Jörg Schwartze
Freelance Consultant and Interim Manager
Experience
Jul 2023 - Present
2 years 1 month Ulm, Germany
Freelance Consultant and Interim Manager
Consulting & Interim Management
- Consulting for medium-sized enterprises
- Development and implementation of growth strategies based on company strengths
- “Help for self-help”
- “Leveraging know-how to create #growhow”
- Cross-functional corporate problem solving
- Change management
- Process and IT harmonization
Jun 2021 - Jun 2023
2 years 1 month Geislingen, Germany
Vice President Strategic Projects SEB Professional
Groupe Seb/WMF
- Led a project to revise the strategy of the Professional Coffee Machines business unit, reporting to CEO WMF
- Developed a new customer and product segmentation
- Conducted segmented analysis of the offering portfolio and revenues of the three brands WMF, Schaerer and Curtis, including competitor benchmarking
- Derived a differentiated brand positioning strategy for the business unit
- Defined and prioritized product portfolio adjustments
- Analyzed local and regional sales channels and after-sales service models, including revenue and performance analysis and competitor benchmark
- Developed a model for evolving go-to-market approaches based on local/regional revenue trends, considering Groupe SEB’s corporate structure, current vs. target state comparison, and recommendations for action
- Designed a target organization for the business unit
May 2017 - May 2021
4 years 1 month Zuchwil, Switzerland
CEO
Schaerer AG
- Leadership of the company: R&D, product management, production, marketing, finance, HR and sales of professional coffee machines
- Full legal and financial responsibility, approx. EUR 300 million revenue, approx. 400 employees
- Member of the Board of Directors of Schaerer AG
- Global responsibility for the Schaerer brand and member of the management team of the Professional Coffee Machines business unit at WMF
- Developed and implemented a customer-focused brand and corporate strategy
- Expanded business with existing customers and acquired new customers, particularly in the USA and China
- Increased revenue from approx. CHF 100 million to approx. CHF 300 million and multiplied profit margin within 3 years
- Successfully managed the industry-wide significant sales decline during the pandemic
Jul 2015 - Apr 2017
1 year 10 months Geislingen, Germany
Vice President Operations Strategy & Projects, Production Consumer
WMF
- Responsible for operations strategy (order to delivery, including planning, purchasing, production, logistics and quality): Operational Excellence System, production network, product launch and allocation, performance management
- Responsible for real estate and energy management
- Responsible for engineering/investment projects
- Responsible for consumer goods production (5 plants, ~EUR 100 million costs, ~900 employees)
- Supported due diligence and led the integration project for operations following WMF’s acquisition by Groupe SEB
Sep 2011 - Jun 2015
3 years 10 months Hamburg, Germany
Managing Director
Beiersdorf Manufacturing Hamburg GmbH
- Solely responsible for the subsidiary
- ~EUR 300 million manufacturing costs, 650 employees, 850 million units of finished goods, 14 direct reports
- Managed two production sites including all supporting functions
- Initiated a cultural shift to continuous improvement/Lean with very positive results in safety, delivery reliability, costs and employee satisfaction
Nov 2010 - Aug 2011
10 months Hamburg, Germany
Head of Corporate Supply Chain Development
Beiersdorf
- Responsible for the global supply chain development process, communication of supply chain strategy, production and distribution network strategy, operational excellence strategy, delivery reliability management, governance of supply chain performance measurement
- Established the department and defined tasks with 5 direct reports
- Regional network projects in the Americas & Europe
- Extended strategic concepts to the distribution network
- Operational excellence strategy for supply chain
- Expanded delivery reliability management concept to OTIF including returns
- Revised supply chain performance metrics and supply chain strategy
Oct 2008 - Oct 2010
2 years 1 month Hamburg, Germany
Head of Corporate Production Center Network Strategy
Beiersdorf
- Established the new department with 4 direct reports
- Developed the global production network strategy from initial concept to process implementation; designed, validated and established methods and tools for network strategy
