Mathias Kessler

Mathias spent his whole career in operations, starting as an industrial mechanic and being repeatedly promoted to reach COO level. His ‘from the bench to the Boardroom’ experience is ideal for implementing complex organizational and cultural change with the engagement and enablement of the workforce rather than doing it to the workforce.

His corporate career included Automotive, Aerospace, Defense, Pumps / Valves and Thermal Solution Business as Manufacturing Manager, Managing Director and Director of Operations and finally Chief Operating Officer with multi-site responsibility in Germany, China, Hungary and the US.

He has operated the best-in-class Danaher Business System. He is a passionate user of the Kaizen methodology and has personally facilitated hundreds of Kaizen and other CI workshops.

He has worked for rapidly growing organizations, such as BorgWarner, Crane, Colfax (Danaher) and also managed significant downturns e.g.  workforce reduction by >30%. In all situations eliminating waste in all processes, both shop floor and transactional was key. He received an innovation award from BorgWarner for reducing setup time from 8 hours down to 5 minutes and a trophy for the best score card achievement within the organization 

OTHER SELECTED RESULTS:

  • Mapping and improvement of complex end-to-end Value Streams

    • 40% reduction of cash to cash – cycle time within one year.

    • Achieved by running 50 Kaizen events, 3 Projects and several “just do its”

  • Implement “Daily Management” by using a primary visual display of core KPIs within SQDC and establishing Rapid Improvement Teams (Site Level, Department Level, Cell Level)

    • improvement in safety - 24 incidents down to zero

    • OTD increased from 60% to 96%

    • 60% to 90% increase in direct labor productivity by establishing a value stream organization, material sequencing and waste elimination in addition to a consequent deviations management style

  • Execution of Site Relocation/Integration – Projects

    • complex breakthrough project management to ensure on time start of production including negotiations with workers council, communication strategies, material buffer built, equipment transfer, data migration, knowledge transfer.

  • Establishing Value Improvement System to improve profit line and raise product value:

    • >€2,5M improved profit line within one year. This was achieved by establishing a team that consequently adjust and redesigned components to enable data-driven ‘make or buy?’ decisions.

  • Improvement of internal logistics and materials management (Kanban, TMI, line side supermarkets etc.)

    • >30% increase in internal material availably and direct labor productivity 

  • Ensured functional alignment to common goals via Hoshin Kanri/Policy Deployment (Strategy to Action)

    • Execution of a methodology to transfer a strategy based on measurable numbers into real actions throughout the entire organization including a review process.

Anthony Collins