Wilhelm Kummer - Lean Expert for Change Management

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Available

Frechen, Germany

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Experience

Nov 2016 - Mar 2020

3 years 5 months

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Freelance Lean Expert

Science Management International Corporation B.V.

SMCI project manager for the implementation of a Lean production system at a food manufacturer in Germany and the Netherlands
Evaluation and analysis of the current situation in the four plants
Advising the steering committee, developing a Lean roadmap with recommended activities, reporting to the COO
Conception and implementation of a training program for 300 Lean experts and coaches in Germany and the Netherlands
Numerous improvements on the shop floor, noticeable increase in motivation and commitment of individual employees through intensive involvement in the on-site implementation of Lean
Shortening of set-up times and increased flexibility for smaller batch sizes through SMED workshops with cross-functional teams
Handover of the project to a Lean program manager
Start of Lean office in the laboratory, QM, product development, marketing, procurement, controlling, HR and IT

Nov 2014 - Present

11 years 10 months

Founder and Partner

Change-experts.com

Co-founder of Change-experts (CE) as a network of experienced experts for joint customer projects at SMEs
Organization of CE partner meetings, joint marketing activities, website, Dropbox, ZOOM meetings
Successful acquisition of new CE projects
CE project manager for the introduction of a process-oriented organization, improvement of business processes that are critical to success, development of a new product creation process, realignment of sales in a 110-year-old family company
Methodological skills training for over 350 executives, key players and project teams at various customers together with CE partners
Training of change management coaches and methods experts
Implementation of a training and coaching program at an engineering service provider for more professional cooperation with the actors on the customer side in the product development process together with CE partner

Jul 2002 - Present

24 years 2 months

Germany

Consultant

Wilhelm Kummer Consulting

Since 2002, my business idea has been to offer clients in industry and the service sector "help for self-help" in improving performance through their own managers and employees
Conception of Business Process Management, Operational Excellence, Lean Production, Continuous Improvement, Six Sigma programs in close coordination with the board of directors, CEO, COO, top-level management, program manager at my customer
Development of interactive method training with case studies, LEGO practice simulations, GEMBA, experience-oriented learning, process Monopoly, group work, team building events, feedback
Training of more than 5,000 people in state-of-art improvement methods, effective meetings, teamwork, change management, soft and leadership skills
Successful coaching of more than 250 teams in the effective and creative application of improvement methods and tools
Sustainable implementation of methods through the training of internal trainers, method experts and coaches for change
Open training for CIP experts, process manager and in-house Six Sigma Green Belt training at Integrata Cegos and Vorest AG
Successful implementation of business process management at a top 10 automotive supplier
Development and implementation of a production system in 13 plants in Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom at the leading doors, industrial doors and garage doors company
Development of new product development and industrialization processes together with internal expert teams at my customers
Successful reorganization of two factories and preservation of jobs at a railway technology manufacturer in close cooperation with the interim managing director
Cost savings of several million euros as well as improvements in quality in the technological limit area through implementation of tailor-made Six Sigma programs for automotive suppliers

Mar 1999 - Jun 2002

3 years 4 months

Senior Consultant & Trainer

SHS Business Consultants

Board project implementation of EFQM self-assessment in over 50 branches of a leading German logistic group
Board project Rapid Product Defect Elimination for an electronics manufacturer
Leadership training for middle management and junior managers at various DAX companies

Jan 1997 - Feb 1999

2 years 2 months

Excellence Master Trainer

Joh. Vaillant GmbH u. Co.

Implementation of 3- or 5-day training courses to convey the extensive methods of the Vaillant Excellence Process
Mentor for the application of the knowledge acquired in the training during the first implementation of the training participants
Implementation of excellence training for managers in the subsidiaries Austria, France, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, United Kingdom
Recruiting, training and development of next generation excellence trainers for Germany and the European subsidiaries together with SHS Business Consultants
Successful project management for the training of all industrial employees in the main Remscheid plant
Conception and implementation of benchmarking training

Jun 1995 - Dec 1996

1 year 7 months

Remscheid, Germany

Purchasing IT and Services

Joh. Vaillant GmbH u. Co.

