Libor, could you introduce yourself and tell us about your current position at Axians?

My name is Libor Burian and I’m currently an Application Architect at Axians. I started my career as a programmer and developer, but my background is in geography and spatial analysis, which is quite unusual in IT.

My current main focus is on custom extensions to SAP products. However, what makes my background particularly interesting is that I started my career as a GIS analyst, I have studied Geoscience (Geography), which is quite an unusual background for my current position in IT. This unique combination of expertise in spatial analysis, university teaching and IT skills has significantly influenced my approach and problem-solving skills.

I originally studied geography and obtained a doctoral degree in that field. When I moved from Bratislava to a smaller and more rural area, I had to switch to IT due to limited job opportunities in my original field. Then I eventually found a job at Axians, where I’ve been working ever since I moved from my previous role as a standard programmer.

How would you describe the culture at Axians and what would you say? What makes Axians special?

These are challenging questions because I’m still getting to know the culture at Axians. One thing I appreciate is the proximity to decision-making and the high level of transparency within the business units, which creates an open and accessible working environment.

There are plenty of open learning opportunities and the chance to attend conferences and trainings, which I’ve personally found to be an interesting perspective on my daily work.

When it comes to collaboration, the teamwork within the business units is effective, and I find that cross-country collaboration is easy to achieve. I can easily reach out to colleagues from different countries, not only from our domestic region, for support on projects, which enhances the overall working experience.

Have you faced any particular challenges in your career and how did you overcome them?

I face new challenges almost every week. Five years ago, I switched from a completely different field, geography and spatial analysis to pure IT – that was my first big step. After a few years, I became the team leader of the development team, even though I was one of the youngest members, which brought a lot of responsibility and challenges, not only on a day-to-day basis, but especially during strategic projects. Some of them lasted for more than three years.

Recently, I moved to the role of architect at DAS, where I continue to tackle new challenges. The project I’m working on is one of the largest IT projects in Slovakia and Central Europe. The client is one of the largest electricity producers in Central Europe and we hope to have a reference after the project.

Do you have more Success stories?

I’m often called in when a particular project is facing problems, as I usually act as a firefighter. One success story that comes to mind is a project with Heineken Slovensko Distribucia (HSD). It started as a paperless serialization system for tobacco products, implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The project was originally planned for 12 months. Mainly due to excellent cooperation with the customer and a straightforward focus on the goal, we were able to reduce the implementation time to five or six months, taking into account all COVID-19 restrictions. The most interesting part was the e-learning of storage workers over MS Teams, which can be more stressful than standard on-site training.

After the project went live, during the support phase, we identified inefficiencies in their warehouse operations, not only with tobacco, but also with alcohol and other products. A simpler, more effective solution was proposed to the customer and subsequently implemented. As a result, the training time for new employees was reduced from several days for a standardized warehouse solution to just 10-15 minutes.

What were the key moments or projects that shaped your career?

I think the key moments are when I’m faced with really difficult and challenging projects. These situations provide the best conditions for growth. Facing huge problems not only changes your personality, but also rapidly improves your skills. For me, every time I face a new challenge or a real problem, I get excited – not only about the challenge itself, but also about solving the problems that come with it. I really enjoy tackling those kinds of challenges.

Do you have any goals for the future?

Good question. I think my main goal is to continue to improve and to gain as many new skills as possible, not just in the technical field. Every project is a new challenge for me, and I really want to keep solving open problems. That’s probably my one and only career goal.