Production Consulting & Interim Management
When your production grows, but the processes can't keep up.
I help growing manufacturing companies make the leap from job-shop production to industrial-scale operations – through the right combination of technology, processes, and people.
Years of production Experience
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Output Capacity Increased
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Plant Performance Improved
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Downtime reduced
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Who I work with
The growth is there.
The production can't keep up.
Your company is selling more than it can deliver. The factory floor keeps expanding, but the workflows don't improve. Hiring and layoffs alternate. Liquidity suffers – not because the product is weak, but because production is still stuck in job-shop logic.
I know this pattern. I have experienced and resolved it across companies of all sizes.
TYPICAL SITUATION
Your best people – the workers, foremen, and engineers – are stretched to the limit, without ever having worked in a lean factory.
Growing pains
More revenue means more chaos. Scaling would only scale the problems, not the efficiency.
Target clients
Small and mid-sized manufacturers, €5–50M revenue, 50–250 employees, past their initial growth phase.
No consultant hot air
No PowerPoint strategy without execution. I work on the shop floor – with the people who are already there.
On the Shopfloor
Presenting Results
In Dialogue
My Approach
Understand. Design. Execute. Improve.
I follow a structured process that starts with the people –
and ends with measurable results.
01
Listen & Understand
360° interviews with management, team leads, and employees. Analysis of the shop floor, processes, and ERP system. Only those who understand the root causes can fix them permanently.
02
Design the Concept
Current-state analysis, guiding principles, target concept – developed together with employees and managers, so that implementation actually sticks.
03
Execute & Operate
Point, then line, then area. Lighthouse projects as demonstrators, multi-projects with internal leads, capability-building for all involved.
04
Review & Improve
Continuous refinement. Train the trainer. Sustainable independence – so that my work eventually becomes unnecessary.
Working Together
From the first analysis to lasting improvement.
The entry point is deliberately low-risk. You make no large commitment – and after 4 weeks, you have a clear picture of your situation.
4 weeks – entry
Initial Analysis
On-site on the shop floor. 360° interviews. Analysis report at weeks 2 and 4. Concrete objectives and methodology proposals. At half the daily rate.
Months 2–3
First Collaboration
Implementation of concrete lighthouse projects. Taking operational lead of a demonstrator. Coaching and enabling all involved.
Months 4–12
Sustainable Results
Self-reliance takes hold. Train the trainer. Complex projects are launched. The organization becomes independent.
Entry offer
4-week analysis – at half the daily rate
You receive a full analysis report with concrete recommendations and a proposal for next steps. No engagement without shared understanding.
Everything has its place.
When organization, production, and leadership need to mesh again.
Services
Consulting & Interim Management
Consulting
Strategic advice, technical process solutions, and operational project leadership to improve quality, efficiency, and cost position.
- Assessment, analysis, and optimisation of production processes
- Guidance through growth or consolidation phases
- Transition from job-shop to industrial-scale production
- Troubleshooting for technical problems and quality deviations
- Management of investment and optimisation projects
Interim Management
Immediate relief for management. Bridging vacancies. Lasting improvement in time, cost, quality, and value creation.
- CEO / COO
- Technical Director
- Head of Production
- Plant Manager / Site Manager
- Independent external perspective with real execution strength
Selected Projects
Results that count.
Production Scale-up and Operational Excellence
Standardised production, assembly, and quality assurance to enable industrial-scale equipment manufacturing.
Downtime –50% · Output capacity ×4 with same floor space
Technical Stabilisation of Installed Base
Standardisation of engineering and change management. Cross-functional collaboration for sustainable plant performance.
Mean uptime ×2.5 within one year
Series Launch of a New Product Line
Full responsibility for the series launch with approx. 400 employees and a budget of €40M.
Targets met in quality, schedule, volume, and unit cost
Introduction of a Production System
Implementation with focus on zero-defect strategy, synchronous production, and continuous improvement.
5% productivity gain p.a. · €2.5M cost reduction p.a.
Restructuring of Modular Assembly
Comprehensive restructuring programme to adapt to declining volumes while reorganising the organisation.
€20M savings p.a. · >30% floor space reduction
Multi-site Production Concept
Development and implementation of a concept to improve utilisation, transparency, and sustainable cost reduction across multiple plants in Germany and Czech Republic.
Incl. simulation system for capacity planning
Dr.-Ing. Michael Merz
Production Expert · Consultant · Interim Manager
Mechanical engineer with a doctorate from TU Darmstadt and post-doctoral research at Cornell University. Over 25 years of operational responsibility in industry – from engineering and production management to CEO roles.
My drive: I bring people together, hand in hand, to analyse technology and processes and achieve scale, innovation, and performance improvement through systematic change.
Lean Production Systems
Operational Excellence
Production Scale-up
Restructuring
Change Management
Value Stream Mapping
Quality Management
SAP Implementation
Site Management HSE
Self-employed
Consultant & Interim Manager
Consulting · Interim Management · Production Advisory
PYREG GmbH
Managing Director / COO
Engineering, Production, Customer Projects
Junker Grinding Technology
COO, Junker Group
4 sites in Germany and Czech Republic
HOMAG Group
Managing Director / Plant & Production Manager
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Director Production · Production Manager · Project & Product Manager
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Development Engineer · Design Engineer
Cornell University, USA
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Topic: Machine Learning Systems
TU Darmstadt
Studies & Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering
Contact
Let's talk.
If you feel that your production is holding you back rather than driving you forward – that's the right moment for an initial conversation.
No sales pitch. No engagement without shared understanding.
info@merz-consult.de
+49 175 353 0956
Dr. Michael Merz
www.merz-consult.de