networks that will continue to create value long after the project itself.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this achievement!