Stefan Schnabel - Founder and Senior Consultant

Q: Where is Stefan based?

Stefan is based in Schalksmühle, Germany and can operate in on-site , hybrid , and remote work models.

Q: What languages does Stefan speak?

Stefan speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Stefan have?

Stefan has at least 32 years of experience. During this time, Stefan has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 8 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 4 years and 6 months . Note that Stefan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Stefan's latest experience?

Stefan's most recent position is Founder and Senior Consultant at LPM-Consulting, the LeanManufactur .

Q: What companies has Stefan worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Stefan has worked for LPM-Consulting, the LeanManufactur and KATEK Düsseldorf (today Kontron AG) .

Q: Which industries is Stefan most experienced in?

Stefan is most experienced in industries like Manufacturing and Professional Services .

Q: Which business areas is Stefan most experienced in?

Stefan is most experienced in business areas like Operations , Production , and Project Management . Stefan also has some experience in Quality Assurance , Supply Chain Management , and Sustainability Management .

Q: Which industries has Stefan worked in recently?

Stefan has recently worked in industries like Professional Services and Manufacturing .

Q: Which business areas has Stefan worked in recently?

Stefan has recently worked in business areas like Operations , Quality Assurance , and Production .

Recommended expert

Schalksmühle, Germany

Check rate

Experience

Jun 2024 - Present

2 years 2 months

Founder and Senior Consultant

LPM-Consulting, the LeanManufactur

Consulting SMEs in Lean Management, Operational Excellence and internal auditing according to ISO 9001
Implementation of efficiency, effectiveness and quality improvement measures
Support with the implementation of sustainability strategies

Oct 2021 - May 2024

2 years 8 months

Head of Operations

KATEK Düsseldorf (today Kontron AG)

Direct reporting to the Managing Director in Düsseldorf and Leipzig and close coordination with the COO and CPO of KATEK SE
Deputy for the Managing Director in Düsseldorf
Interim quality management and technical work preparation leadership
Production and logistics optimization, integration of new technologies and shopfloor management
Budget responsibility for the entire operational area
Leadership of 4 department heads and about 110 employees
Support for internal audit measures according to IATF 16949:2016 section 8 at the Saedinenie/Bulgaria plant
Successful recertification according to ISO 9001:2015 at the expanded plant
Revenue increase of 30%, productivity increase of 15%, drastic reduction of production backlog

Apr 2020 - Sep 2021

1 year 6 months

Founder and Senior Consultant

LPM-Consulting, the LeanManufactur

Consulting self-employed professionals and company founders in Lean Management and Operational Excellence
Development of efficiency and effectiveness measures

Mar 2019 - Mar 2020

1 year 1 month

Technical Managing Director

WEMAS Holding GmbH

Reporting to the CEO
Quality management at all sites, P&L responsibility, management accounting and liquidity planning
Optimization and streamlining of the product portfolio according to BCG
Introduction of Microsoft Navision and KPI-based shopfloor management
Leadership of Landwehr Schilderfabrik GmbH and Gerding GmbH
Revenue increase of 8%, building up occupational safety

Jan 2017 - Feb 2019

2 years 2 months

Head of Production Final Assembly

Werner Turck GmbH & Co. KG

Reporting to the production manager
Ensuring on-time and quality-compliant production in high-mix low-volume manufacturing
Planning and controlling improvement measures along the value chain
Introduction and implementation of Lean production, KanBan and ConWIP in cooperation with ifp-Consulting
Key user SAP R/3 integration and master data setup
Productivity increase of 10%, revenue increase of 20%, OTD improvement to 83%

Aug 2014 - Dec 2016

2 years 5 months

Production Manager EMEA

MTS Sensors Technologie

Reporting to the local Managing Director and WW Operations Manager
Organization and control of operational processes in production, material planning, purchasing, shipping, and maintenance
P&L responsibility and coordination of international S&OP meetings
Introduction of Lean production, One-Piece-Flow, KanBan, and Heijunka globally
Increase in productivity by 20%, improvement of OTD to 93%

Feb 2013 - Jul 2014

1 year 6 months

Operational Site Leader ISC, ACS EMEA

bk-electronic GmbH

Site responsibility including purchasing, sales, production, warehouse, shipping, and facilities with a budget of €10 million
Integration into a matrix structure and reporting to EMEA leadership functions
Implementation of the Honeywell Operations System (HOS) and introduction of One-Piece-Flow
Closure of the site and relocation to Brno/CZ
Increase in sales by 20%, improvement of delivery performance to > 90%, bronze status in HOS

Jul 1995 - Dec 2012

17 years 6 months

Technical Production Engineering

Insta Elektro GmbH, Lüdenscheid

Independent planning and control in product launch management
Project lead for the product groups KNX, LED lighting, and EMS at subsidiary ELKA GmbH
Investment planning, cost controlling, and technology evaluation
Introduction of IPC-A-610 as instructor and barcode logistics
Introduction of RoHS and Lean production with Staufen AG
Increase in productivity by 5% through rollout of IPC A 610

Jan 1994 - Dec 1994

1 year

Sales Engineer

HA-EFF Kunststoffe GmbH

Acquisition of new projects in the area of ship interior fittings
Advising clients from quote preparation to implementation of the solutions
Independent project management

Industry Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.

Experienced in Manufacturing and Professional Services.

Manufacturing

Professional Services

Business Area Experience

See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.

Experienced in Operations, Production, Project Management, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain Management, and Sustainability Management.

