Lieven Van Hyfte

Senior Engineering & Industrialisation Leader | Machinebuild • Automation • Commissioning • Operations | Hands‑on Project Delivery | Driving Reliable, Scalable Factory Performance

Ghent Metropolitan Area

About

Senior engineering & industrialisation leader with 15+ years of experience in machine building, automation and large scale production line implementations. Proven impact through the installation and start up of 12 full production lines (±53,000 m²) with stable performance from day one. Expert in mechanical design reviews (DRMs) with international suppliers (CBWEE, Comau, KUKA), with a strong focus on safety, accessibility and maintainability. Experienced in Supplier Acceptance Testing, performing full mechanical and functional verification before equipment is shipped to the factory. • Skilled in validating complex tooling: assessed 1,300+ tools and managed 5,000+ documentation items to ensure compliant and reliable delivery. • Combines deep technical knowledge with hands on commissioning, testing, fine tuning and on the floor problem solving. • Delivered sustainable results, including a +4.8% OEE improvement in 3 months through bottleneck analysis, flow optimisation and work station rebalancing. • Led 60+ operators and multiple technical teams, creating a high performance environment and structurally reducing escalations. Strong background in hygiene critical, precision demanding and safety sensitive environments, including paint shop and food related production settings. Works closely with both Production and Maintenance to deliver systems that are reliable, safe and easy to maintain — with clear, direct and no nonsense communication. If your organisation is looking for a senior engineering leader who can bridge design, production and maintenance — and deliver reliable, scalable and hands‑on industrial solutions — I welcome a conversation. Open to discussing senior automation, industrialisation, manufacturing leadership or engineering project roles with real impact.

Experience

  • Volvo Car Gent (20 yrs 7 mos)
    • Equipment Engineer
      May 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 3 mos

      EX30 model introduction: installation of 12 new production lines (53,000 m²) with full tooling and process integration. • Conducted detailed technical reviews of 1,300+ tools using CATIA and on‑site inspections, ensuring a flawless start‑up without major installation issues. • Structured a single‑source tracker for 5,000+ documentation items, enabling early detection of design deviations and significantly improving supplier quality.

    • plant strategy engineer
      Aug 2021 - Apr 2022 · 9 mos

      • Developed a future‑proof greenfield strategy for the floorline, using modular KPI scenario modelling. This became the decision‑making foundation for the current body‑shop layout and the EX30 implementation. • Optimized layout and flow concepts through process‑integration studies and international benchmarking, resulting in scalable investment forecasts and zero‑delay delivery of all strategic studies.

    • Production Supervisor A-shop
      Jul 2019 - Sep 2021 · 2 yrs 3 mos

      Leadership of ±60 operators + 4 team leaders; responsible for floorline teams Achievements Redefined daily multidisciplinary coordination and visual management, accelerating collaboration between operators and technicians and drastically reducing escalations. Strengthened ownership and team maturity through consistent floor presence and coaching, leading to a stable, proactive and high‑performing shift organisation.

  • Owner at EA&C Van Hyfte bv
    Oct 2010 - Present · 15 yrs 10 mos

    energy audits and certifying Blower door tester Infra red viewer

  • project engineer at Arcadis
    Jan 2006 - Jun 2012 · 6 yrs 6 mos

    I work as concultant at Volvo Cars Ghent. Projects on location.

  • preparation and setup engineer at Moore response marketing
    2003 - 2006 · 3 yrs