Sandra Blanco, Consultant in Potential Analysis, on her Role as a Maker in the Team
At the Kloepfel Group, we are the place for makers. THE MAKER’S PLACE stands for pragmatic procurement consulting and results-driven solutions – developed by makers, for makers.
Sandra Blanco, Consultant at Kloepfel Consulting, combines strategic thinking with a sharp eye for efficiency in one of the most complex disciplines: procurement. With a clear focus on process optimization, she identifies concrete leverage points that create real value—analytically, precisely, and always with a results-oriented mindset. In this interview, she talks about the challenges of modern procurement and what she enjoys most about combining numbers, strategy, and speed.
The Art of Making – or the Power of THE MAKER’S PLACE
1. What’s your “I’ll make it happen” story?
I’m a Consultant in Potential Analysis at Kloepfel Consulting – and a passionate mathematician. Numbers, structures, and efficient solutions are my world. In Potential Analysis, we combine two key elements: we analyze our clients’ procurement data and conduct in-depth workshops to fully understand their purchasing processes. Within just four weeks, we uncover concrete savings potential together.
What excites me most is the combination of analytical precision and practical feasibility. I love working on data-driven solutions – whether with Excel, Power BI, or through developing automated tools together with my team. This way, we not only create tangible value for our clients, but also continuously optimize our own workflows.
Challenges – Relevant Megatrends
2. The economy is facing major challenges. Why is now the right time to work with you?
Rising costs, a shortage of skilled workers, and global uncertainties are putting increasing pressure on companies. Improving efficiency and reducing costs are more important than ever – and that’s exactly where our Potential Analysis comes in.
We help companies systematically uncover savings and optimization opportunities in procurement and logistics. And we do it thoroughly but also quickly – because in day-to-day operations, clients often lack the time and resources for a deep analysis.
Our work delivers more than numbers: we provide clear, actionable recommendations. In times like these, that’s a real competitive advantage.
3. Which global megatrends have the biggest impact on your field – such as digitalization, talent shortages, geopolitical crises, sustainability?
Without question, digitalization and the shortage of skilled workers are among today’s biggest challenges. Many companies have an abundance of data – but often lack the structure, time, and expertise to use it effectively. That’s where we come in.
We help our clients analyze and structure their data, and turn it into concrete action steps. At the same time, we develop internal tools and automated solutions to deliver reliable results quickly and efficiently.
This not only frees up strategic thinking space for our clients, but also for our own team. In this way, we combine technology with consulting – making our work sustainable, future-oriented, and exciting every single day.
My Career as a Maker
4. Can you share a project that best shows how Kloepfel solves client problems?
Many of our clients come from the SME manufacturing sector and share a central challenge: procurement data is incomplete, unstructured, or simply unusable. In many cases, even a basic category structure is missing – making targeted analysis and optimization either difficult or impossible.
That’s exactly where we step in. We systematically prepare, structure, clean, and analyze the data using modern tools. Within a short time, we create a solid and practical decision-making basis that can be directly integrated into the client’s existing systems.
What motivates me most is the direct client feedback: again and again, we hear that our work has created transparency for the first time – and provided the decisive impulse for strategic procurement development.
5. What advice would you give someone starting out in management consulting?
My most important advice: stay curious. Consulting thrives on the joy of thinking, questioning, and problem-solving. If you enjoy working with numbers, understanding connections, and continuously developing yourself, you have the ideal foundation.
Consulting work is very diverse – no project is the same as another. That’s what makes the job so exciting but also challenging. You must be willing to embrace new topics and not be discouraged by uncertainty. Many skills are learned directly on the job – that’s completely normal.
More important than perfect prior knowledge are openness, teamwork, and a willingness to take responsibility. If you bring these qualities, you’ll have strong opportunities for personal and professional growth in consulting.
6. What does a typical workday look like for you?
My day usually starts with a quick overview: checking emails, reviewing my to-do list, and prioritizing both planned tasks and new issues that came up overnight.
Then I move straight into execution: depending on the project, I work on data analysis, develop Power BI dashboards, prepare client presentations, or program new automations to make our workflows more efficient.
The close teamwork is especially motivating. Our core team consists of four people, but we collaborate daily with colleagues from other departments – such as project consultants or the AI team. This interdisciplinary cooperation makes our work dynamic, varied, and truly exciting.
And what matters most to me: behind all the structure, tools, and numbers are people. Direct interaction, shared success, and mutual support make the decisive difference.
Personally: The Person Behind the Maker
7. What was your last personal highlight at Kloepfel?
It’s hard to name just one highlight because we face new challenges and small wins almost daily. Every Potential Analysis has its own hurdles: sometimes it’s data quality, sometimes complex client requirements, or unexpected conditions.
In these situations, experience, team spirit, and often a bit of creativity are needed to find solutions that really help. That process – turning a problem into progress – is what I value most.
My personal highlight isn’t a single project, but that recurring moment at the end: when the client is satisfied, the team benefits from the solution, and you get a genuine “thank you” – that’s when I know why I do this job with conviction.
8. What do you value most about your team?
The combination of expertise, mutual trust, and a healthy dose of humor. We work at a high professional level, but the atmosphere is always respectful, open, and collegial.
Everyone can contribute ideas, try things out, and grow. And you always know: if something gets tricky, there’s someone there to support you. That mix of professionalism and real team culture is something special – and it motivates me every single day.
9. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The most valuable advice came during a time when I was close to quitting. My mathematics studies were demanding, and in the first year, I failed almost every exam. I felt like I was falling behind everyone else and tried desperately to copy those who seemed to have it all under control. I completely lost trust in my own abilities.
One day, a professor who noticed my uncertainty told me something I’ll never forget: Trust yourself. Think clearly, stay open, and find your own way. No one has the one truth, but if you make your decision with conviction, stand by it – even if others doubt you.
That sentence shifted something in me. I started looking less outward for validation and more inward for my own voice. Soon after, I passed my first exam – but more importantly, I found my own way of learning and thinking.
To this day, this advice guides me – not just in my career, but in every situation where I have to take responsibility and trust my own path.
10. What three things (or apps) could you never do without?
At the very top for me is Excel, my most loyal companion in almost every project. Whether it’s data preparation, initial analyses, or complex calculations: nothing works for me without Excel.
Next comes Power BI, an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to making numbers visible. The visualizations help not only us internally, but also our clients to better understand connections and make decisions based on clear data.
And finally: Microsoft Teams. As powerful as our tools may be, without the daily exchange with my team, the quick check-ins, and the joint problem-solving, even the best analysis would only be worth half as much.
More information can be found here.
Contact:
Kloepfel Group
Damir Berberovic
Tel.: +49 211 941 984 33 | Email: rendite@kloepfel-consulting.com