At L&P, we’re inspired by our colleagues who go above and beyond to enhance our businesses. This month, we’re sharing stories of women at L&P who have improved our products and processes with their creativity and leadership.
Meet Alexandra Drewniak! Alexandra has been with us for 21 years and is currently a Continuous Improvement Manager for our Automotive branch in Austria.
“My role requires a deep understanding of our products and processes, being open minded, and serving as a contact person for all departments,” says Alexandra. “It also involves a lot of reporting, giving friendly reminders, performing project management, and asking questions like, ‘Why not? When? and Why, why, why?'”
Alexandra knows how to encourage a group to work towards a common goal, and a couple of those goals have been to increase branch profitability and keep a green mindset. Looking for ways to minimize waste and reduce energy consumption, Alexandra helped her branch cut its gas consumption in half. She’s also found opportunities to save money by organizing continuous improvement workshops and brainstorming sessions. During her time as a Branch Controller, she improved our financial processes by implementing Sarbanes–Oxley Act procedures, streamlining internal processes, and focusing on a lean approach in administrative processes.
“I am surrounded by brilliant coworkers who all strive to make our products and processes better every day,” says Alexandra. “Innovation is not a one-person task – we all need to pull in the same direction to make things happen.”
When asked what challenges she’s faced, Alexandra shared that she overcomes budget and personnel resource constraints by making things work with less, going for the smaller options, and looking for workarounds.
“I am an optimist, and there’s always a way. I believe in maintaining a positive mindset,” she says. “When solving issues, I take a structured approach, looking at the pros and cons. I’m never afraid to ask questions, and I keep all relevant people and departments involved in the process.”
We are very proud of and grateful for Alexandra’s leadership!