Jan Peter Arp

Independent Senior Advisor | Post-Merger Integration & Cross-Border Transformation | Former EVP / COO at Webasto, Johnson Controls, Faurecia | Industrial Operations | Multi-billion P&L Scope | Europe Americas Asia

Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

About

Senior operating executive turned independent advisor. Thirty years leading post-merger integrations, cross-border transformations, and turnarounds inside multi-billion-dollar industrial groups — Webasto, Johnson Controls, Faurecia, Acument, Peguform — across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. I have personally led major integrations. Among them: the three-way merger at Johnson Controls that took three corporate cultures into one $2.3bn European operating model; the “ONE Operations” group-wide transformation across 34 plants at Webasto; and most recently the integration of Schoeller Allibert into IPL Plastics at IPLS Group. Turnaround work in the same period — the Webasto Americas region delivered a $100M EBIT swing in 24 months, zero customer escalation through the transformation, leadership team rebuilt deliberately. Acument’s European operations restructured through the 2009 insolvency and positioned for exit under Platinum Equity ownership. What I take on now as an independent senior advisor: • Post-merger integration leadership — operating ownership of the integration program, or sitting beside a transformation partner as the in-the-business voice. • Interim COO or EVP Operations mandates during integration, turnaround, or carve-out. • Senior advisory to PE operating partners and boards on multi-entity integration and cross-border transformation. • Cross-cultural integration — native German, fluent English and French, operationally tested across the major industrial geographies. Advisory Board Member at CE Interim. Former Council Member, Automotive Production at VDA. Member of VDI. If you are carrying an integration that needs an operator who has done it before, at your scale, in your kind of complexity — let’s talk.

Experience

  • Vice President Operations Europe at IPL
    Oct 2025 - Present · 9 mos

    IPL is a world leading packaging provider partnering with customers to deliver sustainable solutions to the food, consumer, automotive, logistcs and environmental end-markets. With the merge of Schoeller Allibert, IPL has 26 locations in North America, UK and Europe (15), with combined revenue of approx US$1.4 billion in 2024 and over 4.000 employees. IPL is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

  • Senior Advisor at Self-employed
    Jul 2025 - Present · 1 yr

  • Member of the Board of Advisors at CE Interim | Cross-cultural Executive Interim Management
    Jun 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 1 mo

    Beirat / Member of Advisory Board, regular advise on market needs

  • VP Operations / COO Region Americas at Webasto Americas
    Jul 2023 - Jun 2025 · 2 yrs

    Webasto is one of the TOP 100 leading OEM suppliers, making Sunroofs, Convertible Roofs, heating systems for fuel and electrical vehicules and starting up in the new eMobility fields Charging and Vehicule Batteries. Worldwide more than 50 locations, thereof 39 production, 3,9 billion€ Sales and 16.000 employees. • Turnaround of Region high level EBIT swing in 2 years • Defined Footprint Strategy • Stabilized critical production plants in terms of Quality and Delivery Performance ( No customer escalation, 100% on time delivery)

  • EVP Executive Vice President Operations at Webasto Group
    Sep 2015 - Jun 2023 · 7 yrs 10 mos

    Global Leadership, Operational Excellence, Launch of new plants, Footprint optimization, Standardization • Installed a new group wide Production System as part of the transformation into ONE Operations • Improved Quality and operational Performance by 5% yoy through Logistic, Personal and Quality cost reduction • Integration of all Divisions into ONE Group Structure and Integration of the Korean JV • Launched greenfield plants in China, USA, Mexico, Korea and India • Integrated (PMI) SMT / Electronics Production unit (former Harman plant) • Defined Digital and automation Strategy for Operations incl. AI pilots • Build up Footprint Strategy and executed leading to 20% better capacity utilization