The pioneer
The position of transit terminal trainer is still very new at DACHSER, and Lisa Ederer is one of the pioneers. She makes sure the teams and processes in the transit terminal in Graz dovetail smoothly. This requires a high level of professional acumen as well as the human touch.
At first, she didn’t really know what to expect. And how should she? Lisa Ederer, from the DACHSER branch in Graz, Austria, was one of the first to apply for the completely new job of transit terminal trainer. In January 2023, she went to DACHSER’s Head Office in Kempten to take part in the very first three-day course to learn the basics of this newly created position: a “broker” of knowledge and expertise in the transit terminals. That was just one and a half years ago, yet the transit terminal trainers—there are now more than 50 across nine countries in the DACHSER network—soon came to be considered indispensable.
“I deal with 16-year-old trainees as well as the older generation who are about to retire. I want to be a good point of contact for everyone,” Lisa Ederer says. The 22-year-old’s role in the transit terminal in Graz is a little bit like conducting an orchestra, at a time when the rate of change in logistics is accelerating. She is also responsible for the DACHSER branch in Stans, in Tyrol, which she visits regularly.
People and know-how in demand
“My job is very exciting and full of variety. I impart a lot of specialist knowledge, but I’m also there to reach out to our colleagues and to listen to them when they have problems,” Lisa Ederer says. In this job, the human touch is just as important as expertise and knowledge of new applications or processes. The tasks span a wide range: on-site onboarding for new transit terminal employees, identifying areas where training is needed, and organizing training sessions for logistics operatives. The transit terminal trainers also keep an eye on work processes, make practical suggestions for optimization where necessary, and support the rollout of new tools and technology. “The logistics operatives in our transit terminals are the cornerstone of almost every production-relevant process,” explains Eva-Maria Marcour, Head of Competence Development & Expert Programs for Road Logistics. “That’s why we make sure they’re properly integrated into the team, provide them with specific training, and offer opportunities for further development. Such activities are essential to the success of our core groupage logistics business as well as to the steady growth of our company.”
Ideally, transit terminal trainers have completed training in warehouse logistics and gathered relevant professional experience in freight forwarding. They also need a thoroughly process-oriented mindset, experience in analyzing logistics processes, and good communication skills.
With this in mind, Lisa Ederer looks after 35 employees in Graz and 17 in the Stans branch. “Every two to three months, we hold workshops to discuss new developments and refresh important topics. For example, at what point we document damage with photos, how we should check that the cargo is secure, and how we need to secure goods and lift-trucks,” she says.
Ongoing process optimization
Twice a year, Lisa Ederer also asks employees how they think the processes at their transit terminal can be further improved. “This gets a lot of good suggestions, especially when new tools are introduced.” Amid all the technological modernization and further development, it’s just as important to keep the company values in mind. “DACHSER really is like a family. I would never have expected the team spirit at work to be so strong,” she says. She also does a fair bit herself to bring this about, as her door is always open to all transit terminal employees.
Lisa Ederer has the full support of the DACHSER network for this challenging task. Once a month, she takes part in a virtual classroom meeting, as do all transit terminal trainers at the family-owned company. There they learn about and discuss the most important innovations and information. They also have the opportunity to receive separate training on specific topics. “My colleagues and I have built up a really great TT trainer community in which we share our knowledge and training materials,” Lisa Ederer says. “Learning with and from each other is fun and provides an extra dose of motivation.”
Once a year, each transit terminal trainer is also invited to a training week. These take place at different DACHSER locations in different countries, giving experts like Lisa Ederer the chance to get to know a range of process variations.
“The training courses have also helped me develop my own skills—for example, how to present myself well or speak persuasively,” she says. She recalls one thing in particular from the personality workshops that were part of her initial three-day course: the “lotus blossom” principle. “We learned how to be like a lotus blossom and let stress and anger just roll right off. This has helped me a lot in finding the best way to respond to different types of people and in managing difficult situations when I need to.”
