What does Merle Barta actually do?

Whether it is inventory management or process optimisation, transport service provider management or the implementation of new EU regulations: the Supply Chain Management team is part of the strategic materials management hub at HANSA‑FLEX. Merle Barta leads this team with vision, passion and a flair for communication.

Our team is engaged with various activities along the HANSA‑FLEX supply chain. Our involvement starts at our suppliers, continues in the central warehouses and extends from there to the branches and customers. We consider the entire process landscape of our company from a strategic perspective: How do materials move through the company? Where do bottlenecks and unnecessary costs occur? How can we simplify or digitalise our processes? Analysis and process optimisation play as important a role as communication. Because in the end, it is always a matter of getting the right people around a table.

Our tasks are very diverse. We optimise inventories in the central warehouses and branches, manage aspects of logistics and advance the further development of our disposition processes in our ERP software SAP or in our disposition add-on DISKOVER. My duties additionally include specialist support, second-level support and testing. The aim is always to design processes to be as simple and transparent as possible. 

We also advise and assist the specialist departments with the implementation of new regulations such as the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG), the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) or the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Basically, we are involved wherever different departments work together – and it is precisely this interface action that makes our job so interesting.

Prioritisation is crucial. We get together and evaluate which projects would bring the greatest benefits and then take things forward step-by-step. This requires a lot of consultation and coordination. We work closely with Purchasing, Logistics, the central warehouses, IT as well as national and international colleagues. We often start with an idea, request feedback, test in pilot areas and from there develop the company-wide solution. It is essential for me and my team to intensively immerse ourselves in these matters and develop an understanding of the various perspectives and requirements. Therefore, I am also a key user for the SAP MM module. The goal is always the same: sustainable and scalable processes that work in practice.

I studied industrial engineering with a particular focus on logistics and completed my masters with a three-month period of practical experience in the Supply Chain Management team at HANSA‑FLEX. That was in 2017. The team, the diversity of the work and the culture of openness inspired me from the start. I was able to put much of what I had studied into practice. It soon became clear to me that I would like to make a career in this field. One year later, I applied for an advertised position at HANSA‑FLEX, where I have remained to this day. I am now team leader and, of course, proud that the company has placed its trust in me.

Being open and trusting with people is important to me. I believe leadership is primarily a matter of empowering, providing support and fostering self-reliance. I help my team to set priorities, motivating and enabling each and every one of them to develop as individuals. I try to retain an overview, direct the efforts of the team and clear any obstacles in our way. After all, the best ideas often originate in the team.

No two days are ever the same. I work with many different people and take on demanding tasks, such as inventory management or the implementation of materials management projects that are challenging but the success of which is not immediately apparent. I can also become involved in future-oriented aspects that will shape the company in the long term, from digitalisation right up to sustainability. This sort of thing motivates me every day.

With HANSA‑FLEX, I never felt I had to make a special effort to prove myself simply because of my working environment. HANSA‑FLEX is a modern family company where competence counts, not gender. And just as in a big family, everyone supports each other. Position within the company, gender, age, location or where you come from are all irrelevant. What I particularly like about my employer: at HANSA‑FLEX, we have many women in management positions. I would be delighted if more young women were to decide to take a job or make a career in industry.

There’s no such thing as a typical day. True, we have routine activities such as weekly team meetings, regular project meetings with other teams and departments involved in materials management, periodic reviews and discussions with our external partners, such as the people from our disposition add-on DISKOVER or our transport services providers. But each day brings something new. Sometimes it may be a process analysis, a presentation for departmental managers or running tests on the system. I find this makes the job really interesting and full of variety.

I regularly go out running. This year, I completed my first half-marathon. One of my other favourite pastimes is rock ‘n’ roll dancing. Physical movement helps to clear my head. I also like to work in the garden. There I can do whatever I like and redesign things. This year, I created a pond and a new enclosure for our tortoises. That was a real project, almost like what I do in my job, but surrounded by lots of greenery and sunshine.