Временные операционные директора: Обеспечение операционного совершенства в производстве

Operational excellence in manufacturing isn’t a slogan. It’s what separates thriving plants from those drowning in defects, delays, and downtime.

For companies facing urgent performance issues, plant instability, or stalled improvement programs, interim COOs are becoming the fastest route to real, measurable change. These execution-grade leaders don’t offer advice – they lead turnarounds from the factory floor up.

This article breaks down how interim COOs help manufacturing firms achieve operational excellence: what they do, when they’re needed, and why their impact lasts.

What Is Operational Excellence in Manufacturing?

Operational excellence means achieving peak performance across your manufacturing value chain – from raw materials to finished goods. In practice, it’s about:

Maximizing Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
Reducing scrap, rework, and downtime
Improving throughput and on-time delivery
Embedding continuous improvement into daily operations

Frameworks like Lean and Шесть сигм help, but too often these remain theoretical. What companies need is operational discipline at every level – and leadership that can translate plans into action. That’s where the COO comes in.

What Does a COO Actually Do in Manufacturing?

In manufacturing firms, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) oversees all plant operations – production, maintenance, supply chain, quality, and logistics. Their mandate is simple: make sure operations deliver on the business strategy.

But what if your COO just left? Or if your business is growing faster than your systems? Or worse – if your KPIs are tanking and teams are losing grip?

That’s when interim COOs step in.

When to Bring in an Interim COO

You don’t need a permanent hire to fix a crisis. You need a solution now. Interim COOs are experienced operations executives deployed on short notice – often within 72 hours – to solve performance problems fast.

Here’s when companies call them in:

i) Leadership Gaps

When a COO exits suddenly, an interim ensures continuity – stabilizing operations, resetting daily rhythms, and preventing backsliding while the search for a permanent leader continues.

ii) Operational Crisis

If KPIs are plummeting – missed delivery targets, rising scrap, OEE under 50% – waiting for long hiring cycles is risky. Interim COOs stop the bleeding.

iii) Scaling or Expansion

When new plants, product lines, or geographies are added, an interim can help ensure scalability, standardize processes, and accelerate ramp-up.

iv) Post-Acquisition Pressure

Private equity owners often deploy interim COOs into portfolio companies to drive rapid operational improvement and prepare for exit.

v) Failed Lean Programs

If “Lean” has been reduced to posters and PowerPoints, an interim COO can reboot the culture with daily execution, on-floor routines, and clear KPIs.

How Interim COOs Drive Operational Excellence

Interim COOs are not theorists – they are operators. Here’s how they make impact:

1. Rapid Assessment and Root Cause Diagnosis

An interim COO begins with a fast, forensic review of operations – no weeks-long discovery phases. Within days, they identify where performance is leaking:

Line imbalances
Labor inefficiencies
SKU complexity
Supply bottlenecks

They bring outside perspective and pattern recognition from past mandates – often spotting what internal leaders miss.

2. KPI Discipline and Real-Time Dashboards

They re-establish daily focus on measurable outcomes. If your plant isn’t managing OEE, throughput, and scrap rate in real time – your teams are flying blind.

Expect:

KPI dashboards on every department wall
Daily stand-ups with production leads
Rolling forecasts with accountability

One CE Interim project saw a 12-point OEE boost and 90% drop in premium freight within weeks – simply by resetting performance focus .

3. Process Optimization with Lean Tools

Interim COOs don’t just teach Lean – they embed it into shift routines.

Using tools like 5S, SMED, TPM, and value stream mapping, they:

Eliminate non-value activities
Shorten changeovers
Balance production flow
Improve equipment uptime

And they do it hands-on, side-by-side with line leaders – not from a whiteboard.

4. Targeted Cost Reduction

They go after visible and hidden waste:

SKU rationalization (cutting low-margin products)
Overtime reduction
Inventory trim
Vendor renegotiation

In one family-owned firm, an interim COO reduced cost of goods by 50% in 6 months by simplifying strategy and empowering departments .

5. Team Uplift and Accountability Culture

Quick wins matter – but so does legacy.

Interim COOs develop future leaders, restore pride on the floor, and shift the culture from firefighting to ownership. They coach plant managers, team leaders, and high-potential staff to sustain performance post-departure.

Why Interim COOs Outperform Alternatives

Companies often hesitate between hiring full-time, calling consultants, or promoting internally. Interim COOs offer a unique advantage:

i) Speed – Deployed in days, not months.

ii) Expertise – They’ve seen dozens of turnarounds. No ramp-up needed.

iii) Execution – Unlike consultants, they lead implementation. They run shift meetings. They make the decisions.

iv) Objectivity – As outsiders, they challenge assumptions and break silos without fear of politics.

v) Cost-Effective – Interim engagements are finite, with clear ROI. There’s no overhead, no severance, no long-term risk.

vi) Sustainability – Interims ensure knowledge transfer and leave behind improved systems and stronger people.

Real-World Results

Case Example 1 – Automotive Supplier in Slovakia

A Tier 1 automotive plant was missing every key metric: OEE below 50%, daily rework rates over 8%, and customer complaints rising monthly. The CEO brought in an interim COO through a trusted operations partner.

Within just 10 weeks, the interim leader:

i) Raised OEE from 48% to 65% through better production planning, SMED rollouts, and live floor coaching.

ii) Cut scrap by 50% by locking down process discipline and retraining line leaders on containment.

iii) Slashed premium freight costs by 70% by restoring frozen horizons and coordinating with procurement.

By month four, the company had regained preferred supplier status with its largest OEM. And for the first time in 18 months, the operations team hit all SQCDM metrics in a single week.

Case Example 2 – Family-Owned Packaging Plant in Germany

Margins were evaporating, and the founder was frustrated. The family had always promoted from within, but delivery performance had dropped, teams lacked ownership, and no one knew the numbers. A CE Interim COO stepped in.

In the first 60 days:

i) On-time delivery climbed from 78% to 96% after introducing a real planning cadence and floor-level KPI reviews.

ii) Inventory was reduced by 22% without triggering a single stockout.

iii) A lean daily management system was installed, giving supervisors structure and visibility for the first time.

Interim Leadership Support When It Matters Most

Operational excellence in manufacturing depends on real-time decisions, measurable KPIs, and frontline discipline.

Companies that can’t afford a slow recovery turn to interim COOs to lead the charge – not in theory, but on-site, in steel-toed boots, shoulder-to-shoulder with the team.

Такие фирмы, как CE Interim specialize in deploying these leaders globally within 72 hours. Whether it’s an underperforming site or a post-M&A integration challenge, their interims restore rhythm, drive results, and leave behind stronger teams .