Realized several million in savings through bundling requirements, standardizing hardware and software, optimizing the procurement process, setting up system suppliers, and negotiating framework and development contracts

Jan 1989 - Mar 1990

1 year 3 months

Military Service

German Air Force

Completed military service in the German Air Force in Budel, Netherlands, and Nörvenich, Germany

Jul 1988 - Dec 1988

6 months

Cologne, Germany

Commercial Clerk in Sales

MCM Klosterfrau GmbH

Commercial clerk in sales for key accounts

Industry Experience

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

Experienced in Manufacturing, Professional Services, Automotive, Food and Beverage, Transportation, and Aerospace and Defense.

Manufacturing

Professional Services

Automotive

Food and Beverage

Transportation

Aerospace and Defense

Business Area Experience

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

Experienced in Quality Assurance, Operations, Product Development, Project Management, Human Resources, and Production.

Quality Assurance

Operations

Product Development

Project Management

Human Resources

Production

Skills

Trainer-Level Powerpoint
Word
Excel
Mind Mapping
Minitab
Zoom
Miro

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

French

Elementary

Dutch

Elementary

Education

Mar 1990 - May 1995

University of Cologne

Diplom-Kaufmann (Dipl.-Kfm.) · Purchasing marketing, product marketing, retail marketing, transport economics · Cologne, Germany · 2.3

Diploma thesis on the role of procurement in simultaneous engineering and development partnerships in the automotive industry, using BMW, MAN and Fahrzeugelektrik Eisenach as examples.

Aug 1977 - Jun 1986

Georg-Büchner-Gymnasium

Abitur · Chemistry, history, mathematics, German · Cologne, Germany · 2.8

Advanced courses in chemistry and history

Certifications & licenses

NLP Master Practitioner In Business & Leadership

NLP University with Robert Dilts

Train-the-Trainer-Training

SHS Business Consultants

XEROX Quality Services USA, John Barr & Paul Sigafooss

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 8

Experience in Manufacturing 31 y

Avg length 5 y 11 m

Longest experience 24 y 1 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 2 (Germany, Netherlands)

Primary country Germany

Expertise

Recent roles Freelance Lean Expert, Founder and Partner, Consultant

Main industries Manufacturing, Professional Services, Automotive

Main business areas Quality Assurance, Operations, Product Development

Qualifications

Highest degree Master

Certifications earned 3

Profile

Created

October 2022

Last Update

August 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Have questions? Find more information here.

Wilhelm is based in Frechen, Germany.

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

Wilhelm has at least 33 years of experience. During this time, Wilhelm has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 7 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 4 years and 1 month. Note that Wilhelm may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Based on recent experience, Wilhelm would be well-suited for roles such as: Freelance Lean Expert, Founder and Partner, Consultant.

Wilhelm's most recent position is Freelance Lean Expert at Science Management International Corporation B.V..

In recent years, Wilhelm has worked for Change-experts.com and Wilhelm Kummer Consulting.

Wilhelm is most experienced in industries like Manufacturing, Professional Services, and Automotive. Wilhelm also has some experience in Food and Beverage, Transportation, and Aerospace and Defense.

Wilhelm is most experienced in business areas like Quality Assurance, Operations, and Product Development. Wilhelm also has some experience in Project Management, Human Resources, and Production.

Wilhelm has recently worked in industries like Professional Services, Automotive, and Manufacturing.

Wilhelm has recently worked in business areas like Operations, Product Development, and Quality Assurance.

Wilhelm holds a Master in Purchasing marketing, product marketing, retail marketing, transport economics from University of Cologne.

Wilhelm has 3 certificates. These include: NLP Master Practitioner In Business & Leadership, Train-the-Trainer-Training, and Vaillant Exzellenz Trainer (Six Sigma Master Black Belt).

Wilhelm is immediately available for suitable projects.

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Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.

Average rates for similar positions

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Daily rate avg. 857 €

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Median rate 880 €

The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.

Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.