Stuttgart Region
International Executive and Advisor | Global Industrial Transformation | Automotive & Defense With over 25 years in the global automotive industry, I have navigated the complexities of industrializing new products and transforming production networks across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. My career has been defined by a passion for the "big picture"—from the intricate engineering of electric powertrain systems to the high-stakes execution of greenfield and brownfield projects. I don’t just build factories; I build organizations. Whether it’s restructuring business units or leading sustainable industrial transformations, I believe that success lies at the intersection of deep industry know-how and a commitment to international diversity. Today, I partner with companies to navigate change. As a consultant and advisor, I specialize in: Business Consulting: Realigning complex organizations for the future. Executive Search: Identifying the leaders who will drive the next era of mobility. Talent & Succession: Developing people and structures for sustainable success. I am a firm believer in the power of long-term partnerships. Let’s connect to discuss how we can bring people, leadership, and technical expertise together to create a lasting impact.
- Management of industrialization planning of electrically and classically driven passenger car axles and electric drive modules - Development of product and production concepts for all major production areas (assembly, welding, coating/corrosion protection, stamping, tool design & management and machining) - Development of cross-site production networks and supply concepts - Implementation of Brownfield planning concepts for new products and output optimizations including material flow and quality management concepts - Execution of supplier and ramp up management - Budget and leadership responsibility for two production sites - Member of Supervisory Board of Starkom d.o.o. in Maribor/Slovenia Selection of highlights: - Transformation to electric drive components: realization of the first assembly lines for electric drive modules at Mercedes-Benz - Realization of a flexible production concept that allows to build both, electrically and classically driven axles, on the same assembly line - Successful realization of a business unit reorganization
- Management of European industrialization projects for classically and electrically driven axles and electric drive components of Mercedes-Benz - Management of the production planning unit for global CKD operations of drive components (batteries, engines, axles and gearboxes) - Stakeholder Management of production related departments (production, manufacturing engineering, plant development, logistic and supply chain management, quality management, technical services, R&D, purchasing and finance & controlling) - Budget and leadership responsibility Selection of highlights: - Establishment of the production planning unit for global CKD production of batteries and realization of the first battery assembly lines at the CKD plant in Bangkok/Thailand - Development of the product and production concepts of axles for a new generation of passenger cars, developed for the first time mainly as electric vehicles but with the possibility to integrate a combustion engine to achieve high market demand flexibility
- Management of the manufacturing engineering department of the worlds largest production plant of Mercedes-Benz, in charge for three vehicle assembly shops, engine plant with machining, assembly and testing and the industrial engineering for all production shops (including stamping, body shop and paint shop) - Establishment of the department including organizational structure, staffing and training as well as implementation of major planning processes and related IT systems - Integration of new vehicle and engine types and optimization of output and efficiency of the production shops - Budget and leadership responsibility Selection of highlights: - Establishment of the department in a phase of strongest growth in market demand and production volume (increase by 350% in four years) - Optimization of output in the assembly shops by up to 50% via process improvements and production equipment enhancements - Realization of a concept for assembly of front and rear wheel drive vehicle architectures on the same production line - Implementation of first digital applications to achieve the paperless factory - Integration of the first hybrid electric vehicle in the assembly line and planning of the first assembly line for a full electric vehicle - Winning the benchmark competition “Factory of the year - Global excellence in operations” of the journal Produktion and the consulting A.T. Kearney in the category “Excellent large series production” in the year 2016
- Head of quality management of the international supply chain and global CKD production plants of Mercedes-Benz - Enhancement of the global production network of Mercedes-Benz concerning quality and supply chain management standards to be ready for strong increase in volume and model variants due to positive market development in China and Asia - Development of economic production concepts for CKD and small series production - Leadership responsibility Selection of highlights: - Implementation of a modern quality management system for global supply chain including KPIs, quality control loops and a new claim management process with related finance process integrated in the ERP-systems - Reduction of failure rate while increasing significantly the supply volume to large series production plants (China, USA, South Africa) and expansion of the vehicle range in CKD markets (India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt) to develop new customer segments - Connection of cooperation partner Renault-Nissan and Aston Martin to the supply network of Mercedes-Benz - Preparation of the global supply chain for the supply of high voltage components for future hybrid and full electric vehicles
- Organization of the plant management team - Preparation of speeches, presentations and correspondence for the plant manager - Organization of plant visits by high-ranking persons from politics, business and science - Support of negotiations with Group and Local Works Council Selection of highlights: - Negotiation with the Group Works Council on the realignment of the plant to new production & powertrain technologies in connection with the relocation of a vehicle series - Successful crisis management under the conditions of the financial and economic crisis 2008/2009 - Participation in the conception and management of an Executive Board program to increase profitability - JD Power Platinum Award win for the world's best passenger car plant in terms of delivery quality in 2008