Georg H. - Co-Founder, Managing Director, Shareholder

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Cologne, Germany

Experience

Oct 2014 - Jul 2025

10 years 10 months

Cologne, Germany

Co-Founder, Managing Director, Shareholder

Servite GmbH

Providing staff under the German Temporary Employment Act to hospitality and industrial clients.
Developing and marketing software for temporary staffing agencies, personnel service providers, and companies with field forces.

Jul 2011 - Oct 2012

1 year 4 months

Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland

Director, Supply Chain, Spare Parts Business EAME

AGCO International

Responsible for master data management, forecasting & planning, dealer inventory management, and the procurement of parts for the spare parts business in the Europe, Africa, and Middle East region.
Led a team of 6 direct reports with a total of 110 employees in the region.
Established a new reporting system and adapted the organization to a brand-based sales structure.
Simplified the KPI system to focus the organization on key performance indicators such as delivery reliability and cost efficiency.

Mar 2009 - Oct 2014

5 years 8 months

Cologne, Germany

Independent Consultant and Interim Manager

RTB Consult

Restructured a German production site in the healthcare sector, relocating production from Germany to Asia.
Developed a new supply chain strategy for a mid-sized metal industry company and formed a joint venture with a Turkish manufacturer.
Provided interim management and consulting in corporate management, business development, supply chain, procurement, and transformation.

May 2006 - Apr 2008

2 years

Brussels, Belgium

Project Manager, Value Stream Management Implementation

WABCO Vehicle Control Systems (now ZF)

Led a two-year transformation project to shift the organization towards lean practices and digitalization.

Jan 2005 - Dec 2008

4 years

Brussels, Belgium

Director, Global Supply Chain, Business Unit Vehicle Dynamics and Controls

WABCO Vehicle Control Systems (now ZF)

Held global responsibility for local manufacturing units of the business unit, assembling components and modules for mechanical and electronic brake systems for trucks and buses.
Built an organizational structure based on lean principles (value streams) covering all company functions.
Led a team of 9 direct reports with a total of 1650 employees in the region (Germany, France, Poland, India, China, Brazil), reporting directly to the business unit head and the VP Global Manufacturing.
Maximized the business unit's profitability by managing product costs of USD 600 million (USD 500 million for materials, USD 100 million for manufacturing costs) with an annual investment budget of USD 15 million.
Developed a strategy for low-cost countries.
Shifted suppliers and utilized the group's "Supplier Lean" program.
Developed a 5-year production and procurement plan with related production relocations and supplier changes.
Initiated regular kaizen events in the value streams, focusing on standardization and visual management at the gemba.
Conducted value analyses of hydraulic brake systems to achieve lower part costs through redesign.

Feb 2001 - Dec 2004

3 years 11 months

Brussels, Belgium

Director of Indirect Materials Procurement, EMEA

American Standard Companies

Annual budget responsibility for 350 million US dollars in indirect materials.
Led 7 direct reports and 60 employees in the region.
Consolidated procurement across three business units in EMEA and harmonized purchasing guidelines.
Introduced a web-based spending tool to increase cost transparency and awareness by function.
Achieved annual savings of at least 3.9%.

Nov 2000 - Jan 2001

3 months

Brussels, Belgium

Head of Indirect Materials Procurement, EMEA

Honeywell Europe S.A.

Led 5 direct reports and 75 employees in the region.
Managed an annual procurement budget of 500 million US dollars and reported to the VP of Supply Chain, EMEA.

Feb 1999 - Oct 2000

1 year 9 months

Barcelona, Spain

Head of Indirect Materials and E-Procurement, Europe

GE Power Controls

Initiated the use of electronic procurement tools, including a purchasing intranet, e-tendering, and auctions.
Built a data warehouse.
Led "Bullet Train" initiatives (GE's cost reduction program) achieving productivity gains of 15.3%.
Conducted Q4 negotiation rounds resulting in backend bonuses of 750,000 US dollars by year-end.

Jan 1996 - Jan 1999

3 years 1 month

Neu-Isenburg, Germany

Head of Indirect Materials Procurement, Germany

GE Finance Holding

Founded the German GE Sourcing Council, bundled volumes, and reduced the supplier base by 25%.
Introduced unified procurement guidelines.

Jan 1996 - Jan 1999

3 years 1 month

Frankfurt, Germany

Head of Indirect Materials Procurement, Central Europe (DACH)

GE Medical Systems

Responsible for a procurement volume of 50 million US dollars and 3 direct reports.
Consolidated the procurement process.
Qualified new suppliers for cables and electronic displays, securing a 15% price reduction.
Negotiated broader specifications with customer service for plastic parts to promote competition among suppliers.
Shifted from single sourcing to multiple sourcing to support continuous annual productivity gains.

Jan 1993 - Dec 1995

3 years

Hanover, Germany

Head of Purchasing Chemicals and Packaging, Germany

Solvay Germany GmbH

Responsible for purchasing fluorspar and packaging such as corrugated board, glass and big bags.

Aug 1992 - Dec 1992

5 months

Brussels, Belgium

Project Manager Europe

SOLVAY & CIE.

Created an analysis with written documentation of the market and use of copper and mercury with traders and other customers
Sold all existing stocks of mercury and copper during the project.

May 1991 - Jul 1992

1 year 3 months

Hanover, Germany

Management Trainee

Solvay Germany GmbH

15-month program including rotations in Purchasing, Logistics, Production, Sales and Export.

Summary

Getting things moving: making decisions, taking responsibility, building resilience, managing conflicts, mastering ambiguity, continuously learning, creating value.

11 years of professional experience as co-founder, shareholder, and managing director of a staffing company, providing personnel services and developing and selling software solutions for temporary staffing agencies, personnel service providers, and businesses with field forces.
6 years of experience as an interim manager and consultant in business development, supply chain, procurement, and process and organizational transformation.
19 years of international experience in end-to-end supply chain management (procurement, production, logistics)
2 years as project manager of the LEAN project "Value Stream Management Implementation"
German by living and working abroad.