Designing a structured problem-solving system tied to financial outcomes

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Context

After organisational restructuring and ERP transformation, Alimex faced recurring performance challenges:

• Quality issues
• Delivery instability
• Inventory imbalance
• Operational firefighting

The problem was not a lack of effort.
It was the absence of a structured system to identify, prioritise, and solve problems sustainably.

Lean Six Sigma was introduced not as a training program — but as a governance and capability framework.

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The Principle

Improvement initiatives fail when they are:

• Isolated
• Tool-driven
• Detached from financial impact
• Dependent on individual enthusiasm

The objective was therefore clear:

Design a structured, leadership-driven improvement system.

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The Architecture

The deployment was executed in three waves, anchored at executive level:

• Group CEO
• CFO
• General Manager
• Myself as LSS Champion

Improvement was governed, not delegated.

1. Opportunity Governance

A central opportunity pool was created and reviewed regularly.
Projects were selected based on:

• Financial relevance
• Operational risk
• Strategic alignment

Improvement became a portfolio — not a collection of ideas.

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2. Capability Development

• 25 Green Belts trained in three waves
• Black Belts certification completed
• Project assignments tied to real operational challenges

Training was immediately linked to execution.

No theoretical exercises.
Every project addressed a live constraint.

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3. Financial Accountability

Within the first year:

• 1M EUR in savings delivered

This was not estimated value.
It was tracked and reviewed at steering level.

Improvement was connected to EBITDA and working capital impact.

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Black Belt Projects Impact (Illustrative)

Three major Black Belt projects addressed chronic structural issues:

• Aluminum stock-out reduction 80% reduction in stock-out incidents
• On-time delivery improvement (Swedish market) Improved from ~30% to ~90%
• Days Inventory Outstanding optimisation Reduced from 120 days to 75 days

These were not isolated wins.
They were outputs of a designed problem-solving system.

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Results

• Structured improvement governance
• Cross-functional capability embedded
• Measurable financial impact
• Reduced firefighting culture
• Leadership visibility into operational risk

Lean Six Sigma became part of how the organisation made decisions.

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Key Insight

Sustainable improvement does not come from training more people.

It comes from designing:

• A governance structure
• Clear financial linkage
• Executive sponsorship
• Real accountability

Tools enable improvement.
Architecture sustains it.