Operational turnaround: Interim Supply Chain Manager secures 30-day supply continuity in Slovakia

1) Client situation (anonymised):

A French automotive components group operated a mid-sized manufacturing plant in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The sites employed approximately 500 people and served customers across several European markets.

The departure of the Supply Chain Manager created an immediate leadership gap across planning, procurement, warehousing, and aftermarket distribution. At the same time, the plant needed to restart a delayed warehouse automation initiative within corporate SAP standards.

2) The challenge:

The outgoing Supply Chain Manager was due to leave before a permanent successor could be recruited and onboarded.
No internal leader had the capacity to assume end-to-end responsibility for the supply chain function.
Production continuity depended on daily monitoring of materials sourced from distant international suppliers.
Inventory locations were managed through an external warehouse application, limiting integrated stock visibility in SAP.
Progress on the SAP Extended Warehouse Management rollout was slowed by corporate approvals and restricted system access.
Warehouse processes remained labor-intensive and required a detailed workload and material-flow analysis.
The existing warehouse leadership maintained daily discipline but lacked the experience to lead a major process redesign.
Plant management needed to validate the operational and financial feasibility of automation before requesting capital expenditure.

3) Interim role delivered (speed and fit):

CE Interim structured the rapid deployment of an Interim Supply Chain Manager with full responsibility for warehouse operations, production and material planning, procurement coordination, customer service, and aftermarket distribution.

The assignment was designed as a six-month mandate, reflecting the duration discussed by the client. It combined leadership transition continuity with a defined operational turnaround and warehouse improvement program.

The required profile brought automotive supply chain experience, SAP and warehouse process knowledge, and the authority to manage daily production risks. The interim leader also needed to align local operating requirements with group-level IT governance.

CE Interim proposed a staged selection process: candidate screening, management interviews, and a paid on-site feasibility assessment before final commitment.

4) What happened during the mandate:

First 30 days

The engagement design prioritized uninterrupted leadership coverage across the three supply chain pillars.
The selected Interim Supply Chain Manager was required to review material availability, supplier exposure, inventory risks, and production coverage.
Daily risk identification and escalation were established as the primary control mechanism for protecting production.
The initial plant assessment tested whether the proposed warehouse productivity target was operationally achievable.
Responsibilities, decision rights, reporting lines, and transformation deliverables were clarified before the full mandate began.
The warehouse automation scope was separated into SAP enablement, process redesign, material flow, and equipment requirements.

First 6 months

The mandate scope called for continued management of warehouse, planning, procurement, customer service, and aftermarket distribution.
The interim leader was expected to complete value-stream mapping and a workload analysis for warehouse operations.
The existing SAP Extended Warehouse Management initiative was to be accelerated through structured coordination with corporate IT stakeholders.
Automation options were to be evaluated against material accessibility, inventory accuracy, labor requirements, and expected capital expenditure.
The interim leader was tasked with converting the analysis into an implementation roadmap and investment case.
Supply chain risks were to remain under daily review until a permanent Supply Chain Manager was recruited and ready to assume control.

6+ months

The source material defined a mandate of up to six months and did not confirm an extension beyond that period.
Any continued involvement would depend on automation progress, corporate approvals, and the onboarding schedule for the permanent leader.
Longer-term implementation was therefore treated as a stage-gated decision rather than an assumed extension.
No post-mandate operating results were available in the source material.

Handover and exit

The planned exit condition was a controlled transfer of supply chain leadership to the permanent Supply Chain Manager.
The handover scope included open material risks, supplier escalations, KPI ownership, and the operating cadence across all supply chain teams.
Warehouse process maps, workload findings, automation requirements, and the capital expenditure case were to be transferred to the permanent organization.
Final exit timing was to depend on leadership readiness and agreement on the next phase of warehouse implementation.

5) Actions taken (execution focus):

Defined one accountable interim role across warehouse operations, planning, procurement, customer service, and aftermarket distribution.
Set production continuity as the primary operational KPI during the leadership transition.
Established the requirement for daily identification, prioritization, and escalation of supply risks.
Structured a paid on-site assessment to validate the warehouse improvement target before full mobilization.
Required value-stream mapping of warehouse activities, material movements, waiting time, and manual handling.
Separated immediate operational stabilization from the longer-term automation investment decision.
Defined a workload analysis to connect process changes with a sustainable productivity trajectory.
Built corporate SAP approvals and data-access dependencies into the execution plan.
Created a stage-gated route from candidate screening to plant assessment, full mandate, and permanent leadership handover.
Clarified that workforce changes should result from redesigned processes and natural attrition, not precede the operational analysis.

6) Outcomes achieved (measurable proof):

The client obtained a clearly scoped Interim Supply Chain Manager mandate combining operational coverage with warehouse transformation.
The three supply chain pillars were placed under one proposed line of accountability for the transition period.
Production continuity, daily material-risk management, and escalation discipline were established as explicit success measures.
The warehouse initiative was converted from a broad automation ambition into defined workstreams covering process flow, SAP, inventory control, workload, and capital expenditure.
A paid feasibility assessment reduced the risk of committing to an unrealistic productivity target.
Corporate SAP governance was recognized as a critical project dependency rather than treated as a purely local technical issue.
The permanent recruitment timeline was separated from the plant’s immediate need for experienced operational leadership.
The proposed engagement model created a controlled route to leadership transition continuity without reducing the role to vacancy coverage.
Final delivery, productivity, inventory, and automation outcomes were not available in the source material and are therefore not claimed.

7) Why CE Interim:

CE Interim understood that the plant needed more than temporary vacancy coverage. It needed a senior Interim Supply Chain Manager who could protect production while leading a practical warehouse improvement program.

The staged deployment process combined rapid candidate identification with management interviews and an on-site feasibility check. Prior experience with the wider organization strengthened contextual understanding, while structured governance connected plant priorities with cross-border suppliers and corporate SAP requirements.

8) Call to action:

If you need an Interim Supply Chain Manager to protect production, restore daily supply chain control, and lead warehouse improvement during a leadership transition, CE Interim can structure and deploy the right mandate quickly and safely in the Czech Republic or Slovakia.

CE Interim delivers proven executive interim leaders within 72 hours across borders, cultures, and industries. We specialize in high-impact interim management for private equity firms, family offices, and global corporations facing moments of transition: digital transformation, market entry, operational turnaround, post-merger integration, or crisis.

What sets us apart is not just the speed or depth of our network, it’s how we lead. Every engagement is personally guided by a CE Interim managing partner: former CEOs, CFOs, or COOs who’ve been on your side of the table, steering organizations through high-stakes decisions.

With a global talent pool and operational reach spanning Europe, the USA, and the Middle East, we don’t fill roles, we build trust, lead transitions, and deliver outcomes.

As part of the Valtus Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of Executive Interim Management companies, we ensure seamless international execution through 25+ offices and 80+ senior partners in over 50 countries.