Thomas Eckenfels

Industrialization Architect | Driving Global Excellence from Concept to Serial Production

Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany

About

Self-motivated Mechanical Engineer with experience in development, quality and manufacturing within the automotive and rubber industries. Skilled in technical compliance, structured problem-solving and root cause analysis. Experienced in project management and recognized for a strategic, analytical mindset. Seeking challenging opportunities to apply a broad set of tools and skills developed through diverse professional experiences.

Experience

  • Project Manager Product Industrialization for Passenger Car Tires at Continental
    Mar 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 4 mos

    Project Manager – “Industrialization Excellence” • Led global transformation project to streamline and standardize product launch and industrialization processes across all world worde passenger tire production sites. • Identified inefficiencies and improvement opportunities through data analysis and stakeholder workshops, implementing quick wins and long-term solutions. • Developed and piloted a scalable process framework to improve product quality, reduce rework, and accelerate time-to-market. • Facilitated cross-functional collaboration between engineering, production, and quality teams to ensure alignment, process adherence, and sustainable implementation. Project Manager - "Digitalization of Tire Prototyping by RFID" • Led design and implementation project- of digital process for prototype product manufacturing using RFID technology across multiple production sites. • Enabled system integration and infrastructure upgrades to support end-to-end digital tracking and data flow for prototype builds. • Coordinated cross-site rollout of new equipment and processes, ensuring operational readiness and scalability. • Conducted system stress tests and resolved technical challenges to ensure process stability and performance. Plant Network Engineer responsibility for various passenger tire plants • Acted as key interface between R&D and manufacturing teams across multiple sites, ensuring alignment and smooth handover of prototype builds. • Managed capacity planning for experimental production processes. • Drove initiatives to improve production efficiency, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness through data-driven analysis and process optimization. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Facilitator

  • Schaeffler (6 yrs 7 mos)
    • Masterstudent
      Mar 2021 - Mar 2023 · 2 yrs 1 mo

      Mitglied des Master-Förderprogramms Seminararbeit: Planung und Durchführung von Versuchen zur Parametervalidierung des Imprägnierprozesses Träufeln innerhalb der Fertigung elektrischer Traktionsmaschinen Masterthesis: Analyse und Optimierung der Biegeprozesse Aufweiten und Verschränken bei der Produktion von Hairpin-Wicklungen am Beispiel von Statoren elektrischer Traktionsmaschinen

    • Two in One-Student
      Sep 2016 - Mar 2021 · 4 yrs 7 mos

      Ausbildung zum Industriemechaniker und Bachelorstudium Maschinenbau Bachelorthesis: Analyse und Definition der Qualitätsabsicherung in der Herstellung von Hairpin-Verschweißungen am Beispiel von Statoren elektrischer Traktionsmaschinen

    • Two in One-Studium, Auslandspraktikum Thailand
      Aug 2019 - Oct 2019 · 3 mos