Ricardo Vagine

Manufacturing & Operations Leader | Multi-Site Performance, Cost & Reliability | Former BD, Carlsberg, Nestlé

Greater Barcelona Metropolitan Area

About

I am a manufacturing and operations leader with 20+ years improving performance across multi-site industrial environments in FMCG, packaging, and medical devices. My focus is simple: help factories deliver more — reliably, safely, and at lower cost. Across roles with companies such as BD, Carlsberg, and Nestlé, I have worked directly with plant and regional leadership teams to stabilize operations, increase output, and sustain performance over time. Selected impact: • €50M cash release through working capital and production system stabilization across 8 sites • €17M cost savings through structured performance and loss elimination • +30% production vs. budget on critical lines while improving safety and reliability • 30% reduction in equipment breakdowns through maintenance and reliability transformation I combine hands-on operational leadership with system-level execution: – Driving shop floor performance (OEE, throughput, reliability) – Embedding management routines and execution discipline – Strengthening maintenance and asset reliability – Aligning teams from operators to plant leadership Led full packaging operations (≈120 people) with direct accountability for safety, delivery, and output, alongside multi-site performance transformation across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Focused on senior manufacturing and operations roles with responsibility for performance, reliability, and multi-site operations.

Experience

  • Interim Operations Leader at Independent / Family Business Support
    Mar 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 5 mos

    Planned career break with interim operational responsibility in a family business, managing planning, coordination, and delivery across multiple workstreams. Fully available now.

  • Director, Operational Excellence MDS | Europe & USA at BD
    Jan 2023 - Feb 2024 · 1 yr 2 mos

    - Designed and scaled an integrated production system across 8 manufacturing sites, improving OEE to 85% on priority lines, stabilizing throughput, and releasing €50M in cash through working-capital reduction. - Translated business priorities into site-level operating models in close partnership with Operations and Plant Directors, delivering €17M in verified savings through structured performance improvement and loss elimination. - Established maintenance and asset reliability governance, reducing equipment breakdowns by 30% and delivering €2M cost impact through standardized planning and execution. - Led Factory Blueprint organizational design, enabling 11% headcount reduction and delivering €7M in sustainable structural savings through clarified roles, spans, and execution ownership. - Built and led a regional network of operational excellence and maintenance leaders, reinforcing execution discipline through tiered management routines and regular performance reviews.

  • Carlsberg Group (Oslo, Norway)
    • Packaging & Operational Excellence Director
      Jan 2021 - Dec 2022 · 2 yrs

      Led full packaging operations (≈120 employees) with direct accountability for safety, delivery, quality, and output, alongside operational excellence across three manufacturing sites. Delivered +30% production vs. budget on priority lines by stabilizing operations and enforcing execution discipline; increased performance to ~75% OEE Improved safety, reliability, and cost performance, including €3M annual savings Eliminated ~90% of high-risk activities through structured safety and process improvements Supported vertical start-up and commissioning of new packaging assets in partnership with engineering and CQV

    • AM/PM Global Pillar Leader & Nordic Operational Excellence Manager
      Jan 2019 - Dec 2020 · 2 yrs

      • Led the Carlsberg Excellence Program across Nordic operations, delivering +9% OEE improvement on priority lines and €5M annual recurring savings through structured system deployment • Designed and owned global AM/PM standards, including operating guides, training curricula, and assessment frameworks for deployment across sites • Deployed policy deployment and performance management systems, embedding structured Gemba routines, safety walks, and standardized service windows • Led deployment of a Connected Worker digital solution, standardizing digital work processes and enabling faster failure-mode identification to support performance and reliability • Designed and deployed a structured operator capability program, progressing teams from entry-level to fully qualified, strengthening ownership, flexibility, and execution discipline

  • Nestlé (Hybrid)
    • Quality Pillar Leader | Zone EMENA
      Sep 2013 - Dec 2018 · 5 yrs 4 mos

      - Owned Quality Pillar deployment across 110 factories in the EMENA zone, defining standards, governance, and rollout strategy. - Delivered 23% reduction in foreign bodies and 42% defect reduction across 30 priority sites through structured deployment. - Designed and owned global quality reference frameworks, ensuring consistent implementation across manufacturing networks. - Led cross-regional benchmarking and best-practice forums, engaging Quality VPs, Factory Managers, and Quality Leaders.

    • TPM Market Manager | Malaysia & Singapore
      Apr 2010 - Aug 2013 · 3 yrs 5 mos

      - Led TPM deployment across 8 factories (22 plants), establishing governance, standards, and execution cadence. - Delivered 20% efficiency improvement on priority lines, enabling a five-year deferral of capital investment. - Drove leadership capability and behavior change, strengthening decision-making and execution discipline at plant level.

  • Tetra Pak (On-site)
    • Slitting & Packing Manager / Quality Pillar Leader
      Feb 2008 - Mar 2010 · 2 yrs 2 mos

      - Led slitting and packing operations, delivering +10% OEE, reducing lead time from 14 to 10 days, and lowering inventory coverage from 20 to 16 days. - Served as site Quality Pillar Leader, delivering €1.5M savings and reducing customer complaints by 26% through improved detection and waste reduction.

    • Earlier Roles | Brazil & Saudi Arabia
      Oct 2001 - Jan 2008 · 6 yrs 4 mos

      - Quality Pillar Leader - Printing Process Manager / Focus Improvement Leader - Quality Engineer