Stefan Schnabel - Founder and Senior Consultant

Q: Where is Stefan based?

Stefan is based in Schalksmühle, Germany and can operate in on-site , hybrid , and remote work models.

Q: What languages does Stefan speak?

Stefan speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Stefan have?

Stefan has at least 31 years of experience. During this time, Stefan has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 8 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 4 years and 6 months . Note that Stefan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Stefan's latest experience?

Stefan's most recent position is Founder and Senior Consultant at LPM-Consulting, die LeanManufactur .

Q: What companies has Stefan worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Stefan has worked for LPM-Consulting, die LeanManufactur and KATEK Düsseldorf (today Kontron AG) .

Q: Which industries is Stefan most experienced in?

Stefan is most experienced in industries like Manufacturing and Professional Services .

Q: Which business areas is Stefan most experienced in?

Stefan is most experienced in business areas like Operations , Production/Manufacturing , and Project Management . Stefan also has some experience in Quality Assurance (QA) , Supply Chain Management , and Sustainability Management .

Q: Which industries has Stefan worked in recently?

Stefan has recently worked in industries like Professional Services and Manufacturing .

Q: Which business areas has Stefan worked in recently?

Stefan has recently worked in business areas like Operations , Quality Assurance (QA) , and Production/Manufacturing .

Recommended expert

Schalksmühle, Germany

Experience

Jun 2024 - Present

1 year 9 months

Founder and Senior Consultant

LPM-Consulting, die LeanManufactur

Consulting SMEs in lean management, operational excellence and internal auditing to ISO 9001
Implementing measures to increase efficiency, effectiveness and quality
Supporting the implementation of sustainability strategies

Oct 2021 - May 2024

2 years 8 months

Head of Operations

KATEK Düsseldorf (today Kontron AG)

Direct reporting to the Managing Directors of Düsseldorf and Leipzig, with close coordination with the COO and CPO of KATEK SE
Acting as Deputy Managing Director Düsseldorf
Interim Quality Manager and head of technical planning
Production and logistics optimization, integration of new technologies and shopfloor management
Budget responsibility for the entire operations department
Leading 4 department heads and approx. 110 employees
Overseeing internal audits according to IATF 16949:2016 section 8 at the Saedinenie/Bulgaria plant
Successful re-certification to ISO 9001:2015 at the expanded plant
Increased sales by 30%, productivity by 15% and drastically reduced production backlogs

Apr 2020 - Sep 2021

1 year 6 months

Founder and Senior Consultant

LPM-Consulting, die LeanManufactur

Advising entrepreneurs and business founders on lean management and operational excellence
Developing measures for efficiency and effectiveness

Mar 2019 - Mar 2020

1 year 1 month

Technical Managing Director

WEMAS Holding GmbH

Reporting to the CEO
Quality management at all sites, P&L responsibility, management reporting (BWA) and liquidity planning
Optimization and streamlining of the product portfolio based on BCG analysis
Implementation of Microsoft Navision and KPI-based shopfloor management
Managing Landwehr Schilderfabrik GmbH and Gerding GmbH
Increased sales by 8% and established occupational safety measures

Jan 2017 - Feb 2019

2 years 2 months

Head of Final Assembly Production

Werner Turck GmbH & Co. KG

Reporting to the Production Manager
Ensuring on-time and quality-compliant production in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing
Planning and controlling optimization measures along the value chain
Implementing lean production, Kanban and ConWIP in cooperation with ifp-Consulting
Key user for SAP R/3 integration and master data setup
Increased productivity by 10%, sales by 20% and improved on-time delivery to 83%

Aug 2014 - Dec 2016

2 years 5 months

Production Manager EMEA

MTS Sensors Technologie

Reporting to the local managing director and WW operations manager
Organizing and managing operational processes in manufacturing, material planning, purchasing, shipping, and maintenance
P&L responsibility and coordination of international S&OP meetings
Global implementation of lean production, one-piece flow, Kanban, and Heijunka
Increased productivity by 20% and improved OTD to 93%

Feb 2013 - Jul 2014

1 year 6 months

Operational Site Leader ISC, ACS EMEA

bk-electronic GmbH

Site responsibility including purchasing, sales, manufacturing, warehousing, shipping, and facilities with a €10M budget
Integrated into a matrix structure and reported to EMEA management
Implemented Honeywell Operating System (HOS) and introduced one-piece flow
Managed site closure and relocation to Brno, CZ
Increased revenue by 20%, improved delivery performance to over 90%, achieved Bronze status in HOS

Jul 1995 - Dec 2012

17 years 6 months

Technical Production Engineering

Insta Elektro GmbH, Lüdenscheid

Independently planned and controlled product launch processes
Led projects for KNX, LED lighting, and EMS product lines at the subsidiary ELKA GmbH
Carried out investment planning, cost controlling, and technology evaluation
Introduced IPC-A-610 training as an instructor and implemented barcode logistics
Implemented RoHS and lean production with Staufen AG
Increased productivity by 5% through IPC-A-610 rollout

Jan 1994 - Dec 1994

1 year

Sales Engineer

HA-EFF Kunststoffe GmbH

Acquired new projects in ship interior outfitting
Advised clients from proposal creation to solution implementation
Managed projects independently

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Manufacturing (28 years) and Professional Services (3 years).

Manufacturing

Professional Services

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Operations (30.5 years), Production (26 years), Project Management (18.5 years), Quality Assurance (6 years), Supply Chain Management (2.5 years), and Sustainability Management (1.5 years).

