KNAPP Coding Contest 2018 – a sensational success

On March 2, 2018, 120 pupils and students streamed to the KNAPP headquarters to show off their coding skills. For the 7^th time, the coding community gathered for the annual programming competition at the KNAPP headquarters in Hart bei Graz. With around 120 pupils and students from five states – Styria, Vienna, Upper Austria, Carinthia and Burgenland – and for the first time, from Germany – the number of participants had increased from the previous year by a third. Separate application criteria for school pupils and students ensured they had equal opportunities and resulted in six lucky winners.

During the programming competition, IT talents had the chance to show off their coding skills, gain valuable experience and test their knowledge with a tricky programming task taken straight from the world of logistics. “The KNAPP Coding Contest has become the challenge within the community to beat,” affirmed Head of Human Resources at KNAPP, Ingo Spörk, speaking about the buzz surrounding the programming competition. KNAPP is a global player in intralogistics and employs 3,700 employees worldwide. With over 2,500 employees in Styria of which over 1,000 work in IT and software, KNAPP is one of the region’s largest IT employers. “Logistics is a future-orientated sector with exciting career perspectives. We not only want our Coding Contest to get pupils and students who are studying an IT programme excited at an early age for the thrilling tasks and excellent career opportunities at our company, we also want to improve the image of logistics,” explained Spörk.

Finding the best possible solution

2.5 hours’ time to plan a software module in either Java or C#: The IT talents set about solving a programming task taken from everyday logistics with plenty of enthusiasm and creativity. “The young adults had the task of controlling the movements of a shuttle in an automated warehouse so that the incoming work orders could be processed with the least amount of effort,” revealed KNAPP logistics and software expert Mario Löfler on the challenging yet solvable task.

Announcing the winners and chill-out session

After over two hours of intensive programming followed by chill-out time complete with beers and burgers, the winners in both categories were chosen. The winners of the KNAPP Coding Contest were Daniel Fangl from the TU in Vienna and Alexander Dietrich from the HTL in Kaindorf, who each took home a prize of 1,000 euros. Second place with a prize of 800 euros went to Robert Tieber from the TU Graz and Michael Krickl from the HTL in Kaindorf. Benjamin Potzmann from the TU in Vienna and Thomas Neumann from the HTL in Kaindorf came in third place, winning 500 euros each. Fabian Rossmann from the HTL in Pinkafeld took home an iPad mini 4. The HTL in Rennweg, Vienna, the TU in Graz and the HTL in Kaindorf were named best participating institutions.

But the competition wasn’t all about winning fantastic prizes. It was also an opportunity to socialize with the company’s employees. Many of the participants seized the chance to discuss the task with the KNAPP software experts and find out more about the career paths at KNAPP.

About KNAPP

With over 1,800 logistics systems operating around the globe, KNAPP is one of the technological leaders in the areas of warehouse logistics, automation and software. The expert knowledge of its 3,700 employees active across 35 sites around the world is key to the company’s success. Software experts are found in all of the subsidiaries. As an innovative company, KNAPP offers excellent opportunities for development in both specialist and management careers, as well as exciting experiences abroad and numerous employee benefits.