Frank Weidner

Strategic Purchasing Manager

Munich, Germany

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 months

Technical 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