Thomas Meyer-dethlefs

Operational Excellence Manager

Wiefelstede, Germany

Experience

Jan 2022 - Dec 2025
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.
  • Appointed Master Black Belt responsible for training Lean Six Sigma Black Belts.
Jan 2021 - Dec 2022
1 year
Everswinkel, Germany

Technical Management

Interim

  • Bridging a vacancy within the company.
  • Manufacturing and production, plant/production relocation, and process quality management.
Aug 2021 - Dec 2021
5 months
Nordenham, Germany

Consulting

Interim

  • Project controlling and integration management.
Apr 2021 - Present
4 years 4 months
Wiefelstede, Germany

Freelance Consultant

Self-employed

  • Establishing a freelance consulting business focusing on holistic transformation for the better.
  • A vertical and horizontal perspective on clients’ businesses enables identification of urgent leverage points for focused remediation of weaknesses.
Jul 2020 - Jan 2021
7 months
Gummersbach, Germany

CTO

Mutares SE Co KGaA

  • Responsibility for post-merger, carve-out, and joint venture activities.
  • Direct reporting to the CEO.
  • Revenue responsibility up to EUR 50 million.
  • Functional personnel responsibility for 10 to 50 employees.
Apr 2020 - Nov 2020
8 months
Vienna, Austria

Head of Logistics

Mutares SE Co KGaA

  • Bridging 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

  • Functional leadership of interdisciplinary teams.
  • Agile project management.
  • Member of the executive management.
  • 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

  • Analysis of administrative and operational business processes to transparently expose resource waste.
  • Operational due diligence for private equity firms.
  • Interim management and project leadership for global strategic projects (manufacturing footprint, plant debottlenecking).
  • Industries: metal industry, automotive suppliers, electronics.
Jan 2015 - Sep 2015
9 months
Dornum, Germany

Management Consultant

Meyer-Dethlefs Consulting

  • Consulting companies to optimize business processes based on Lean and Six Sigma methods.
  • Analysis and presentation of resource waste in manufacturing companies.
  • Planning and implementation of custom management systems for continuous improvement.
  • Organizing knowledge transfer and employee empowerment.
Jan 2010 - 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.
  • Developing an international strategy for high-alloy solid wires.
Jan 2010 - Dec 2015
4 years
Hamm, Germany

Operations Manager

Voestalpine Böhler Welding Germany

  • Managing three production units and multiple support areas.
  • Implementing a stable leadership organization.
  • 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

Management Consultant, Senior Consultant

Argo Inc.

  • Acquiring and executing international consulting projects.
  • Conducting potential analyses in administration, production, and sales.
  • Creating presentations and simulations.
  • Participating in due diligence projects.
  • Planning and conducting Lean Management workshops.
  • Ensuring the sustainability of long-term projects.
Jan 1999 - Jan 2001
1 year 1 month
Wendelstein, Germany

Plant Manager

Steifensand GmbH

  • Establishing and implementing Lean production.
  • Planning and managing production processes.
  • Delivering company presentations at trade fairs and events.
Jan 1998 - Jan 1999
1 year 1 month
St. Gallen, Switzerland

Diploma in Business Administration SGMI

Jan 1994 - Jan 2000
5 years 1 month
Strullendorf, Germany

Production Manager

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

  • Disciplinary and technical leadership of employees.
  • Responsibility for cost budgets.
  • Implementation of Lean Management tools.
  • Development and introduction of formulation optimizations.
Jan 1993 - Jan 1995
1 year 1 month
Bremen, Germany

Paint Development Specialist

Suding & Soeken GmbH & Co. KG

  • Creating formulations and manufacturing instructions.
  • Conducting test series for quality optimization.
  • Technical customer consulting.
  • Planning and conducting training for customers and employees.
Jan 1992 - Jan 1994
1 year 1 month
Pinneberg, Germany

Key Account Manager / Sales

Hempel GmbH

  • New customer acquisition.
  • Maintaining and expanding the customer base.
  • Technical customer consulting.
Jan 1991 - Dec 1992
1 year
Hamburg, Germany

Paint Development Specialist

Mankiewicz Gebr. & Co. GmbH & Co. KG

  • Producing paints at lab scale.
  • Developing formulations.
  • Inspecting materials.
  • Preparing documentation.
Jan 1990 - Jan 1993
3 years 1 month
Hamburg, Germany

State-Certified Technician in Chemical Engineering

Jan 1987 - Jan 1993
5 years 1 month
Hamburg, Germany

Quality Engineer

Mankiewicz Gebr. & Co. GmbH & Co. KG

  • Developing and formulating processes according to DIN ISO 9002.
  • Preparing for and participating in audits.
  • Handling complaints.
  • Training and advising on measuring and testing equipment.
Jan 1983 - Jan 1987
3 years 1 month
Hamburg, Germany

Training as Paint Laboratory Technician

Summary

Securing the company's future through solution-orientation

Optimizing the value chain with a strong customer focus

Developing strategies to create a sustainable corporate culture

Strong stakeholder management

Project management of varying complexity

Manager, consultant, coach with an appreciative leadership culture

Application of Lean Six Sigma methods for continuous improvement of corporate performance from the customer's perspective

Culturally aligning all employees with the strategic objectives

Languages

German
Native
English
Advanced
Spanish
Elementary

Education

Oct 1998 - Jun 1999

Management Institut St. Gallen

Diploma, Business Economist · St. Gallen, Switzerland

Oct 1990 - Jun 1993

Fachschule Für Technik

State-certified Technician · Chemical Engineering · Hamburg, Germany

Oct 1984 - Jun 1987

Finalin GmbH, Tochterunternehmen der Mankiewicz Gruppe

Paint Laboratory Technician · Hamburg, Germany