Always Hands-On: Jelena Ilie

She began as a trainee at SRB and still feels just as comfortable after one and a half years as on day one. Discover why the self-proclaimed 'warehouse logistics expert in the making' enjoys chatting with forklift drivers, why her enthusiasm for hiking hasn't rubbed off on her, and how she likes to get hands-on at home in our new episode of our popular employee series 'Inside SRB'.

Jelena Ilie is a strong woman. In many senses. Not only does she enjoy lifting weights at the gym in her free time, but she has also proven time and again in her job that she is not easily thrown off by challenges and new tasks in a male-dominated industry.

Jelena has been with SRB for more than one and a half years. The native Serb started as a trainee. Today, she is a consultant in the SCM field with a focus on warehouse logistics and warehouse management. This leads the Lauder Business School graduate, now based in Vienna, to Wels once a week, where SRB's warehouse logistics expert team has set up its headquarters.

A welcome change for the travel-loving adventurer: 'Working from Vienna is great and works excellently, but nothing beats direct contact with colleagues and customers.'

Involved from day one

Jelena felt comfortable at SRB from day one. 'Even if you are new and have to familiarise yourself with the subject – you have customer contact almost from the start here,' the warehouse logistics specialist notes. This surprised her on one hand, but she found it good on the other. The young talent was looking for challenges and new experiences.

In her job before SRB, Jelena worked in the purchasing department of a large food company in Belgrade, where she encountered the SAP Retail Model. She quickly realised in her role as a key user that it was the 'interface existence' between IT and real processes in purchasing that excited her.

Back in Vienna, she therefore looked for entry-level SAP positions – and quickly found one at SRB. That she lived only 800 metres from the SRB office turned out to be a good sign.

Success through communication

Even though Jelena, as a 'SAP newcomer', still has much to learn, as she admits, she already masters her tasks with flying colours. The visible success she can generate for customers motivates her. She is most pleased to see when a process from everyday work has been successfully transferred to the SAP system. 'When physical things move and that happens digitally at the same time – that is absolutely exciting. Because what sounds so simple is often so complex,' she shares from her everyday experiences with and at the customer.

How important communication is, the 31-year-old experienced firsthand. 'The best system, the best solution for a process is useless if the people working with it do not trust the system,' Jelena knows.

Recently, a forklift driver came to her. The SRB Warehouse Cockpit implemented for this customer was not functioning correctly. He had stored several pallets, but it was displayed incorrectly. Jelena checked everything and could not find an error.

The crux of the matter: The forklift driver was used to placing the pallets in a different storage location for 20 years, not on the one the system indicated as optimal. So he assumed the error must lie with the system. 'This shows how important not only the technological aspect is, but also the communication about it – in both directions,' she explains.

For Jelena admits: Just because you know how the system works does not mean you understand how processes actually function in reality, in the specific situation and industry. 'I learn something new every day,' she adds.

In any case, Jelena has now repaired the 'relationship' with the aforementioned forklift driver. She told him that he could follow the system and not worry. Jelena understands that the initial enthusiasm of the forklift driver was limited: 'Of course, it takes time to shed old habits and trust IT. But we managed that together too.'

Hands-on at home too

SAP has become something of a new passion for Jelena today. 'What personally motivates me is the intention to know SAP EWM so well in five years that hardly anything can truly surprise me,' the 'warehouse logistics expert in the making' sets as her professional goal.

However, she does not want to go too high in her free time. At least not on foot into the mountains. The first attempt to ignite her enthusiasm for hiking went thoroughly wrong. The prospect of a cosy evening in a hut after a day full of climbing drove her forward, only to find out in the end that the hut was closed: 'And suddenly I was no longer such a big fan of hiking.'

However, the sports-loving lover of goulash soup is very enthusiastic about long walks or a trip to the gym. As well as travelling to foreign countries or the topic of 'interior design'. 'I like to change things at home – much to my husband's chagrin,' she explains with a smile.

The Serb has already completed numerous 'Do It Yourself' projects. A large wall mirror, a decorative panel on the wall, or upcycling old furniture. A bit of sandpaper, paint, a few hand movements, and a lot of patience – and Jelena is in her element. And when there is something to carry or move, she simply gets to it. Hands-on indeed.

Inside SRB

This year, we will also introduce some of our SRB employees in more detail here on the blog. We look behind make-up, business outfits, and PowerPoint slides to bring you closer to the people who make up our SRB expertise. Together we are SRB. For further reading: #1 – Manfred Scheiner #2 – Veronika Lomasow #3 – Yamen Albahesh #4 – Norbert Leimgruber #5 – Michael Henninger #6 – Harald Epner