- Translated long-term demand into network requirements
- Created production network cost model including 3 site roles and transport to central warehouse, balancing cost efficiency and delivery agility
- Implemented processes (network control and controlling)
- Revised performance metrics for production sites and contract manufacturers considering strategy at all levels
Mar 2006 - Sep 2008
2 years 7 months Ludwigshafen, Germany
Senior Manager, Strategic Planning and Controlling
BASF
- Responsible for preparing the annual strategic controlling report for the BASF Group Executive Board
- Responsible for developing, implementing and producing an annual standardized strategic controlling process for strategic business units in alignment with 14 BASF Group divisions (approx. 70 SBUs)
- Revised and conducted industry revenue analysis
- Conceptualized and developed energy efficiency (baseline CO2 balance) for BASF
- Revised production network/site strategy, implemented processes with projects in Europe, North America, Asia and Russia
- Developed the “Raw Material Transformation” strategy (project member)
Dec 2002 - Feb 2006
3 years 3 months Ludwigshafen, Germany
Product Manager C4-Olefins
BASF
- Responsible for BASF’s C4-olefins business in Europe from long-term strategy to daily operations (marketing, sales, purchasing and S&OP), 6 products from 2 sites, revenue > EUR 200 million
- Restructured customer/supplier portfolios by switching net sellers to net buyers
- Negotiated sales, supply and cooperation agreements including complex pricing formulas
- Developed and negotiated commodity swap transactions including legal and financial regulatory assessment (SOX compliance)
- Developed and implemented global strategy and future supply scenarios for the Cracker Products strategic business unit (project member for C4-olefins)
- Managed and optimized inventory and logistics
- Improved business to 100% capacity utilization (365d/24h) with less than 2 days of inventory and increased margin relative to market price
Jan 1998 - Nov 2002
3 years 11 months Ludwigshafen, Germany
Development Engineer
BASF
06/2000 – 11/2002: Development Engineer, Process Engineering, Technical Development
- Led cross-functional projects with production, maintenance and marketing
- Developed action portfolios for savings potentials and investment evaluations
- Optimized production processes, networks and value chains
- Introduced and established a material and cost flow analysis tool
01/1999 – 05/2000: Development Engineer, Bulk Material Handling, Technical Development
- Designed (including sizing) bulk storage, conveying and dosing equipment for existing and new chemical plants
- Designed and supervised laboratory and pilot-scale trials, scale-up
- Led research project for combined silo storage and drying
Summary
Holistic sustainable corporate development Through my professional roles in various operational and strategic corporate functions at BASF, Beiersdorf and WMF, I acquired the tools for holistic corporate management and successfully applied them as head of Schaerer AG.
Under my leadership, Schaerer AG achieved disproportionately profitable sustainable growth. Success factors included appreciative, consistent change management; a strategic alignment of functions and the offering portfolio to deliver flexible, customized customer solutions; the development of strategic key accounts; and the expansion and long-term maintenance of international major account business.
This was followed by the strategic realignment of the parent company's overarching business unit to achieve the group-wide target of profitable growth.
Value-based collaboration on equal terms Values: Committed, responsible, entrepreneurial, authentic, down-to-earth, approachable
Leadership and collaboration: Appreciative leadership and promotion of employees on equal terms Strengthening employees’ personal responsibility and pragmatic support where needed Intensifying cross-functional and cross-divisional collaboration with a consistent customer focus Networking within and outside the entire organization
International experience and intercultural competence
Languages
German
Native
English
Advanced
French
Elementary
Spanish
Elementary
Education
Oct 1995 - Feb 1999
RWTH Aachen
PhD · Mechanical Engineering, Specialization in Process Engineering · Germany
Oct 1990 - Jun 1995
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Diploma · Mechanical Engineering, Specialization in Process Engineering · Germany
Similar Freelancers
Discover other experts with similar qualifications and experience