Operations

Production

Project Management

Quality Assurance

Supply Chain Management

Sustainability Management

Summary

Goal-, process- and result-oriented, experienced change manager with an entrepreneurial mindset and strong technical and social skills. Many years of experience in project management, turnaround management, process management and leading complex production units. Valued as a decisive, analytical and resilient leader with a pronounced "can-do" attitude and "hands-on" mentality. His interaction with employees is characterized by appreciation and respect, while always taking business requirements and key metrics into account. Staff development through targeted "support and challenge" is one of his core principles.

Skills

Quality Management & Lean

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean Management, Continuous Improvement (Kvp)
Operational Excellence, Hoshin Kanri, Shopfloor Management
Production Optimization, Kpis, Agile Mindset With Okr, Scrum And Kanban
Quality Management (Iso 9001, Iatf 16949, Iso 50001, Iso 14001, Ral Quality Mark, Tisax) And Compliance
Value Stream Design, Supply Chain Management, Capacity Control

Management & Leadership

Change Management, Restructuring, Turnaround Management
Digital Transformation And Automation
International Experience In Matrix Organizations
Personnel Development And Leadership Of National And International Teams
Budget Responsibility, Cost Controlling, Management Reporting (Bwa), Liquidity Planning
Systemic Business Coach Certified By Dvnlp

Additional Projects

Third-party Auditor In The Supply Chain For Suppliers Of Electronics, Pcbs And Assemblies And Logistics
Involvement In The "Prodlog-design" Project In Cooperation With Fraunhofer Ipa, The Ifa (Institute For Factory Equipment And Logistics At Leibniz University Hanover) And Various Involved Companies
Trainer In A Training Initiative Run Jointly By Regional Companies, The Sihk In Hagen, And The Employment Agency, For Part-time Training As Smd Production Assistants

Further Relevant Project Experience

Restructuring And Turnarounds Of Production Sites
Process Optimization In High-mix, Low-volume Environments
Implementation Of Lean And Six Sigma Methods In Multinational Companies
Development And Implementation Of New Production Layouts Based On Value Stream Optimization And Bottleneck Analysis
Automation And Robotics
Warehouse Logistics And Traceability Systems
Takt Planning Of Equipment And Implementation Of One-piece-flow Islands
Kpi-based Shopfloor Management And Continuous Improvement In Companies
Personnel Restructuring And Development Measures In Change Processes
Contact Person For Associations (Fed, Ipc, 3-d Mid Ev, Zvei, Vdl), Research Institutions (Fraunhofer Isit, Fraunhofer Ipa, Fraunhofer Zve, Fraunhofer Ifam) And Project Partners (Zavt Lippstadt, Staufen Ag, Ifp-consulting, Rick Harris Lean Systems Inc, Lmx Business Consulting Gmbh)

It And Equipment Skills

Key User Of Sap R/3, Microsoft Navision, Infor Baan
Ms Office, Visio, Ms Project, Mindmanager, Ms Sql, Bpm (Business Process Management) Software
Simatic It Mes-suite, Padspowerpcb, Siplacepro, Edm, Setupcenter, Itac-traceability
Viscomvivision, Dcm Catamaran
Siplace And Mydata Placement Machines, Vitronics, Seho And Smt Reflow Ovens, Asys, Ipte And Nutek Transport Units, Ersa, Vitronics And Seho Soldering Systems, Aoi Viscom And Koh Young, Ekra And Dek Printers, Nordson Conformal Coating Systems, Kolb Cleaning Systems
Cam: Technomatix Unicam, Cam350, Diplan, Smt Officepro
Experience With Ai (Chatgpt, Perplexity And Notebooklm In A Corporate Context)

Additional Skills

Scrum, Okr, Kanban

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

French

Elementary

Education

Fachhochschule Hamburg

Dipl.-Ing. (Nav. Arch.) FH · Naval Architecture Engineering · Hamburg, Germany

Gymnasium Hermann-Böse-Straße

Abitur · Bremen, Germany

Beaufort Primary School

Beaufort, United States

Certifications & licenses

Certified Quality Auditor ISO 9001:2015

TÜV Rheinland Akademie GmbH

Certified Quality Manager ISO 9001:2015

TÜV Rheinland Akademie GmbH

Profile

Created

April 2025

Last Update

July 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Stefan based?

Stefan is based in Schalksmühle, Germany and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

What languages does Stefan speak?

Stefan speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Elementary).

How many years of experience does Stefan have?

Stefan has at least 31 years of experience. During this time, Stefan has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 8 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 4 years and 6 months. Note that Stefan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Stefan be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Stefan would be well-suited for roles such as: Founder and Senior Consultant, Head of Operations, Technical Managing Director.

What is Stefan's latest experience?

Stefan's most recent position is Founder and Senior Consultant at LPM-Consulting, die LeanManufactur.

What companies has Stefan worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Stefan has worked for LPM-Consulting, die LeanManufactur and KATEK Düsseldorf (today Kontron AG).

Which industries is Stefan most experienced in?

Stefan is most experienced in industries like Manufacturing and Professional Services.

Which business areas is Stefan most experienced in?

Stefan is most experienced in business areas like Operations, Production/Manufacturing, and Project Management. Stefan also has some experience in Quality Assurance (QA), Supply Chain Management, and Sustainability Management.

Which industries has Stefan worked in recently?

Stefan has recently worked in industries like Professional Services and Manufacturing.

Which business areas has Stefan worked in recently?

Stefan has recently worked in business areas like Operations, Quality Assurance (QA), and Production/Manufacturing.

What is Stefan's education?

Stefan holds a Bachelor in Naval Architecture Engineering from Fachhochschule Hamburg.

Does Stefan have any certificates?

Stefan has 2 certificates. These include: Certified Quality Auditor ISO 9001:2015 and Certified Quality Manager ISO 9001:2015.

What is the availability of Stefan?

Stefan is immediately available part-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Stefan?

Stefan's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.