Frank Weidner
Strategic Purchasing Manager
Experience
Feb 2025 - Apr 2025
3 months Herne, Germany
Strategic Purchasing Manager
Vulkan
- Development of supplier portfolio
- Steel castings
- C-parts
- Composite shafts
- Consulting on procurement strategy implementation
- Risk & cost management
- Analysis of the global procurement market and existing suppliers
- Advisory role in internal projects
Sep 2024 - Jan 2025
5 months Königsbrunn, Germany
Strategic Purchasing Consultant
Ampack GmbH
- Establishing the strategic purchasing function in the company
- Analysis and optimization of procurement processes
- Drafting and negotiating framework agreements and purchasing terms
- Analysis and restructuring of the supplier portfolio
- Developing suitable procurement strategies for each commodity group
- Evaluating existing suppliers and implementing new supplier relationships
Apr 2023 - Sep 2023
6 months Ingersheim, Germany
Director Commodity Management
ACPS Automotive GmbH
- Coordinating global commodity management and ensuring information flow within strategic purchasing
- Developing, rolling out and enforcing worldwide commodity strategies
- Budget responsibility for production materials regarding defined processes and suitable external and internal cost reduction measures
- Developing, implementing, tracking and reporting a price-recovery strategy as a crisis measure for 2022
- Member of the steering committee for rapid decision-making during escalations
- Building and advancing a future-proof supplier panel for all commodity groups of the corporate group
- Establishing supplier relationship management to define measures that improve future collaboration and minimize supply chain issues
- Supporting process digitization (e.g., SRM portal introduction, cost analysis software and savings tracking)
- Monitoring all team sourcing decisions and responsible for building and developing a high-performing commodity management team through training
- Defining strategic direction of commodity management by setting standards based on future market trends and corporate guidelines
- Promoting near-shoring initiatives and developing logistics concepts in close coordination with relevant departments
- Ensuring team-oriented collaboration with other departments to maintain and enhance company competitiveness
May 2022 - Mar 2023
11 months Ingersheim, Germany
Commodity Manager
ACPS Automotive GmbH
- Global commodity responsibility for electronics, CNC parts & C-parts
- Creating a management overview of all global commodity volumes by production site
- Project planning and cost/benefit analysis of recurring requirements within commodities and project needs
- Negotiating offers on cost, delivery time, technical options and quality
- Purchasing commodity volumes according to purchasing guidelines from successful testing to product/production launch
- Defining standards for recurring purchases in collaboration with manufacturing engineering
- Binding contracts with preferred suppliers via Master Supply Agreements (MSA) and other required contract elements
- Internal and external risk and escalation management:
- Procurement crisis management
- Close alignment of site requirements
- Lead time reductions
- Initiating special measures
- Supply chain tracking
- Defining a strategic supplier portfolio and evaluation based on specified KPIs
- Overseeing and supporting global manufacturing processes to implement modern, production-ready technology
- Managing the supplier chain to implement extended payment terms (Supply Chain Finance)
Mar 2022 - Apr 2022
2 months Ingersheim, Germany
Project Buyer
ACPS Automotive GmbH
- Advising on all purchasing-related matters such as inquiries, orders, price comparisons, analyses, filing, schedule tracking and administrative tasks
- Advising design engineers in simultaneous engineering on purchasing matters from development concept to series maturity:
- Selecting project-specific development suppliers in coordination with commodity sourcing from the pool of approved suppliers
- Requesting quotes
- Comparing offers
- Price negotiations
- Contributing to clarification of technical questions up to manufacturability discussions with suppliers
- ERP data maintenance for new purchased parts and changes
- Tooling/fixture assignments, first sample and pre-series orders
- Schedule monitoring of purchasing matters within project timelines from inquiry to internal first sample approval
Sep 2021 - Feb 2022
6 months Ingersheim, Germany
Commodity Manager
ACPS Automotive GmbH
- Global commodity responsibility for plastics, elastomers, stamped-bent parts & laser parts
- Creating a management overview of all global commodity volumes by production site
- Defining a strategic supplier portfolio and evaluation based on specific KPIs
- Negotiating offers on cost, delivery time, technical options and quality
- Overseeing and supporting global manufacturing processes to implement modern, production-ready technology
- Managing the supplier chain to implement extended payment terms (Supply Chain Finance)
- Binding contracts with preferred suppliers via Master Supply Agreements
- Defining standards for recurring purchases in collaboration with manufacturing engineering
- Purchasing project management for production relocations from supplier to supplier