Operations

Production

Project Management

Quality Assurance

Supply Chain Management

Sustainability Management

Summary

Goal-, process- and results-oriented manager with experience in change and an entrepreneurial mindset, along with strong professional and social skills. Many years of experience in project management, turnaround management, process management, and leading complex production units. Valued as a assertive, analytical and resilient leader with a strong can-do attitude and hands-on mentality. The way I work with employees is based on appreciation and respect, while entrepreneurial requirements and key figures are always taken into account. Staff development through targeted encouragement and challenge is one of my core principles.

Skills

Quality Management & Lean

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean Management, Continuous Improvement
Operational Excellence, Hoshin Kanri, Shopfloor Management
Production Optimization, Kpi, Agile Mindset With Okr, Scrum And Kanban
Quality Management (Iso 9001, Iatf 16949, Iso 50001, Iso 14001, Ral Quality Label, Tisax) And Compliance
Value Stream Design, Supply Chain Management, Capacity Planning

Management & Leadership

Change Management, Restructuring, Turnaround Management
Digital Transformation And Automation
International Experience In Matrix Organizations
Staff Development And Leadership Of National And International Teams
Budget Responsibility, Cost Controlling, Management Accounting, Liquidity Planning
Systemic Business Coach According To Dvnlp

Additional Projects

Third-Party Auditor In The Supply Chain At Suppliers For Electronics, Printed Circuit Boards And Assemblies, And Logistics
Participation In The "Prodlog-Design" Project In Cooperation With Fhg Ipa, Ifa (Institute For Factory Systems And Logistics At Leibniz University Hannover) And Various Participating Companies
Trainer As Part Of A Training Initiative Jointly Run By Companies From The MäRkisches Region, Sihk Zu Hagen And The Employment Agency, For Part-Time Training To Become An Smd Production Assistant

Other Relevant Project Experience

Restructuring And Turnarounds Of Production Sites
Process Optimization In High-Mix Low-Volume Environments
Introduction Of Lean And Six Sigma Methods In Multinational Companies
Development And Introduction Of New Production Layouts After Value Stream Optimization And Bottleneck Analysis
Automation And Robotics
Warehouse Logistics And Traceability Systems
Line Balancing Of Equipment And Implementation Of One-Piece-Flow Cells
Kpi-Based Shopfloor Management And Continuous Improvement In Companies
Staff Restructuring And Development Measures In Change Processes
Contact Person For Associations (Fed, Ipc, 3-D Mid Ev, Zvei, Vdl) And Research Institutes (Fhg Isit, Fhg Ipa, Fhg Zve, Fhg Ifam) And Project Partners (Zavt Lippstadt, Staufen Ag, Ifp-Consulting, Rick Harris Lean Systems Inc, Lmx Business Consulting Gmbh)

It And Equipment Knowledge

Key User Sap R/3, Microsoft Navision, Infor Baan
Ms Office, Visio, Ms Project, Mindmanager, Ms Sql, Bpm (Business Process Management) Software
Simatic It Mes Suite, Padspowerpcb, Siplacepro, Edm, Setupcenter, Itac Traceability
Viscomvivision, Dcm Catamaran
Siplace And Mydata Placement Machines, Vitronics, Seho And Smt Reflow Ovens, Asys, Ipte And Nutek Transport Units, Ersa, Vitronics And Seho Soldering Systems, Aoi Viscom And Koh-Young, Ekra And Dek Printers, Nordson Conformal Coating, Cleaning Systems From Kolb
Cam: Technomatix Unicam, Cam350, Diplan, Smt Officepro
Experience With Ai (Chatgpt, Perplexity And Notebooklm In A Corporate Context)

Other Skills

Scrum, Okr, Kanban

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

French

Elementary

Education

Hamburg University of Applied Sciences

Dipl.-Ing. (Nav. Arch.) FH · Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering · Hamburg, Germany

Gymnasium Hermann-Böse-Straße

Abitur · Bremen, Germany

Beaufort Primary School

Beaufort, United States

Certifications & licenses

Certified Quality Auditor ISO 9001:2015

TÜV Rheinland Akademie GmbH

Certified Quality Manager ISO 9001:2015

TÜV Rheinland Akademie GmbH

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 9

Experience in Manufacturing 28 y

Avg length 3 y 6 m

Longest experience 17 y 5 m

Expertise

Recent roles Founder and Senior Consultant, Head of Operations, Technical Managing Director

Main industries Manufacturing, Professional Services

Main business areas Operations, Production, Project Management

Qualifications

Highest degree Bachelor

Certifications earned 2

Profile

Created

April 2025

Last Update

July 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Have questions? Find more information here.

Stefan is based in Schalksmühle, Germany and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

Stefan speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Elementary).

Stefan has at least 32 years of experience. During this time, Stefan has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 8 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 4 years and 6 months. Note that Stefan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Based on recent experience, Stefan would be well-suited for roles such as: Founder and Senior Consultant, Head of Operations, Technical Managing Director.

Stefan's most recent position is Founder and Senior Consultant at LPM-Consulting, the LeanManufactur.

In recent years, Stefan has worked for LPM-Consulting, the LeanManufactur and KATEK Düsseldorf (today Kontron AG).

Stefan is most experienced in industries like Manufacturing and Professional Services.

Stefan is most experienced in business areas like Operations, Production, and Project Management. Stefan also has some experience in Quality Assurance, Supply Chain Management, and Sustainability Management.

Stefan has recently worked in industries like Professional Services and Manufacturing.

Stefan has recently worked in business areas like Operations, Quality Assurance, and Production.

Stefan holds a Bachelor in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.

Stefan has 2 certificates. These include: Certified Quality Auditor ISO 9001:2015 and Certified Quality Manager ISO 9001:2015.

Stefan is immediately available part-time for suitable projects.

Stefan's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.

To hire Stefan, click the Meet button on the profile to request a meeting and discuss your project needs.