Leading a plant-wide cost and efficiency program covering manufacturing, logistics, maintenance, and indirect functions
Responsible for structuring, prioritizing, and coordinating cross-functional improvement initiatives
Conducting bottom-up performance and cost analyses to identify operational and structural cost levers
Validated €116M in savings potential aligned with divisional and corporate targets
Leading the rollout of efficiency initiatives to three additional manufacturing sites to leverage cross-plant synergies (since 11/2025)
Julian Zarges
Senior Operations & Manufacturing Leader
Driving performance in global production, strategic transformation, and lean execution
Julian Zarges
Senior Operations & Manufacturing Leader
Driving performance in global production, strategic transformation, and lean execution
About Me
Hello! I’m Julian Zarges
I am an operations leader with deep experience in automotive manufacturing, strategic transformation, and Lean-driven performance improvement. I help production organizations achieve measurable operational and financial impact.
- Age: 38
- Residence: Markgröningen, Germany
Highlights
Strategic Leadership
Experienced in shaping and driving strategic initiatives across manufacturing, logistics, and digitalization in close collaboration with executive leadership. Contributed to plant-level and divisional transformation topics by translating strategic targets into actionable, operational programs.
Automotive Production
Over 10 years of hands-on experience in automotive production, spanning industrialization, ramp-up, and high-volume serial manufacturing. Proven track record in scaling operations to millions of units while ensuring stable quality, delivery performance, and cost efficiency.
Manangement
Proven track record in leading cross-functional teams across the manufacturing lifecycle, from planning and NPI to full-scale serial production. Experienced in aligning people, processes, and priorities to stabilize operations and deliver measurable results in complex environments.
Digitalization
Strong background in applying digital solutions within manufacturing environments to improve transparency, decision-making, and operational performance. Delivered measurable efficiency gains through Industry 4.0, data-driven maintenance, and performance management initiatives.
Lean Manufacturing
Lean-driven mindset with a strong focus on continuous improvement, waste reduction, and operational stability. Applied Lean principles to reduce rework and inefficiencies while improving productivity, cost performance, and shopfloor execution.
Fun Facts
Always learning – from mastering digital agent tools to expanding my leadership perspective through an Executive MBA.
Endurance-driven: Ran 852 km and cycled over 3,500 km in 2024—because I love a good challenge!
Certified paraglider since 2016
Powered by 600+ cups of coffee a year—because every great idea needs a little caffeine!
Thrived in diverse environments, from leading teams in China to exploring 35 countries worldwide.
Global experience: 5 years living in New Zealand, Canada, and China
DIY enthusiast: Whether it’s optimizing a process at work or building furniture at home, I’m always creating.
Resume
Experience
05/2025 – Present
Project Lead – Plant Cost & Efficiency Program
Robert Bosch GmbH
09/2022 – 04/2025
Technical Assistant to the Executive Vice President – Manufacturing, Industrialization, and Digitalization
Robert Bosch GmbH
- Contributed to plant-level and divisional transformation initiatives across manufacturing, logistics, and quality
- Supported executive decision-making with operational analyses and structured recommendations
- Delivered measurable efficiency improvements through targeted digitization initiatives
2021 - 2022
Senior Manager
Robert Bosch GmbH
- Launched and scaled three independent value streams to 3.6M units/year
- Led cross-functional teams of 150+ employees in a high-volume manufacturing environment
- Implemented Lean management and Industry 4.0 solutions to benchmark operational performance
- Consistently exceeded KPIs for safety, quality, cost, and productivity
2019-2021
Team Lead NPI and Manufacturing Standardization
Robert Bosch GmbH
- Directed international teams in designing and implementing a highly automated assembly line for new braking systems.
- Created process-FMEA, control plans, and production process flows to meet market requirements and ensure operational excellence.
2015 - 2019
Project Lead
Robert Bosch GmbH
Manufacturing Planning Project Lead for New Breaking Systems
Education
2025-2026
Executive MBA (in progress)
Quantic School of Business & Technology
Executive-level education with a focus on global strategy, leadership, and digital business models
Graduation: December 2026
2014-2015
Master Thesis
Robert Bosch GmbH, Cooperate research department
Development of a method to automatic design a modular battery pack for a light electric vehicle(LEV)
2014 - 2015
Technical University Carolo Wilhelmina zu Brauschweig
Germany
Stanford University Private university in Stanford, California
2013 - 2014
University of Waterloo
Canada
Master studies in Mechanical Engineering
2008 - 2013
Technical University Carolo Wilhelmina zu Brauschweig
Germany
Bachelor Production and Systems Engineering
Skills
Digital Competencies
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Power BI (incl. DAX) – Advanced data visualization and analytics
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KNIME – Proficient in data analytics and automated workflows
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Process Modeling: BPMN with Camunda
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Data Science & Machine Learning: Practical experience with AI-driven solutions
Core Competencies
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Operations & Manufacturing Excellence
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Project & Program Leadership
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Cross-Functional Team Leadership
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Stakeholder & Interface Management
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Plant Cost & Efficiency Programs
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Lean Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement
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Value Stream Mapping & Process Optimization
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Kaizen Methods (Six Sigma, 8D, TPM)
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Industrialization & Ramp-Up Management
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Digital Strategy Development & Execution
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Data-Driven Decision Making & Process Automation
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FMEA & Control Plans
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Regulatory Compliance & Best Practices
Languages
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German
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English
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Chinese
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French
Quote
"Knowing the problem is more important than finding the solution, because the exact representation of the problem automatically leads to the correct solution."
Albert Einstein
Physicist
Works
Bonding
Student Activities
Get in Touch
- Address: Markgröningen, Germany
- Email: Julian@zarges.pro
- Phone: +491747511438