BENCHMARKS VS INDUSTRY PEERS INVENTORY POWER BI

Inventory Turnover Benchmarker

Compares internal inventory performance ITR, DIO, GMROI, and dead stock % against published industry benchmarks across Retail, FMCG, Industrial, and Automotive sectors with traffic light RAG status.

Project Overview

⚑ Problem

Blind Benchmarking

Most companies track inventory metrics in isolation monitoring turnover ratios and days on hand without context. No visibility into whether performance is competitive versus sector peers leads to misallocated working capital and missed optimisation opportunities.

⚙ Solution

Power BI Benchmark Model

A Power BI model combining internal inventory data with published sector benchmarks (Retail, FMCG, Industrial, Automotive). Traffic light RAG status on ITR, DIO, GMROI, and dead stock % shows at a glance where performance lags or leads industry standards.

✓ Findings

Working Capital Unlocked

31% of SKUs rated RED below benchmark ITR representing €4.2M in trapped working capital. Automotive and Industrial categories show the largest gaps. Closing the benchmark gap by 1 ITR point across RED SKUs projects a €1.1M cash release over 12 months.

RAG Status Summary

Portfolio RAG Breakdown Current vs Benchmark ITR

⚡ Live ITR Benchmark Calculator

SECTOR

COGS (€)

AVG INVENTORY (€)

DEAD STOCK (%)

Dataset Explorer

Benchmark Analysis Charts

ITR: Actual vs Benchmark (by Category)

Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO)

GMROI by Sector

Dead Stock % by Category

Working Capital Trapped (RED SKUs)

RAG Distribution by Sector

Product Category Data

CATEGORY	SECTOR	COGS (€K)	AVG INV (€K)	ACTUAL ITR	BENCHMARK ITR	DIO (DAYS)	BENCHMARK DIO	DEAD STOCK %	GMROI	RAG

Working Capital Forecast

Projected WC Release if ITR Reaches Benchmark (12 Month View)

Company Advice

💡 Recommendations for Inventory Leaders

A 1 point improvement in Inventory Turnover Ratio typically frees 8 12% of working capital for this portfolio, that equals €320K €480K per ITR point gained.
Prioritise RED status categories in Automotive and Industrial first they show the widest benchmark gaps and the highest trapped capital per SKU.
Attack dead stock above 10% immediately: markdowns, liquidation auctions, or supplier buy back clauses are faster than slow sell through and free cash faster.
GMROI below 2.0x signals margin compression on top of turnover lag review pricing and supplier terms simultaneously with inventory reduction programmes.
FMCG categories are closest to benchmark; focus continuous improvement there on DIO tightening (target sub 25 days) rather than broad inventory cuts.
Implement rolling 13 week demand based reorder reviews to prevent seasonal stock buildup that inflates DIO in Q3/Q4 peaks.

Key Takeaway: Benchmarking reveals the opportunity cost of inaction. Every quarter a RED status SKU stays below benchmark ITR is a quarter of compounding working capital cost funding competitor growth instead of your own.