Thomas Meyer-dethlefs - Operational Excellence Manager

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Wiefelstede, Germany

Experience

Jan 2023 - Dec 2024

2 years

Nordenham, Germany

Operational Excellence Manager

Consulting

Planning and implementing a management system in close coordination with the CEO as a member of the senior management core team.
Serving as appointed Master Black Belt to train Lean Six Sigma Black Belts.

Jan 2022 - Dec 2022

1 year

Everswinkel, Germany

Technical Director

Interim

Bridging a vacancy in the company.
Manufacturing and production, plant relocation and process quality management.

Aug 2021 - Dec 2021

5 months

Nordenham, Germany

Consultant

Interim

Project controlling and integration management.

Apr 2021 - Present

4 years 4 months

Wiefelstede, Germany

Freelance Consultant

Self-employed

Building a freelance consulting practice focused on holistic transformation for the better.
Using both vertical and horizontal views of my clients' business to identify key areas to fix weaknesses.

Jul 2020 - Jan 2021

7 months

Gummersbach, Germany

CTO

Mutares SE Co KGaA

Responsible for post-merger/carve-out/joint venture activities.
Direct reporting to the CEO.
Revenue responsibility up to EUR 50 million.
Functional HR responsibility for 10 to 50 employees.

Apr 2020 - Nov 2020

8 months

Vienna, Austria

Head of Logistics

Mutares SE Co KGaA

Covering the COO vacancy after the company acquisition.
Coordinating multiple sites in Austria.
Special challenges due to COVID.

Sep 2019 - Mar 2021

1 year 7 months

Germany

Director

Mutares SE Co KGaA

Operational due diligence in mergers & acquisitions.
Interim COO in logistics.
Interim CTO in mechanical engineering.

Jan 2019 - Aug 2019

8 months

Düsseldorf, Germany

Operational Excellence Leader

Kiepe Electric GmbH

Leading interdisciplinary teams functionally.
Agile project management.
Member of the management board.
Post-merger integration into Knorr-Bremse AG.

Sep 2015 - Apr 2019

3 years 8 months

Germany

Director Corporate Performance Improvement

Alvarez and Marsal Deutschland GmbH

Analyzing administrative and operational processes to highlight resource waste.
Operational due diligence for private equity firms.
Interim management and project leadership for global strategic projects (manufacturing footprint, plant debottlenecking).
Industries: metal, automotive supplier, electronics.

Jan 2015 - Sep 2015

9 months

Dornum, Germany

Management Consultant

Meyer-Dethlefs Consulting

Advising companies on optimizing business processes based on Lean and Six Sigma methods.
Analyzing and illustrating resource waste in manufacturing firms.
Planning and implementing tailored management systems for continuous improvement.
Organizing knowledge transfer and empowering employees.

Jan 2011 - Jan 2015

4 years 1 month

Düsseldorf, Germany

Global Operational Excellence Manager

Voestalpine Böhler Welding Group

Developing and implementing a global Operational Excellence organization for 12 production plants.
Establishing new global sales processes.
Crafting an international strategy for high-alloy solid wires.

Jan 2011 - Dec 2014

4 years

Hamm, Germany

Operations Manager

Voestalpine Böhler Welding Germany

Managing three production units and several support areas.
Implementing a stable leadership structure.
Planning and controlling budgets of EUR 45 million p.a.
Achieving annual savings of 3%–5% through Lean Management.

Jan 2001 - Jan 2011

10 years 1 month

Chicago, United States

Senior Consultant

Argo Inc.

Acquiring and leading international consulting projects.
Conducting potential analyses in administration, production and sales.
Preparing presentations and simulations.
Participating in due diligence projects.
Planning and conducting Lean Management workshops.
Ensuring sustainability of long-term projects.

Jan 2000 - Jan 2001

1 year 1 month

Wendelstein, Germany

Plant Manager

Steifensand GmbH

Establishing and implementing Lean production.
Planning and controlling production processes.
Presenting the company at trade fairs and events.

Jan 1998 - Jan 1999

1 year 1 month

St. Gallen, Switzerland

Diploma Business Economist SGMI

Jan 1995 - Jan 2000

5 years 1 month

Strullendorf, Germany

Production Manager

Dr. Renger (formerly Morton International, formerly Rohm and Haas)

Disciplinary and functional leadership of employees.
Responsibility for cost budgets.
Implementing Lean Management tools.
Developing and introducing recipe optimizations.

Jan 1994 - Jan 1995

1 year 1 month

Bremen, Germany

Paint Development Technician

Suding & Soeken GmbH & Co. KG

Creating formulations and production instructions.
Conducting test series for quality optimization.
Providing application-technical customer support.
Planning and delivering training for customers and staff.

Jan 1993 - Jan 1994

1 year 1 month

Pinneberg, Germany

Key Account Manager / Sales

Hempel GmbH

Acquiring new customers.
Maintaining and growing the customer base.
Providing technical customer advice.

Jan 1991 - Dec 1991

1 year

Hamburg, Germany

Paint Development Technician

Mankiewicz Gebr. & Co. GmbH & Co. KG

Producing paints at lab scale.
Developing formulations.
Testing materials.
Preparing documentation.

Jan 1990 - Jan 1993

3 years 1 month

Hamburg, Germany

State-certified Technician in Chemical Engineering

Jan 1988 - Jan 1993

5 years 1 month

Hamburg, Germany

Quality Engineer

Mankiewicz Gebr. & Co. GmbH & Co. KG

Developing and documenting processes according to DIN ISO 9002.
Preparing and participating in audits.
Handling customer complaints.
Training and advising on measuring and testing equipment.

Jan 1984 - Jan 1987

3 years 1 month

Hamburg, Germany

Training as Coatings Laboratory Technician

Summary

Securing the company's future through solution orientation Optimizing the value chain with a strong customer focus Developing strategies to build a sustainable corporate culture Strong stakeholder management Project management of varying complexity Manager, consultant, coach with a respectful leadership style Applying Lean Six Sigma methods for continuous improvement of company performance from the customer's perspective Aligning all employees culturally with strategic goals

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

Spanish

Elementary

Education

Oct 1998 - Jun 1999