- Legal handling of disputes together with legal department
Apr 2021 - Aug 2021
5 months Bad Urach, Germany
Commodity Manager Tools
Eissmann Automotive GmbH
- Establishing the new commodity area “Tools”
- Creating a global procurement strategy for injection molding tools
- Selecting strategic suppliers including framework agreement negotiations
- Implementing KPI reporting in tool procurement (focus on payment terms & conditions)
- Supporting project purchasing in tool procurement (escalation level)
- Calculating injection molding tool costs during the acquisition phase
- Developing a benchmark cost database for offer evaluation and early cost estimation
- Cost negotiations for new tools and tool modifications
Oct 2018 - Aug 2020
1 year 11 months Dortmund, Germany
Project Manager
Wilo SE
- Leading the project to relocate all internal mechanical processing & coating of components to suppliers in Europe, including sale & transfer of existing machines and equipment
- Personnel planning & management of the project team (12 members)
- Searching for & developing suitable suppliers
- Defining supply chains, collaboration between existing & new suppliers
- Contract negotiations with new suppliers & machine buyers
- Setting quality requirements for new suppliers
- Defining a sampling process for approx. 800+ parts & variants
- Tracking sampling progress
- Creating & executing a ramp-down scenario for in-house production & ramp-up at supplier
- Introducing a new packaging & logistics concept (container management) with suppliers
- Schedule and cost tracking
- Defining future savings potentials with new suppliers
- Leading project meetings & coordinating with management of each department
- Tracking pre-production to build safety stock
- Prioritizing sampling based on progress and assembly needs
Jan 2018 - Jun 2018
6 months Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany
Purchasing-Consultant
Valeo GmbH
- Relocating production from one supplier (plant closure) to new suppliers
- Recording & cataloging all relevant tool, machine, equipment & process data at the existing supplier
- Point of contact for purchasing managers of all client plants
- Coordinating production and building a safety stock
- Supporting new suppliers during ramp-up of relocated processes
Aug 2017 - Jan 2018
6 months Metzingen, Germany
Technical Buyer
Sauter Feinmechanik GmbH
- Searching for & onboarding suppliers for cast parts & precision component machining:
- Focus on Eastern Europe & Asia (China, Taiwan & India)
- Purchasing motor components, drawing parts & manufacturing services
- Developing a material group management system in purchasing & corresponding supplier strategy
- Building a supplier pool for batch sizes of 1–100 units
Mar 2017 - May 2017
3 months Nantong, China
Tool & Project Manager
Quin GmbH / BMW
- Optimizing existing injection molding tools
- Schedule tracking & technical support for part and tool changes
- On-site project leadership for production & manufacturing process optimization at suppliers
- Monitoring relocation of manufacturing processes to sub-suppliers
- On-site contact for the end customer (automotive OEM)
- Preparing for potential full production relocation
Jul 2016 - Present
9 years 1 month Alfdorf, Germany
Managing Director
China Tool Service UG
- External services in procurement/purchasing/project management
- Procuring injection, die-cast & stamped-bent tools
- Supporting global supplier search
- Schedule & supplier tracking
Feb 2015 - Jul 2016
1 year 6 months Rutesheim, Germany
Tool Buyer
Quin GmbH
- Global procurement of injection and preform tools as well as hot-rivet machines for in-house production in Romania, China and Mexico
- Tool tracking for new tools and changes
- Building supplier structure for injection molding tools in China
- Purchasing work package leader in overall projects
- Tool cost calculation and price negotiation with suppliers
- Validating tool costs internally and with the OEM
- Searching for and developing new suppliers
Sep 2012 - May 2014
1 year 9 monthsTechnical Business Specialist
IHK-Region Stuttgart
Nov 2011 - Jan 2015
3 years 3 months Winnenden, Germany
Technical Buyer
Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG
- Project-related procurement of injection, deep-drawn and rotational parts including required tools
- Relocating production processes and assembly from in-house to suppliers
- Supporting R&D in production-friendly component design
- Assisting plants with supplier issues (quality, delays, line stops)
- Schedule and cost tracking in procurement projects
- Searching for and developing new suppliers
Sep 2008 - Nov 2011
3 years 3 months Winnenden, Germany
Toolmaker specializing in mold making
Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG
Cooperative apprenticeship between:
- Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG
- Robert Bosch GmbH
- Oskar Frech GmbH & Co. KG
Languages
German
Native
English
Advanced
Education
Oct 2012 - Jun 2014
IHK-Region Stuttgart
Technical Business Specialist · Stuttgart, Germany
Sep 2008 - Nov 2011
Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG
Toolmaker, specializing in mold making · Winnenden, Germany
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