15+ years delivering breakthrough performance in chemical process manufacturing. Today I build AI-native operations as Head of Global Automation at Umicore.
Click through the five phases. For each one: how I work, the tools I use and a real case.
What I am building right now: a closed loop from shop-floor signal to insight to action, so Lean teams spend their time on improvement, not on collecting data.
Sensors, condition monitoring, alarms and events, operator inputs
Automated data pipelines via SQL into structured databases
Curated, reusable datasets, queryable directly for insights
PLC, HMI and SQL on one platform; AI-assisted engineering and testing
First ML module in the PLC runtime: real-time uptake controller
Your requirements next to my experience.
| You are looking for | I bring |
|---|---|
| 8+ years of OE experience, Bachelor's degree | ✓15+ years of OE, Lean and automation leadership · B.Eng. Automation · MBA in Digital Transformation & AI (70/90 ECTS, master's thesis phase) |
| Process-industry background (chemical, pharma, biotech) | ✓Chemical and materials process manufacturing at Umicore in a regulated, audit-driven environment (IATF 16949, ISO 9001/14001/45001/50001) |
| Step-change improvements with structured OE and Lean | ✓−35% scrap, −50% intermediate waste, +20% output · Six Sigma GB · LEAN Manager · OE (Chartwell) |
| Digital and data savvy, adoption of AI | ✓SEDB data pipeline, smart data products, Power BI global report owner, ML in the PLC runtime, GitHub Copilot rollout |
| Influence senior leadership and own accountability | ✓Head-level roles since 2018 · global standard across 12 plants · CAPEX business cases |
| Coach and upskill teams | ✓Led 20 engineers and technicians · coached AI-native ways of working · Professional Scrum Master I |
From automation engineer to OE leader to AI-native transformation, always close to the shop floor.