Interim Management · Transformation · Lean

Value delivered faster – by leaders who have done it before.

LEAN-INTERIM helps CEOs, boards and owners deliver what matters to them with greater value at greater speed: as interim executive, transformation lead or coach for your teams.

Functional silos Value flowing to the customer
2004Interim mandates since
3Corporate academies founded
3Continents of client work
24/7Across all time zones
Engagement models

As much leadership as you need – no more

We scale our role with your situation: ramp up when strong leadership is required, step back as your own team takes over.

Light touch

Advisor & Coach

Your team leads, we bring expertise, methods and an outside view. Ideal for capability building and targeted improvement projects.

Shared lead

Sparring Partner

Honest, direct sparring at board and CEO level. Accountability is shared, so decisions get better and faster.

Strong lead

Interim Executive

We take over the role: interim CEO, board member or programme lead, fully accountable for results and handover.

Industry focus

Cross-industry experience

From the hangar to the clean room: lean principles work wherever value flows to a customer.

Aviation

Aviation

Turnaround, maintenance and customer processes in airlines and MRO.

Healthcare & Pharma

Healthcare & Pharma

Production efficiency, quality and compliance in regulated environments.

Consumer Goods & Retail

Consumer Goods & Retail

Fast-moving supply chains, packaging lines and retail operations.

Industrial Manufacturing

Industrial Manufacturing

Flow, OEE and cost in materials, equipment and machinery.

Technology & Electronics

Technology & Electronics

Precision manufacturing, product development and service operations.

Services & Administration

Services & Administration

Lean office, shared services, finance and administration.

Testimonials

What clients say

A few of our clients
Home / Services

Services

Interim leadership, transformation and capability building: separately or as one programme, from diagnosis to sustained results.

#1 Interim Management

Leadership on demand

Since 2004 we have enabled clients to lead change and business transformation. Either our clients contract LEAN-INTERIM to keep internal headcount low, or we accept a temporary employment contract when an assignment requires it: for example as partner in a Big 4 management consultancy, or as interim CEO or board member legally signing off multi-million deals.

Typical situations

  • Sudden vacancy in the C-suite or on the board
  • Turnaround, restructuring or a carve-out
  • Post-merger integration and new operating models
  • Critical programmes that need an experienced owner
Interim vs. permanent hire calculator →

Roles we have held

  • Interim CEO
    Full P&L and legal responsibility, including signing authority
  • Board Member
    Governance, strategy and transformation oversight
  • Partner, Big 4 Management Consulting
    Temporary employment for a defined mandate
  • Transformation / Programme Director
    End-to-end ownership of large change programmes
#2 Business Transformation Consulting & PM

From silos to flow

In the 1990s we were among the drivers of the New Economy boom. E-commerce changed customer expectations for good, and organisations had to transform from hierarchies into efficient process organisations. Today we are still breaking down silos in almost every mandate.

We lead digital and cultural transformations, including Lean Six Sigma, and build new operating models so that value, as products or services, flows to your customers better and faster than at your competitors.

Operations Diagnostic

Fact-based baseline of performance, losses and maturity. Where is the money?

Strategy Deployment

Hoshin Kanri / X-matrix: link strategy and daily operations within weeks.

Lean & Six Sigma

Shorter lead times, fewer defects, lower cost in production and service.

Operating Model

Process organisation, roles, KPIs and governance that make flow sustainable.

Cost Reduction

Structural savings without damaging capability or customer value.

Programme Management

PMO, roadmaps and weekly sprint reviews that move the KPI needle.

#3 Capability Building – Teaching – Coaching

It stays when we leave

We are passionate about learning and teaching. We make sure our methods, tools and a bit of our mindset remain with our clients. Outside LEAN-INTERIM we initiated the Pixelpark Academy in Germany (1999), the KPMG Academy in New Zealand and the Lean Interim Academy.

We have developed and run training programmes for mid-sized companies such as TR Group and Condair Group as well as for multi-billion enterprises like Air New Zealand and Johnson & Johnson.

