05: Performance Enhancement, Turnaround, and Business Development for the Business Unit of a Global Automotive Supplier
in the role of "Head of Business Unit for OEM Customers"
Business Unit of a Global Automotive Supplier
Global manufacturer of electronic and mechatronic products and systems for the automotive industry. Business Unit “Information Systems Passenger Cars” (IP) as a manufacturer of driver and vehicle information systems.
Global Head of Business Unit for OEM Customer
- Operational business responsibility with P&L for the worldwide customer business with mechatronic display systems/Human Machine Interface (HMI), such as instrument clusters, monitors/flat screens, Head-Up Displays (HUD), and ADAS (e.g., camera systems for Night Vision, HUD with Augmented Reality).
- Revenue from products and systems for cars, SUVs, and motorcycles, increasing from ~€85 million initially to ~€165 million.
- Reporting line to the CEO of the division, leading > 100 employees (~620 including operations with 5 plants, functionally managed via matrix).
Initial Situation & Tasks:
- Unsatisfactory earnings situation with +/- 0% EBIT had to be improved.
- Key projects for various vehicle platforms of the OEM customer with cost, deadline, and quality problems had to be stabilized; series production launches had to be secured.
- An extremely strained customer relationship had to be sustainably improved.
Activities / Measures:
- Leadership and Management of Sales/Business Development, Project Management, and Product Development with Electronics HW/SW (various µC, OS, and SW platforms), Design/Mechanical CAD Design for plastic injection molded parts, Assembly and Mounting Concepts, as well as Test Concepts for Verification and Validation.
- Functional leadership of Operations and Quality Management with 5 global production sites in Germany, Spain, Romania, Mexico, and Australia.
- Preparation of strategic business and budget planning incl. Implementation.
- Management of acquisition and negotiation for new products and replacement business.
- Structure and process optimization (development, project management, and sales), with a focus on software development, project management, requirements and change management, as well as product quality.
- R&D Offshoring to Romania and SW development with a partner in India.
- Strategic cooperations with Japanese display manufacturers with reduced prices for flat screens.
- Application of Six Sigma methods and tools (DMAIC, FTA, FMEA…) to stabilize project and product quality.
- Personal customer management at executive and operational levels to regain customer trust.
- Formal change process for customer-requested changes during product development agreed with OEM customer management.
Special Achievements/Results:
- Successful series launch of 9 new products incl. the Head-Up Display as a world first with color display.
- EBIT turnaround achieved with a 6% EBIT increase, from +/- 0% EBIT to +3% in 1.5 years and to +6% in 4 years.
- Revenue increase from ~€80 million in 2001 to ~€165 million.
- Significant improvement in delivery quality and reduction of NCC.
- Concept development “Night Vision in Head-Up Display” with a prototype system as a demonstrator in the customer vehicle.
- Customer satisfaction significantly increased through project stabilization, significantly improved product and project quality, and customer-specific innovative products (color HUD), concepts (Night Vision), and design studies.
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