Olaf Hartwig

COO | Managing Partner | Senior Advisor | Build+Transform+Sustain Operating Systems | Digital Transformation | DeZeTo® | NEOM | 30 Years Global Leadership

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

About

Olaf delivers footprint, transfers, restructuring initiatives with an end-to-end value creation plan. He partners with industrial and manufacturing companies to build and implement end-to-end operating systems, navigating them to embed automation, robotics, Industry 4.0 and AI. Olaf delivers large-scale transformations, building capable organizations and profitable growth. He comes with 30 years of global COO and CEO experience building and leading plants across Europe, Asia, and South America. If you're preparing for senior consulting roles, industrial growth, restructuring or you aim for levelling-up maturity of your operations organization, he is your Player Coach

Experience

  • Managing Partner at DeZeTo® – Design and Engineer to Zero-Touch
    Apr 2026 - Present · 3 mos

    At DeZeTo®, we focus on end-to-end industrial transformation. We work in environments where complexity is inherent — engineering-driven organisations, customised products, legacy processes, and increasing pressure on performance. Our approach is to transform value streams across the entire business: from engineering and sales through operations to service. This means addressing not only processes, but also organisation, systems, and the way people work together. We do not stop at defining initiatives. We take responsibility for implementation — working side-by-side with teams until changes are effective and results are visible. Our focus is on measurable outcomes: Reduced complexity, shorter lead times, improved operational performance, and sustainable capability within the organisation. DeZeTo® stands for transformation that works in practice — and delivers a new quality of results.

  • Senior Operations Advisor at NEOM
    Aug 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 11 mos

    Advanced & Clean Manufacturing System. Field Work. Operator and Player Coach.

  • Senior Advisor at Ascalia
    Sep 2019 - Present · 6 yrs 10 mos

    MES AI at scale. More than 200 lines up and running

  • Managing Partner & Founder at JTF Join The Future
    Nov 2019 - Present · 6 yrs 8 mos

    Lean, Digitalization, Sustainability, Self-learning Maximize Industrial Transformation

  • COO Managing Director Operations at Robert Bürkle GmbH
    May 2020 - Jul 2022 · 2 yrs 3 mos

    • Leading Headquarters and Operations globally - 4 Production Plants in Germany, Hungary, China with full P&L responsibility • Purchasing/Supply Chain and Quality Management • Process Landscape and KPIs, Order Processing, ISO 9001 Certification • Greenfield Factory, incl. Layout, Personnel Planning, Ramp-up, Supplier Localization • Expansion of World Class Manufacturing, Lean Manufacturing, Digitalization, Change • Managing Corona Safety, Supply and Delivery • Team building and Following Continuous Improvement Agendas