Explore the Academy

Formats

Executive workshops (board / leadership team)½–2 days
Lean / Six Sigma belt programmes3–9 months
1:1 leadership coachingflexible
Build your internal academyproject
Home / Approach

How we work

A clear, repeatable path from problem to sustained result, run in short cycles with visible progress every week.

Diagnose

Go to the gemba. Baseline performance, losses and maturity with data, not opinions. Define the gap between today and what is possible.

Align

Translate ambition into a few breakthrough objectives and cascade them (Hoshin Kanri). Agree owners, KPIs and governance.

Deliver

Pilot, prove and roll out in sprints. Weekly reviews create clarity and accountability, and results become visible early.

Anchor

Standards, leader routines and trained people make results stick. We hand over and step back.

20+ years of experience

A broad, almost industry-agnostic background: aviation, healthcare, consumer goods, industrial manufacturing, technology and services.

Honest and direct

As experienced sparring partners at board and CEO level we tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear.

24/7 availability

Clients around the world and in all time zones. We are there when you need us.

Home / Lean Tools

Free Lean Tools & Calculators

Back-of-the-envelope calculators and practical lean tools for managers, engineers and controllers. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is stored or sent.

Inputs (per year)

Business case

Return on investment p.a.
Payback period
Net benefit p.a.
vs. hurdle rate
Throughput gain
Savings gain
Depreciation p.a.
Project cost p.a. (opex + depreciation)
Gain = units × margin + volume × saving/unit
Cost = opex + capex ÷ life
ROI = (gain − cost) ÷ cost × 100
Payback = capex ÷ (gain − opex)

Inputs (one shift or period)

Equipment effectiveness

OEE
Annual margin potential at target
Additional good units per year
Biggest loss
Availability
Performance
Quality
A = (planned − downtime) ÷ planned
P = ideal CT × total units ÷ run time
Q = good ÷ total
OEE = A × P × Q

Assumes the additional output can be sold. If not, the gap is capacity you can free up (fewer shifts, less overtime, deferred capex).

Inputs

Labour efficiency

Overall process efficiency today
Annual capacity value at target
FTE capacity freed
Labour cost today
Losses today (1 − OPE)
Cost of losses today
OPE = availability × performance × quality
Labour cost = FTE × salary × burden
Capacity freed = FTE × (1 − OPE ÷ target)

Freed capacity creates value only if it is redeployed, absorbs growth or replaces external spend. It is not automatically headcount reduction.

Inputs (per year)

Cost of poor quality

COPQ today
Savings at target defect rate
COPQ in % of total cost
Defective units per year
Scrap
Rework
Customer complaints
Defects = volume × defect rate
Scrap = defects × (1 − rework share) × unit cost
Rework = defects × rework share × unit cost × rework %
Complaints = defects × escape rate × cost/complaint

Demand & time

Process steps (cycle time in seconds)

Line balance

Takt time
Minimum operators (theoretical)
Bottleneck step
Balance efficiency
Total work content
Max. output per day at bottleneck
Demand coverage
Takt = available time ÷ demand
Min. operators = Σ cycle times ÷ takt (rounded up)
Balance efficiency = Σ CT ÷ (steps × max CT)

Inputs

Flow

Lead time today
Process cycle efficiency
Lead time at target WIP
Cash released at target WIP
Capital tied up in WIP today
Annual carrying cost saved
Lead time = WIP ÷ throughput (Little's Law)
PCE = value-adding time ÷ lead time

PCE below 10% is typical for non-lean processes; lean processes often reach 25% or more. The lever is almost always less waiting, not faster working.

Interim mandate

Permanent hire

Situation

Total cost over the period

Interim route
Permanent route
Difference
Weeks without effective leadership (perm.)
Interim fees
Interim: vacancy cost until start
Permanent: salary & employer costs in period
Permanent: search fee
Permanent: vacancy & ramp-up cost

Illustrative comparison. Ramp-up is valued at 50% of the weekly vacancy cost. Interim and permanent are often complementary: the interim manager stabilises and prepares the handover to the permanent hire.

