Thomas Meyer-Dethlefs - Operational Excellence Manager

Q: Where is Thomas based?

Thomas is based in Wiefelstede, Germany and prefers 100% remote projects.

Q: What languages does Thomas speak?

Thomas speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), Spanish (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Thomas have?

Thomas has at least 38 years of experience. During this time, Thomas has worked in at least 18 different roles and for 15 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 2 years . Note that Thomas may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Thomas's latest experience?

Thomas's most recent position is Operational Excellence Manager at Consulting .

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

In recent years, Thomas has worked for Consulting , Interim , Self-employed , and Mutares SE Co KGaA .

Q: Which industries is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in industries like Manufacturing , Professional Services , and Metals and Mining . Thomas also has some experience in Chemical , Agriculture , and Automotive .

Q: Which business areas is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in business areas like Operations , Strategy , and Project Management . Thomas also has some experience in Production , Quality Assurance , and Sales .

Q: Which industries has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in industries like Professional Services , Banking and Finance , and Transportation .

Q: Which business areas has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in business areas like Operations , Strategy , and Quality Assurance .

Recommended expert

Wiefelstede, Germany

Experience

Jan 2023 - Dec 2024

2 years

Nordenham, Germany

Operational Excellence Manager

Consulting

Planning and implementing a management system in close coordination with the CEO as a member of the senior management core team.
Appointed Master Black Belt to train Lean Six Sigma Black Belts.

Jan 2022 - Dec 2022

1 year

Everswinkel, Germany

Technical Director

Interim

Aug 2021 - Dec 2021

5 months

Nordenham, Germany

Consultant

Interim

Apr 2021 - Present

5 years

Wiefelstede, Germany

Freelance Consultant

Self-employed

Built a freelance consulting practice focusing on holistic transformation for the better.
Taking vertical and horizontal views of my clients' businesses to identify urgent areas for focused elimination of weaknesses.

Jul 2020 - Jan 2021

7 months

Gummersbach, Germany

CTO

Mutares SE Co KGaA

Apr 2020 - Nov 2020

8 months

Vienna, Austria

Head of Logistics

Mutares SE Co KGaA

After the company takeover, filled the COO vacancy and coordinated various sites in Austria.
Special challenge due to COVID.

Sep 2019 - Mar 2021

1 year 7 months

Germany

Director

Mutares SE Co KGaA

Operational due diligence in mergers & acquisitions
Interim COO in logistics
Interim CTO in mechanical engineering

Jan 2019 - Aug 2019

8 months

Düsseldorf, Germany

Operational Excellence Leader

Kiepe Electric GmbH

Technical leadership of interdisciplinary teams
Agile project management
Member of the management team
Post-merger integration into Knorr-Bremse AG

Sep 2015 - Apr 2019

3 years 8 months

Munich, Germany

Director Cooperate Performance Improvement

Alvarez and Marsal Deutschland GmbH

Analysis of administrative and operational business processes in manufacturing companies to transparently show resource waste
Operational due diligence for private equity firms
Interim management and project leadership for global strategic projects (manufacturing footprint, plant debottlenecking)
Industries: metal industry, automotive suppliers, electronics

Jan 2015 - Sep 2015

9 months

Dornum, Germany

Management consultant

Meyer-Dethlefs Consulting

Advising companies to optimize business processes based on Lean and Six Sigma methods
Analyzing administrative and operational business processes in manufacturing companies to transparently show resource waste
Creating plans for measures to avoid waste
Organizing knowledge transfer and empowering employees to implement measures
Designing, implementing and auditing an individual, company-specific management system to continuously drive improvements

Jan 2011 - Jan 2015

4 years 1 month

Düsseldorf, Germany

Global Operational Excellence Manager

Voestalpine Böhler Welding Group

Develop and implement a global OpEx organization for 12 production plants
Build new global sales processes to improve efficiency in administrative workflows and market presence
Develop an international strategy for high-alloy solid wires

Jan 2011 - Jan 2014

3 years 1 month

Hamm, Germany

Operations Manager

Voestalpine Böhler Welding Germany

Lead 3 production units in Hamm and Freiburg, covering manufacturing areas for solid wire, powder and electrodes as well as special electrodes, and support functions such as maintenance and repair, laboratories, welding shop and engineering
Implement a stable leadership organization
Plan and control budgets of 45 million EUR per year
Achieve annual savings of 3% - 5% of the managed budget by introducing lean management, KPIs, Hoshin Kanri and regular meetings for goal tracking

Jan 2001 - Jan 2011

10 years 1 month

Chicago, United States

Management Consultant, Senior Consultant

Argo Inc.

