For DB Cargo BTT's IT and process management team, quickly adapting to change is an everyday task. Eighteen employees are committed to advancing digitalisation and automation at DB Cargo's dangerous goods specialist. In addition to servicing and upgrading the IT landscape, the team develops forward-looking, user-specific IT solutions. Direct contact with the customer is a distinctive part of its approach. This agile working environment incubates tools such as link2rail Logistics and TWIST to support both customers and employees in their daily work.
What exactly is behind link2rail Logistics and TWIST?
link2rail Logistics is DB Cargo BTT's digital product range combining multiple digital services for customers in the chemical and mineral oil industry. These services help customers with their individual processes, such as booking, monitoring and billing their transports.
TWIST is the freight forwarding software that enables DB Cargo BTT employees to manage the entire Order2Cash process from order to billing. The software provides dispatchers with a simple overview of the most important data on their order.
Step-by-step guide to getting your customised IT solution
The team's tasks include designing and implementing IT solutions to fit the specified parameters. In most cases, the customer places an order with the team directly. These orders vary significantly and include minor optimisation work, digital interface integration and rollouts for new online tools.
Once the requirements have been recorded and processed, the project moves to the implementation phase. This is when the team assumes responsibility for project management. Among other things, this includes tasks such as agreeing the concept and design, managing the parties involved and time management. "We are pulling out all the stops so that we can meet the requirements in the best possible way," say team members Lisa Wendling and Carolin Czepelka.
After successful implementation, the IT and process management team provides support and ongoing development for the IT solutions and interfaces. In order to optimise the digital processes, the tools undergo continuous development in consultation with the users. As Wendling and Czepelka point out, "the software regularly undergoes sprints and releases, which usually allows us to implement customer requests quickly."
Expertly structuring the flood of data
Business intelligence is one of the team's other core tasks. The focus here is on digitalising, evaluating and visualising data. Wendling and Czepelka: "Our strength is that we are very good at sifting through large amounts of data. We identify the key metrics and present them using dashboards." For example, DB Cargo BTT's key account managers can see at a glance whether there is still room for improvement within their transport concepts.
Partnering with colleagues and customers to deliver solutions
The IT and process management team sees itself as a service provider to both employees and customers. The excellent working relationship across DB Cargo segments as well as the direct contact with the customer help the department to promote digitalisation both within and outside the company.
Profile: IT and process management team
Our team's composition:
Our IT and process management team is a motley crew. There are ten men and six women in the team plus a vocational trainee and a working student. Our team members have a variety of career paths and degrees, from the classic business administration degree to physiotherapy vocational training. Career changers are very welcome here!
How teamwork works for us and what is special about us
There are no sharp elbows within our team. We place great emphasis on team cohesion and a close working relationship. Mutual trust is our top priority. This means that we can rely on each other and stand in for each other when necessary.
Which requirements are important for our job:
We enjoy trying to understand issues and acquiring new knowledge. We do not take a cookie-cutter approach to our activities. Therefore, flexibility and self-organisation are particularly important in our work. All team members excel in analytical and logical thinking. Programming skills are only important in some jobs, but we definitely all have an affinity for and interest in IT and digitalisation.
The biggest challenges in our job:
It is sometimes difficult to keep track of the variety of topics and projects. In order to understand, analyse and optimise the complex IT processes, a lot of coordination and the ability to break down complex issues are required. This is the only way we can help all our internal and external stakeholders implement their requirements.
What makes the team proud:
We are a service department both within and outside DB Cargo. We are enthusiastic about improving our IT applications. When our users, whether they are customers or employees, say that the solutions we have developed make their daily work easier, it makes us proud.
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