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Ricoh's Initiatives
Fiercely proud of her hometown of Barcelona, Lorena Briz Albarral has been with the Ricoh Group in Spain since 2011 and is currently overseeing operations within the supply chain department. A Supply Chain line manager for the past five years, she started out with three people on her team but now heads a group of 13.
Lorena is tasked with ensuring that the group’s logistics operations run smoothly, with an additional focus on achieving the delicate balance between the highest possible levels of service for the customer and cost efficiency for the company.
Lorena is enthusiastic about the opportunities that come with Ricoh Europe Learning & Development and the Digital & Service Academy and has completed more than 50 courses to date.
Estimated reading time: 5 min
I have done many courses, but the most recent one that I have taken was the artificial intelligence program, which was really interesting. I have also participated in the Diamond Development Program, which means I have had to take many courses related to how to lead a team. I would say that most have been courses on management and how to lead people and, in all, I would say that I’ve done more than 50, with some longer and others shorter.
Absolutely, yes. There are many reasons why I am working at Ricoh, but for sure, the opportunity to have such a wide range of courses and then to be able to fit them in around your own schedule or your specific needs, which can change through your career, that was really important. It has always been important to me to have these sorts of continuous learning opportunities.
I knew that my business sector and working environment were constantly changing and that if I wanted to be up-to-date, then I needed to take part in some kind of continuous learning programs just to stay ahead of what is happening and to know how to effectively lead a team. At the moment, for example, AI has come into the workplace and become very important to what we do. I need to always be ahead of that.
It was really the same motivation then as it is now; to stay skilled and up to date on all the areas that I must understand. I never wanted to have the feeling that I was behind on innovation, new tools, new ways of working and so on. The Digital & Service Academy lets me do that and it is good for me to feel that I am up to date.
Probably yes, because sometimes when you start out on a program you are not always sure that you will be able to later put the things you learn into practice, but I have always been able to do that. I got more out than I expected.
For me, I want to choose the word “inspirational” because the courses have given me the motivation to change. When you realise that you can make big improvements in the way that you work, once you are aware of the alternatives and then you are up to date on new technologies and methods and so much more—that, to me, is inspirational. Having those new skills then challenges me to say OK, let me see how I can adapt and apply these learnings and knowledge to my daily work.
Many of the courses I took were related to how to lead people in the company, and how important it is to work together to achieve for the company. There are many potential tools and many ways of working and I have tried to apply new ways of working with my team over these years. And yes, I have seen a return on that and seen positive consequences, which makes me really happy. I’m always using what I have learned when I’m with my team, but I also feel it when I’m talking to people outside the team and other managers.
The AI course that I recently completed has enabled me to be more aware of this new technology, how it can be used properly and effectively, why it is important that it is applied correctly and how it can make my life outside the office easier. And when you feel that, you realise that it is something that is worth continuing to invest in, to continue to learn.
I’m always telling my team and my boss about the courses and I think people are now much more aware of the importance of the Digital & Service Academy and the need to constantly add new skills. In general, across the company, people see that they are living in a constantly changing environment, that everything is going really, really fast and they know that they need to be up to date today because if they are not, then they can lose out. They know they need to be prepared.
I am already thinking about the next course I want to take and I think I need some more AI knowledge and skills. I’ve not started yet but as well as an AI program, I would like to take the Lean Six Sigma course because I am going to lead some new projects in the coming months so that will be a big help.
One of the best parts of the Digital & Service Academy, for me, is that there are so many things you can learn, so there are huge possibilities. The depth of the program is just amazing. And when you look at it like that, then it is clear this is a win-win for me and the company. If I grow professionally, then the organization gains and can have an employee who brings best practices to the workplace. My area is logistics, so it’s about applying new technologies and ways of optimizing processes to reduce costs, but it applies everywhere. If I grow, the company grows as well; win-win.