Acquire and execute international consulting projects
Conduct potential analyses independently in administration, production and sales
Create presentations and simulations to train interdisciplinary teams
Participate in due diligence projects
Plan, conduct and present analyses of the entire value chain
Develop project plans for implementing lean management
Plan and conduct workshops and long-term projects to ensure sustainability

Jan 2000 - Jan 2001

1 year 1 month

Wendelstein, Germany

Plant Manager

Steifensand GmbH

Build and implement lean production
Plan and control production processes
Design and execute company presentations at trade fairs and events

Jan 1995 - Jan 2000

5 years 1 month

Strullendorf, Germany

Production Manager

Dr. Renger

Provide disciplinary leadership to 50 production employees
Provide technical leadership in production planning
Take responsibility for meeting cost budgets in production
Develop and implement lean management tools
Design and introduce recipe optimizations

Jan 1994 - Jan 1995

1 year 1 month

Bremen, Germany

Paint Development Technician

Suding & Soeken GmbH & Co. KG

Create formulations and production instructions
Plan and carry out test series for quality optimization
Provide technical application consulting to customers
Plan and conduct training sessions for customers and employees

Jan 1993 - Jan 1994

1 year 1 month

Pinneberg, Germany

Key Account Manager / Sales

Hempel GmbH

Acquire new customers
Maintain and expand the customer base
Provide technical customer consultations

Jan 1991 - Dec 1991

1 year

Hamburg, Germany

Paint Development Technician

Mankiewicz Gebr. & Co. GmbH & Co. KG

Produce paints at lab scale
Develop formulations
Test materials according to given specifications
Create documentation

Jan 1988 - Jan 1993

5 years 1 month

Hamburg, Germany

Quality Engineer

Mankiewicz Gebr. & Co. GmbH & Co. KG

Formulate workflows according to DIN ISO 9002
Prepare and participate in audits
Handle complaints
Advise customers and employees on the use of measuring and testing equipment
Onboard new employees and conduct training sessions

Industry Experience

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

Experienced in Manufacturing, Professional Services, Metals and Mining, Chemical, Agriculture, and Automotive.

Manufacturing

Professional Services

Metals and Mining

Chemical

Agriculture

Automotive

Business Area Experience

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

Experienced in Operations, Strategy, Project Management, Production, Quality Assurance, and Sales.

Operations

Strategy

Project Management

Production

Quality Assurance

Sales

Summary

Securing the company's future through a solution-oriented approach
Optimizing the value chain with a strong customer focus
Developing strategies to create a sustainable corporate culture
Strong stakeholder management
Project management across different levels of complexity
Manager, consultant, coach with an appreciative leadership style
Applying Lean Six Sigma methods to continuously improve company performance from the customer's perspective
Aligning all employees culturally with strategic goals

Skills

Industry Focus

Manufacturing Companies (Industry-independent)
Lighting
Food
Mechanical Engineering
Chemicals
Metal Production
Railways
Logistics

Areas Of Expertise

Implementing Optimization Potentials After Holistic Analysis
Strategic, Structural, And Performance-related Implementations
Knowledge Transfer Through Training And Coaching
Ensuring Long-term Success Through Cultural Change

Management Style / Way Of Working

People-oriented Thinking And Acting
Respect, Transparency, And Consistency As Personal Values
Objectivity Through Fact-based Team Synchronization

It Skills

Microsoft

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

Spanish

Elementary

Education

Jan 1998 - Jan 1999

Management Institute St. Gallen

Diploma in Business Administration (SGMI) · St. Gallen, Switzerland

Jan 1990 - Jan 1993

Technical School, Hamburg

State-certified Technician · Chemical Engineering · Hamburg, Germany

Jan 1984 - Jan 1987

Finalin GmbH, Hamburg - Subsidiary of the Mankiewicz Group

Training as a Coating Laboratory Technician · Coating Laboratory Technician · Hamburg, Germany

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 19

Experience in Manufacturing 18 y

Avg length 2 y 5 m

Longest experience 10 y

Global Experience

Countries worked in 3 (Germany, Austria, United States)

Primary country Germany

Expertise

Recent roles Operational Excellence Manager, Technical Director, Consultant

Main industries Manufacturing, Professional Services, Metals and Mining

Main business areas Operations, Strategy, Project Management

Profile

Created

March 2025

Last Update

March 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Thomas based?

Thomas is based in Wiefelstede, Germany and prefers 100% remote projects.

What languages does Thomas speak?

Thomas speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), Spanish (Elementary).

How many years of experience does Thomas have?

Thomas has at least 38 years of experience. During this time, Thomas has worked in at least 18 different roles and for 15 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years. Note that Thomas may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Thomas be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Thomas would be well-suited for roles such as: Operational Excellence Manager, Technical Director, Consultant.

What is Thomas's latest experience?

Thomas's most recent position is Operational Excellence Manager at Consulting.

What companies has Thomas worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Thomas has worked for Consulting, Interim, Self-employed, and Mutares SE Co KGaA.

Which industries is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in industries like Manufacturing, Professional Services, and Metals and Mining. Thomas also has some experience in Chemical, Agriculture, and Automotive.

Which business areas is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in business areas like Operations, Strategy, and Project Management. Thomas also has some experience in Production, Quality Assurance, and Sales.

Which industries has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in industries like Professional Services, Banking and Finance, and Transportation.

Which business areas has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in business areas like Operations, Strategy, and Quality Assurance.

What is Thomas's education?

Thomas attended Management Institute St. Gallen.

What is the availability of Thomas?

Thomas is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Thomas?

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