How further training becomes a competitive advantage

03/05/2026 | Science & Education

f.l.t.r. FH-Prof. Dr Patrick Brandtner, Alexandra Stwora, Alexander Wahl. Photo credit: Banner

Well-trained and committed employees are a company's most important asset. At a time when markets are changing rapidly and digitalisation is permeating all processes, the team's knowledge is the key to sustainable success. It is particularly remarkable when further training not only takes place as part of company programmes, but is also driven by personal motivation - as was the case with Alexandra Stwora at Banner Batterien. Those who pursue further qualifications privately bring new ideas, scientifically sound methods and fresh perspectives into the company, which can be a clear competitive advantage.

Pilot dashboard — Excerpts from the pilot dashboard

Learning outside the box

Companies benefit enormously when employees show initiative and take their professional development into their own hands. Part-time study programmes or additional qualifications combine theory and practice in an ideal way. The newly acquired knowledge flows directly into ongoing processes, existing structures are questioned and optimisation potential is made visible. In this way, innovation does not come from outside, but from within the company.

Banner Batterien provides a successful example of this under the motto #schongenial - job & further training for existing employees.

Study meets practice: modern reporting for SCM

Alexandra Stwora (28) has been working in Banner Supply Chain Management (SCM) for a year now. She is responsible for demand and supply planning for motorbike (Bike Bull) and auxiliary (AUX) batteries as well as availability checks for branches. She is also studying for a Bachelor's degree in International Logistics Management at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria Campus Steyr. As part of her project work, she analysed the existing key figures and reporting system in Supply Chain Management (SCM) in the Automotive business unit.

The aim was to analyse the current reports, key figures and processes in detail and to derive clear requirements for a future dashboard solution - particularly with regard to the introduction of SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud. The employee identified key potential for optimisation: high manual effort, predominantly tabular presentations in Excel and limited comparison options made efficient management difficult.

Based on her analysis, Alexandra Stwora developed a target concept for modern dashboard structures and implemented a scalable Power BI pilot dashboard for a special product group from Banner. This clearly visualises inventory and sales trends and serves as a template for other product groups.

Commitment that creates measurable added value

Alexandra Stwora's project work impressively demonstrates how valuable the combination of academic training and practical implementation is.

Alexander Wahl is the Head of Supply Chain Management at Banner and emphasises that her bachelor's thesis is already being coordinated and that the company is looking forward to incorporating the results. And CEO Werner Töpfl confirms: "Bravo! Thank you for Alexandra Stwora's commitment. Continuous improvements through more accurate figures, data and facts are fundamental for Banner."

#It's #schongenial when employees drive forward their own further training, resulting not only in personal progress but also sustainable corporate success.