Interim Project Manager/ COO – Establishment of a production site in Eastern Europe
Introduction:
The company is an international company in the mechatronics industry. As part of the realignment and growth strategy, as well as the takeover by a Chinese, listed competitor, the need arose at short notice for the establishment of a cost-efficient production site in Eastern Europe. This requirement could not be met due to high workload and lack of own production management experience from the existing management, so it came to the appointment of an experienced interim manager with global production management background.
Why was the GOiNTERIM manager brought on board?
The start of the project was strategically very important, so a manager with the relevant experience was needed very quickly …. and immediately. A lack of time reserve and also experience around the topics of production management and site selection led to the need for external support with the appropriate know- how. GOiNTERIM was already known to the company as a qualified consultant with experience in international projects. In a very short time a perfectly fitting GOiNTERIM manager could be found and the project could be started.
What are the prerequisites for the GOiNTERIM Manager?
The interim manager had many years of international management experience in production in an industrial group. Furthermore, he had a lot of experience in the area of building units up to relocations. Last but not least, which was particularly important here, he had access to and experience with Eastern Europe and the cultures there. Especially for a production plant, this was essential.
Goals and objectives of the project:
The project was time-critical and pursued numerous goals for the company. First of all, a location proposal for a future European production site had to be developed; this was the analysis phase in a first step. Then followed the evaluation of different Eastern European countries/regions in order to make a selection and finally a decision, which was finally made on the basis of a recommendation to the management. Finally, they moved on to the details of implementation, searching and evaluating potential properties.
Since the decision could not be based on numbers alone, the creation of a scheme to evaluate non-quantifiable criteria was an important component.
What success did the use of GOiNTERIM Manager bring?
The operation was a complete success. The goals were achieved 100% and the construction of the site was thus completed on time.
Specifically, the following goals have been achieved:
- Building a decision support system for site selection
- Creation of concrete location options (Green & Brownfield)
- Clarification and preparation of local support and funding opportunities
- Familiarization and handover to an internal manager for the development of the site
What successes/results are worth highlighting?
- Very fast availability
- Assistance in clearly defining the goals and expectations for the new production site
- Very good integration of all internal stakeholders in the management process
- Structured preparation of all data and information as well as all decision-making bases
- Good synchronization with the company’s overall production strategy
- Rapid evaluation and preparation of site options, including local funding and support opportunities
- Transparent preparation of documents for coordination with the new Chinese owner
- Professional handover to the internal manager for the further development of the site
Customer summary of the cooperation with GOiNTERIM:
After all, GOiNTERIM was known to us and fully confirmed its good reputation as a consultant and partner at eye level. With a high level of competence, they provided optimum support for the selection process, onboarding and the start of the project – right through to monitoring. We are happy to recommend GOiNTERIM to others!