Volker Arth - Founder

Recommended expert

Uetze, Germany

Experience

Jan 2024 - Present

2 years 1 month

Founder

Aim / Arth-Interim-Management

Founded and leads interim management services under the brand Arth-Interim-Management
Developed business strategy and client acquisition processes
Established online presence and service offerings on arth-interim-management.de

Jun 2023 - Present

2 years 8 months

Fürth, Germany

Advisory Board Member

DMS Technology GmbH

Serve as a member of the advisory board
Provide strategic guidance and governance oversight
Advise on technology and business development initiatives

Jun 2023 - Dec 2023

7 months

Garbsen, Germany

Managing Director & COO

OMS Inventuren GmbH

Led operational management including operations, logistics, finance and IT
Developed and executed Business Scaling 2030 strategy
Reported to CEO overseeing 36 direct and over 800 indirect employees
Conducted over 80 customer projects annually (>6,000 inventories)
Implemented a forecasting and budgeting process
Optimized inventory software to support team and project leaders

Oct 2022 - May 2023

8 months

Garbsen, Germany

Chief Operating Officer

OMS Inventuren GmbH

Responsible for operations, logistics, finance and IT
Built and filled department head positions
Reoriented processes and organizational structures
Reported directly to CEO managing 36 direct and over 800 indirect employees
Established a Business Unit in Budapest, Hungary
Redesigned the logistics department
Provided support and coaching to business units achieving an efficiency increase of 18%
Established and staffed a Center of Excellence for continuous improvement

Jul 2019 - Jul 2022

3 years 1 month

Braunschweig, Germany

Managing Director

Epredia (formerly Thermo Fisher Scientific / Gerhard Menzel GmbH)

Split off from Thermo Fisher Scientific to establish independent company Epredia
Held full budget and P&L responsibility for €25 million at Braunschweig site
Adjusted product portfolio and planned site closure
Managed closure and successful production relocation to Shanghai under COVID-19 remote conditions
Negotiated social plan and agreements enabling smooth production start in Shanghai
Reported to Vice President Global Operations leading 89 direct and 11 indirect employees

Aug 2012 - Jun 2019

6 years 11 months

Braunschweig, Germany

Managing Director

Thermo Fisher Scientific / Gerhard Menzel GmbH

Managed full operational leadership with 100 employees and €25 million revenue
Built and staffed department leadership teams
Introduced lean concepts in production and supply chain achieving double-digit output increases
Relocated production lines from Braunschweig to China and simultaneously from USA to Braunschweig
Successfully concluded collective bargaining agreements with IGBCE and works council
Restructured middle management and introduced a new leadership approach
Implemented JD Edwards/Oracle ERP in 2013
Transformed production to lean processes between 2014–2016 yielding >15% production increase
Improved delivery accuracy by 35% to 96% and customer satisfaction by 60% to 95%
Coordinated production relocations in 2017–2018 and modernized production site to state-of-the-art standards

Feb 2011 - Jul 2012

1 year 6 months

Braunschweig, Germany

Financial Controller

Thermo Fisher Scientific / Gerhard Menzel GmbH

Led finance department including US-GAAP and HGB reporting
Served as liaison for auditors and tax authorities
Built controlling function and developed effective controlling methodology
Created site KPIs and established monthly communication events (Gemba)
Reported to Managing Director leading 4 staff members
Improved account structure for product-level contribution margin calculations
Reduced monthly close cycle by over 50% from 7 to 3 days

Apr 2007 - Jan 2011

3 years 10 months

Hanover, Germany

Financial Controller

Columbian Carbon Deutschland GmbH

Managed accounting and controlling functions under US-GAAP and HGB
Ensured liquidity and negotiated with banks
Led and developed a team of 3 controllers
Defined site KPIs and ensured SOX compliance and internal audits
Participated in Six Sigma trainings and applied improvements onsite
Supported European headquarters in strategic planning
Introduced communication routines improving employee motivation and internal information flow

Aug 2004 - Mar 2007

2 years 8 months

Hanover, Germany

Senior Financial Analyst

Columbian Chemicals Europe

Developed and rolled out a forecast process (SIOP, balance sheet and P&L) in MS Access across 7 locations (5 Europe, USA, South Korea)
Coordinated month-end close with site controllers under US-GAAP
Created KPIs and variance analyses for all sites
Managed SOX compliance and internal audits
Prepared cash flow forecasts for all operational units
Achieved significant improvements in forecasting processes and reduced month-end close effort by 40%

Apr 1999 - Jul 2004

5 years 4 months

Pritzwalk, Germany

Head of Controlling / Accounting

Concert Europe (now Glatfelter)

Built controlling function and effective controlling methodology
Managed controlling and reporting of KPI dashboards for the board of directors
Prepared IFRS and HGB financial statements
Introduced cost unit accounting for production units with optimization and margin analysis
Held project budget responsibility (€25 million) for the worldwide largest airlaid plant construction
Rationalized portfolio to increase profitability and production volumes
Implemented ERP IFS and built finance and production processes
Managed cash flow and treasury operations
Rolled out controlling methodology to the Ottawa, Canada site
Delivered project on budget and schedule and supported ERP-based order analysis

Oct 1997 - Mar 1999

1 year 6 months

Dortmund, Germany

Controller

Mannesmann D2 / Vodafone

Conducted sales controlling and branch accounting
Managed technical controlling: budgeting and forecasting for regional mobile sites (€15 million)
Supported Munich site as needed
Reported to Technical Site Manager
Optimized forecast planning and actual comparisons in SAP
Developed new KPIs and reports for team meetings

Summary

Executive-level manager with a cross-cultural background and many years of experience in production operations across different industries
Independent decision-making and strong self-motivation
Strong team integration skills, reliability and loyalty
Entrepreneurial strategist and team-oriented leader who meets challenges with analytical thinking, a proactive approach and a goal-focused mindset