Thomas Kuchler

Head of Operations Doka Schweiz AG - Member of the Management

Switzerland

About

Executive leader with 15+ years of experience managing complex, large-scale programs and operations in industrial and infrastructure-related environments. Strong background in procurement, with a proven ability to steer extensive project portfolios across all phases under high governance and reliability requirements. Recognized for leading large organizations through change, aligning technical, commercial, and stakeholder interests, and ensuring disciplined program execution in regulated, safety- and quality-critical environments.

Experience

  • Head of Operations & Sales Controlling - Member of the Management Board - Doka Schweiz AG at Doka
    Jun 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 2 mos

    End-to-end responsibility for Operations including Supply Chain, Material Logistics, Warehouse & Reconditioning, Commercial Order Management, and Field Service. - More than doubled the share of revenue-generating assets on construction sites within 24 months – without increasing the total inventory base, directly improving capital efficiency and rental revenue potential. - Executed a full lean warehouse transformation within one week, reducing average truck turnaround time by 43% and cutting mis-deliveries by 90% through AI-powered article counting and pallet scale integration. - Digitised end-to-end yard and logistics operations: introduced capacity planning and a customer appointment system, eliminating operational overload situations and ensuring reliable, fast customer service. - Built operational controlling from scratch, establishing monthly reporting across all functions and enabling data-driven management decisions at board level. - Restructured and rebuilt two core teams – establishing clear accountability and measurably improved performance. - Led operational setup for the Swiss market entry of AT-PAC (Umdasch Group acquisition): selected and procured opening inventory, developed warehousing and commercial processes, and trained teams across operations and order management.

  • Kongsberg Automotive ()
    • Vice President Global Project Purchasing
      Jun 2020 - Feb 2024 · 3 yrs 9 mos

      - In charge of the global project purchasing organization for all BUs of the company with overall 5300 employees, 33 production sites, 6 tech centers - Leading the team in a global matrix organization - Responsible for cost engineering for purchased components and tools - Responsible for purchasing controlling for direct and indirect spend - Digitalization of spend analysis and purchasing processes - Initiator of lean supplier workshops - Purchasing task force leader Covid outbreak 2020

    • Vice President Purchasing Business Segment
      Jan 2018 - Jun 2020 · 2 yrs 6 mos

      - In charge of the entire purchasing function of a business segment with 4.000 employees, 13 production sites - Responsible for project-, strategic and operating purchasing - Initiated hotel room negotiation events/ improved sourcing for new projects by closer integration into project organization/ operational improvement of the supply base and supplier relationships - Contributed to the turnaround of the segment with major material cost reduction for the key products

  • Knorr-Bremse (6 yrs 1 mo)
    • Global Purchasing Director
      Apr 2016 - Dec 2017 · 1 yr 9 mos

      - Consolidation of the Category teams Plastics and Rubber into one team - Responsible for category strategy, sourcing decisions, contracting, negotiations - Responsibility >25 factories in China, Japan, India, Europe, USA, Brazil

    • Purchasing General Manager Knorr-Bremse Japan (acting)
      Jun 2016 - Sep 2016 · 4 mos

      - Leading the strategic and operating purchasing team for direct and indirect material - Integration of the acquisition of Bosch Transmission Systems Japan into the Knorr-Bremse organization - Implementation of global sourcing process, reporting structures and purchasing tools (Cost Analysis, VA/VE, LPP)

    • Global Purchasing Manager
      Jan 2014 - Mar 2016 · 2 yrs 3 mos

      - Building up a global purchasing team for the sourcing of rubber components (50 mio EUR) - Transformation of a regional into a global purchasing organization - Responsibility >25 factories in China, Japan, India, Europe, USA, Brazil

  • Founder & CEO at bodyboom GmbH
    Jul 2009 - Dec 2015 · 6 yrs 6 mos

    - Development of business model and strategy - Responsible for sales, marketing and partnerships - Finance & Accounting - Achieving several 1000 paying customers, DVD sales via television commercial, videos generating millions of clicks on youtube

  • Senior Consultant Procurement & Supply Chain at Pleyma GmbH (today part of Ramboll Management Consulting)
    Jul 2007 - Jun 2009 · 2 yrs

    - Interim Corporate Process Executive for a global industry group - Implementation of a tracing system for components in the wind turbine industry - Implementation of compliance controls with a global industry group - Improvement and documentation of purchasing processes in various companies - Freelance consultant for Pleyma from 2009 to 2011