Manager for Lean & Operational Excellence and Auditing

KATEK is one of Europe’s leading electronics service providers with over 3,700 employees. The Düsseldorf site specializes in manufacturing electronic assemblies for the automotive industry. Low mix, high volume production. The company is certified to DIN ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, DIN ISO 50001:2018, and DIN ISO 14001:2015.

• Direct reporting to the Managing Director Düsseldorf and Leipzig and close collaboration with the COO and CPO of KATEK SE.
• Representation of the Managing Director Düsseldorf.
• Interim quality management and head of technical planning.
• Production and logistics optimization.
• Integration of new technologies, shopfloor management.
• Personnel responsibility: 4 department managers, around 110 employees.
• Integration of new IT systems (TISAX), new assembly lines.
• Budget responsibility for the entire operational area.
• Personnel leadership and development within the division management.
• Significant increase in EBIT.
• Sales increase of 30%.
• Productivity increase of 15%.
• Drastic reduction of production backlogs.
• Halving of excess inventory value from the Corona period.
• Improvement of on-time delivery (OTD).
• Introduction of job descriptions in production and logistics.
• Integration of the Düsseldorf site into the KATEK corporate structure with LMX Business Consulting GmbH.
• Integration into the customer logistics chain.
• Support of an internal audit according to IATF 16949:2016 section 8 at the Saedinenie/Bulgaria plant, conducting personnel development and plant restructuring to meet the ISO 9001:2015 standard. The recertification of the expanded plant, product transfer and ramp-up was successful.

Leading manufacturer of traffic safety technology, road signs, road construction equipment, and LED traffic guidance technology, employing 225 staff across WEMAS Absperrtechnik, Landwehr Schilderfabrik GmbH, and Gerding GmbH. The companies were certified to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 50001, RAL quality mark, and steel structures according to ISO 1090.

• Direct reporting to the CEO.
• Quality management across all sites.
• Close collaboration and alignment with local managing directors, CFO, HR, production, procurement, and supply chain.
• P&L responsibility, financial reporting, liquidity planning.
• Optimization and streamlining of the product portfolio according to BCG.
• Ensuring quality in production.
• Site structure planning and expansion of synergies.
• Personnel responsibility: central purchasing management, operational management of sites.
• Implementation of Microsoft Navision.
• Process optimization, KPI and shopfloor management.
• Supply chain optimization.
• Direct leadership of Landwehr GmbH and Gerding GmbH.
• Sales increase of 8%.
• Supply chain optimization.
• Establishment of occupational safety.

Subsidiary of MTS Systems Corporation, a global leader in sensor technology solutions for magnetostrictive position sensors and level sensors. The Lüdenscheid site has about 240 employees. The company was certified to ISO 9001:2008.

• Embedded in a matrix organization, I reported directly to the local Managing Director and the WW Operations Manager.
• Close collaboration and alignment with QA, R&D, CO/FI, HR, and Purchasing, as well as involved plants in the USA and Japan through S&OP meetings and regular international video conferences.
• Organization of operational processes in manufacturing, order processing, production planning, procurement, shipping, technical support, technical work preparation, and maintenance, including P&L responsibility.
• Ensuring timely and quality-compliant manufacturing and delivery of products in a high mix, low volume production.
• Personnel responsibility: 13 department managers, around 120 employees.
• Introduction of lean production with Rick Harris Lean Systems Inc. globally.
• Development of one-piece flow production lines.
• Implementation of Kanban and Heijunka locally in coordination with international plants.
• Introduction of a 3-shift system and performance-based compensation with HR.
• Participation in the global rollout of a new NPI concept.
• Productivity increase of 20%.
• OTD improvement to 93%.
• Introduction of lean production, 5S, and capacity leveling.

Medium-sized company and part of the Berker, GIRA, Jung group, focusing on development and manufacturing of building systems technology and lighting technology. The 100% subsidiary ELKA Elektronik GmbH is responsible for manufacturing electronic assemblies in the EMS field. The company has 520 employees and was certified to ISO 9001:2000 and 2008.

• Direct reporting to the Production Manager.
• Independent planning and control in product launch management.
• Planning, documentation, and optimization of technologies, product groups, and processes in the introduction phase.
• Interface responsibility between production, development, procurement, and suppliers.
• Product group support and project management in production for KNX, LED lighting, and EMS product groups at the ELKA GmbH subsidiary.
• Investment planning, cost controlling, technology evaluation, and roadmapping.
• Personnel responsibility: 7 employees in work planning.
• Introduction of IPC-A-610.
• Development and alignment of design guidelines for manufacturing-oriented design.
• Implementation of barcode logistics from suppliers to the shop floor.
• Implementation of RoHS according to 2002/95/EC with ZAVT Lippstadt.
• Benchmarking and introduction of new technologies.
• Ramp-up of SIPLACE Pro in field testing with Siemens AG.
• Roadmapping and miniaturization of components in SMD placement.
• Introduction of lean production with Staufen AG.
• Participation in the reorganization of the NPI and PEP processes.
• Project management.
• Productivity increase of 5% through the IPC-A-610 rollout.
• Successful implementation of RoHS in production up to the customer.
• Successful implementation of the design guidelines with achievements in new product introductions and productivity improvements.
• Successful introduction of a barcode system from suppliers, logistics, and setup control in SMD production.

In cooperation with Fraunhofer IPA, the IFA (Institute for Factory Facilities and Logistics at Leibniz University Hannover) and various involved companies.