Use Case: Global Inhouse Training for Managers and Decision Makers at ALPLA
Embedding financial acumen in operational management — and developing Controlling into a true business partner.
Initial situation
As a global leader in the industrial sector, ALPLA has a strong technical focus. Decision makers in production, sales, procurement, and R&D use their deep expertise to drive innovation, quality, and sustainable growth.
As the company continued to scale internationally, the need emerged to integrate financial performance indicators more closely into operational decision-making. The goal was to strengthen understanding of the connection between individual actions, earnings, and cash flow, while also expanding collaboration between Operations and Finance.
At the same time, Controlling was still primarily perceived as a central reporting function, which kept it at a certain distance from the operating business. The objective was to position Controlling as a true business partner and work together to turn existing potential into tangible results.
Approach
Development and global rollout of a customized training format, “Finance for Decision Maker” (F4DM), for all decision-relevant functions outside Finance.
At the heart of the two-day training is the direct link between operational decisions and their financial impact. Participants work with realistic scenarios and learn, among other things:
- how product mix, prices, discounts, and volumes affect earnings
- what role Working Capital plays in cash flow
- how key value drivers (EBIT, ROCE, cash flow) interact
- how investment decisions can be evaluated and made in a targeted way
- where the most effective levers for improving earnings are
Based on driver trees and sensitivity analyses, specific measures are derived and transferred into day-to-day practice.
The key success factor is the mandatory follow-up: two to four weeks after the training, participants present the measures they have implemented and the quantified impact they have achieved. In doing so, they actively work with Controlling and translate operational improvements into financial results.
The program is designed as a learning journey and is scaled globally by internal trainers who have been trained by the CA controller akademie.
Impact
Financial thinking has been firmly embedded in operational management, and collaboration between Operations and Finance has become noticeably closer.
Leaders now understand the financial impact of their decisions and actively use this knowledge to manage their areas of responsibility. The dialogue with Controlling now takes place on equal footing, with significantly greater quality and relevance.
Shortly after the trainings, the follow-up sessions regularly identify and present concrete improvement measures with five- to six-figure earnings impact.
The expectations regarding the effectiveness of the program were clearly exceeded — especially thanks to the consistent implementation of measures within each participant’s own area of responsibility.
As a result, the program was systematically scaled worldwide and today forms the basis for qualifying nearly 10,000 decision makers globally.
Client testimonial
Gerhard Sticker, Regional Head of Finance, Controlling + IT Western Europe, ALPLA Group
“For me, management training is an invitation to build bridges — between numbers, strategy, and people — so that together we can shape the future of our business.”