Arne Zühlke - Managing Director and Shareholder

Tangstedt, Germany

Experience

May 2018 - Present

7 years 9 months

Tangstedt, Germany

Founded the company as a holistic consulting firm focused on procurement and supply chain
Managed the company's commercial operations
Digitalized and automated work steps to cut process costs
Led optimization projects
Connected German companies with overseas manufacturers to achieve shorter delivery times and lower procurement costs
Organized B2B meetings between international companies
Researched sourcing markets (Best Cost Country) for producing complex welded assemblies
Took on interim management mandates

May 2015 - Apr 2018

3 years

Led a team of 42 employees
Managed strategic, cross-company projects
Led workshops on process improvements
Selected and rolled out a new group-wide ERP system
Developed a structured, forward-looking supplier management system for the entire group
Created a complex rating and evaluation system for supplier selection and control
Pushed for more international procurement in strategic sourcing markets to reduce costs
Expanded the network with associations and international chambers
Represented the group with expert presentations at conferences at home and abroad in German and English

Apr 2007 - Apr 2015

8 years 1 month

Led the purchasing team of 10 employees both functionally and disciplinarily
Strategically transformed purchasing into an agile and flexible unit aligned with corporate goals, including budget planning and accountability
Reduced purchasing lead time from an average of 15 working days to under 5 days by optimizing processes and developing employees
Supported the professional and personal growth of team members
Scheduled staff work to match the highly variable workload in special machine engineering, from short-time work to 60% overtime
Took over and integrated purchasing from BMB AG (Switzerland) at the central site in Hamburg
Enforced the group's legal and contractual claims domestically and abroad
Secured regular savings in the high six-figure range through negotiations
Planned and delivered various construction projects on budget

Sep 1999 - Mar 2007

7 years 7 months

Led a team of 5 in a specialist role
Designed and negotiated contracts for the company and Körber Group
Evaluated, audited, and selected suppliers in electronics, electrical engineering, telecom and IT, and construction services
Achieved regular savings in the six-figure range through negotiations, new suppliers and products, and optimized processes
Increased contract compliance rate by 10–15% per year and reduced maverick buying
Ensured highest data accuracy for faster and smoother processing
Managed IT purchasing (hardware and software)
Served as key user for the SAP R/3 rollout, focusing on MM as well as FI/CO and SD modules
Acted as central contact for IT in purchasing
Trained working students, new hires, and trainees
Participated in Körber Group's leadership development program (06/2005–10/2006) with training in Germany and the USA on self-management, team management, leadership, and performance management
Led a development project (01/2005–04/2006) coordinating the subprojects in sales, development, purchasing, prototype construction, and assembly with internal staff and business partners from several companies in Germany and the USA (about 20 team members)
Negotiated and concluded complex cooperation agreements
Supported customers and prospects, including printing companies in Germany and a US government agency

Aug 1995 - Sep 1999

4 years 2 months

Received practical training and completed projects during a dual study program
Gained basic training in metalwork (turning and milling), technical drawing, and electropneumatics
Worked and trained in all commercial and technical areas of the company
Completed project work on relevant practical challenges

Aug 1994 - Jul 1995

1 year

Jagel, Germany

Multi-project management with 12 sub-projects for an electronics group with several production sites in Germany and Hungary (automotive, mechanical engineering, consumer electronics)
Measures to massively reduce inventory
Planning in SAP R/3
Implementation of S&OP
Creation of a KPI dashboard

Implementation of PSI V9.3 as an ERP system (replacing AMS++) in a mechanical engineering group with multiple locations
Conducting requirements analysis with various departments
System selection decision
Coordination and planning of the implementation and conducting workshops
Coverage of production, purchasing, sales, and logistics areas

Development of an integrated digital printing machine in mechanical engineering
Coordination of the international project partners, suppliers, and the pilot customer
Overall responsibility for development, sales, prototype construction, and procurement

Internationalization of the supplier base for a sales agency in mechanical engineering
Conducting a requirements analysis
Supplier selection
Onboarding of new suppliers

Developing and implementing a digitalization strategy for a retail group (consumer electronics)
Significantly reducing manual tasks
Creating interfaces between the internal SAP system and logistics service providers and partners
Implementing EDI invoicing for customers
Analyzing and automating processes
Introducing new software and tools, including HR (Personio), project management (TOPO), finance (LucaNet), interfaces (LobsterData) and DMS (DocuWare)