In 2018, Alvenius Industrier faced a transformation of its business. They wanted to get more out of the expertise and experience they had acquired over the years by delivering more complex pipe solutions and thus taking a larger share of the value chain. This meant that they needed to review their approach to strategies and goals and ensure that individual employees understood what they needed to do to contribute to the goals.
What distinguishes successful companies from less successful ones is that the former have the ability to change their business as the world around them changes. In 2018, Alvenius Industrier had reached a point where it was time to modernize its operations to remain relevant to its customers. Johan Leiker, then newly appointed CEO, explains:
“We manufacture pipes from Swedish steel from SSAB, which means we are not the cheapest supplier in the world. That's why we need to be efficient and have an attractive customer offering that includes everything from knowledge, pipe solutions, and technical service to repurchasing and renovating used pipes,” says Johan, continuing:
“This meant that we needed to change our traditional way of working. And that required an effective tool to monitor how the business was developing and how the company was performing in a simple and transparent way. That's how we became aware of the CANEA ONE management system and CANEA's consulting services.”
The choice of CANEA ONE
In 2021, Tommy Karlsson was hired as quality manager at Alvenius. He quickly realized that the existing management system, with folders on both a server and in Sharepoint, as well as Word and Excel files scattered everywhere, did not provide the overview of the business that he wanted.
“We needed a more efficient management system that could provide a condensed overview of the business by collecting and presenting all relevant information,” says Tommy.
He therefore initiated a thorough evaluation of a dozen IT solutions from as many suppliers. It took almost a year to find the system that best suited Alvenius.
“It was the whole package, i.e., ‘ONE’ in CANEA ONE, that tipped the scales in CANEA's favor. Plus, the system was so configurable.
”Many in the project group were tempted by the ‘nice’ systems with attractive diagrams, where everything was clear and ready-made, but when we started asking if we could make changes, it wasn't so easy anymore. Of course, it is possible, but then it becomes a matter of customization and gets complicated.
Alvenius decided early on to purchase all modules, including CANEA ONE Open API, as they did not have any good systems for the functionality provided by the various modules.
The pieces are beginning to fall into place
Alvenius wanted to transition from being a pipe manufacturer to supplying more pipe solutions, which has had an impact on large parts of the business.
“We have taken a big step forward in the last three years since we hired a system designer. We also have a resource dedicated to certifications and approvals. This is somewhat unique for a company with only 60 employees,” says Tommy.
Shifting your position in the market from pipe manufacturer to a knowledge company that provides total solutions requires more than just a good strategy—it requires everyone in the organization to be clear about the company's direction and know what they are expected to do to contribute to the common goals. This is exactly what a digital strategy can contribute.
“We weren't getting our message across in the organization and couldn't follow up on investments and initiatives because we hadn't linked any metrics to the desired outcomes. It didn't add up, and there was no common thread linking investments to results,” says Tommy.
In other words, Alvenius needed someone who could contribute ideas on how to move into the desired segment, and that's where CANEA's management consultant Karl Hedman came in.
"They had an existing business plan that was good, but not as dynamic as they wanted, and it was a challenge to get each department to understand how they should act to contribute to the overall business plan.
“There was also no clear link between the overall strategy and the initiatives and efforts in each department,” recalls Karl, continuing:
"When it comes to breaking down goals, you can either break down a goal in sub-goals for each department in terms of desired deliverables, or you can use OKR and take a slightly more flexible approach. The overall goals in terms of direction and profit margin can, for example, mean less inventory, lower incursions, and higher capital turnover in one part of the organization and something completely different in another.
The strategy comes to life
It was during a meeting in the spring of 2025 that Karl Hedman saw that the work on the digitalized strategy was beginning to show its benefits.
“They had their CANEA Strategy Score Card for the entire company at the top of the page, and we drilled down and looked at key figures and outcomes at both group and department level. We also looked at the cases in CANEA Workflow that were linked to key figures that did not meet the desired criteria.”
Tommy Karlsson has also reflected on the difference compared to how things were before.
“Quite often, when I'm in a meeting with the management team and get a question about how something is going and pull up a dashboard, I think, ‘How nice, we haven't been able to see this before!”
“Previously, information was scattered and difficult to find, but with CANEA ONE we can now tie everything together in a good way. Now, when we have a measurement value that is not within the desired range, we can link an activity or project to the measurement and follow up on how it develops.”
"When we previously received questions about goal breakdown and follow-up from our auditors who audit us against ISO 9001, we had to struggle to find relevant information, but now we have everything in place in a coherent system.
“As the overall manager of CANEA ONE, I think it's great to have an IT tool that supports all aspects of the standard's requirements. You can tell that it was designed by people who come from the ISO 9001 world, who understand the spirit of the standard and how it should all fit together,” concludes Tommy.
Alvenius Industrier 2.0
After just one year, the results of the digital strategy began to show. With the help of the CANEA Strategy module, Alvenius has broken down the strategic initiatives at the departmental level in the form of business plans. This means that each department now understands how they can contribute to the progress of the company. For example, the sales department knows which initiatives in the business plan are critical for the company to achieve its goals. And in addition, there is the daily operational management.
“We have gained better control of our operations, which has made us feel more secure. With CANEA Strategy, we can visualize how things are going and where we are headed, thereby giving the entire management team the opportunity to influence how the business should best be run,” says Johan Leiker, continuing:
"In the long term, we plan to use CANEA ONE to communicate our progress to all employees. It is a complete system that has really helped us develop the company.
“It has been a long journey, but thanks to excellent support from CANEA, our IT-savvy employees, and by using CANEA Open API, for example, we now have a very solid foundation to build on.”
Summary and future
However, Alvenius is not standing still. One of the reasons for choosing CANEA ONE was its configurability. The company has taken control of this strength by developing and improving the functionality itself.
“For example, we want to be able to get an overview of factors such as energy consumption, profitability, capital tied up, and how we are meeting our business goals. CANEA ONE is a fantastic platform for this purpose,” concludes Johan.
Today, Alvenius has full control over processes and goal tracking. With CANEA ONE as a foundation, they can make smarter decisions, increase transparency, and continue to grow with a focus on quality and customer value. Alvenius' transformation from a traditional pipe manufacturer to a modern, data-driven knowledge company demonstrates the power of combining a good strategy with a powerful digital tool.
About Alvenius Industrier AB
AB Alvenius Industrier is a traditional Swedish engineering company in Eskilstuna that manufactures spiral-welded, pressure vessel-rated, and corrosion-resistant low-friction pipes made of Swedish steel. Their pipe systems are used in challenging environments such as mines and tunnels, as well as in firefighting and water supply. The company has around 60 employees and had a turnover of SEK 230 million in 2024, which is expected to exceed SEK 250 million in 2025.
“I can really recommend CANEA to others. I received a request from you asking if I would be a reference for another of your customers, and we were more than happy to do so. I have some contacts with other CANEA ONE users, with whom we share experiences. It's fun to see how others use the tool. It can be used in so many different ways thanks to its flexibility, which is fascinating.”
Tommy Karlsson, Quality Manager AB Alvenius Industrier