Rate your organisation (1 = reactive, 5 = world class)

Your lean maturity profile

Average score (1–5)
Maturity level

Start here

A self-assessment for orientation. For a fact-based benchmark we run an on-site Operations Diagnostic with your team.

Problem statement

What, where, when, how big? Describe the deviation from the standard, not a solution.

Ask “why?” until you reach a cause you can act on

Countermeasure

Your 5-Why chain

Rules of thumb

  • Go and see: verify each answer at the gemba with facts.
  • Ask about the process, not the person.
  • Check the chain backwards: “… therefore …” must make sense.
  • Stop when the cause is within your control and fixing it prevents recurrence.

Waste walk: mark what you observe

Observation summary

0 / 8Waste types observed
–Area
Home / Lean Tools / Glossary

Lean Glossary

The most important terms of lean management and transformation, in one or two sentences.


Home / Academy

Lean Interim Academy

Practical programmes for leaders, managers and specialists. Learning on your real business problem, guided by an experienced coach.

Online & blended learning

The Lean Interim Academy online

Certified online and blended learning courses since 2004: with quizzes, premium templates and personal coaching by Dietmar Dold and hand-picked specialists.

4'325Learners
2004Online training since
Lean workshop
Most popular course

Operational Excellence – Level 1a – White Belt – Awareness

2 hours and your first certified step in your Lean Six Sigma and Operational Excellence training programme.

Online · certified · USD 230

Enrol now
For organisations

In-company programmes

Board & C-level

Executive Lean Leadership

Lean thinking, strategy deployment and leader standard work for leadership teams. Workshop format, optional gemba walks.

Duration: ½–2 days · Price: [on request]

Enquire →
Managers

Strategy Deployment (Hoshin Kanri)

From vision to X-matrix to weekly KPI reviews. Built on your strategy, rolled out within roughly three months.

Duration: [x weeks] · Price: [on request]

Enquire →
Specialists

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

DMAIC with a real improvement project: data analysis, root causes, solutions and control plan, with coaching.

Duration: 3–6 months · Price: [on request]

Enquire →
Teams

Problem Solving & A3

Structured problem solving on the shop floor and in the office: 5-Why, Ishikawa, A3 thinking.

Duration: [x days] · Price: [on request]

Enquire →
Organisations

Build your internal academy

We design and launch your own corporate lean / transformation academy: curriculum, trainers, certification.

Project · Price: [on request]

Enquire →
Individuals

1:1 Leadership Coaching

Confidential sparring for leaders in transformation, new roles or difficult situations.

Flexible · Price: [on request]

Enquire →
Track record

Academies we have initiated

Pixelpark Academy

Germany, 1999

KPMG Academy

New Zealand

Lean Interim Academy

Our own programme for clients

Home / References

References

From mid-sized companies to multi-billion enterprises in aviation, healthcare, consumer goods and industry.

2004Interim and transformation mandates since
6Industries
3Continents
4'325Learners in the Lean Interim Academy
Industry focus

Where we have made the difference

Aviation

Aviation

Turnaround, maintenance and customer processes in airlines and MRO.

Air New Zealand

Healthcare & Pharma

Healthcare & Pharma

Production efficiency, quality and compliance in regulated environments.

Johnson & Johnson · Janssen

Consumer Goods & Retail

Consumer Goods & Retail

Fast-moving supply chains, packaging lines and retail operations.

Migros · Mibelle Group

Industrial Manufacturing

Industrial Manufacturing

Flow, OEE and cost in materials, equipment and machinery.

Franke · Heraeus · Condair · Ferrum · Ingersoll Rand · Constellium

Technology & Electronics

Technology & Electronics

Precision manufacturing, product development and service operations.

Olympus · Ricoh

Services & Administration

Services & Administration

Lean office, shared services, finance and administration.

Clients

Working with us, you are in good company

Testimonials

What clients say

Case studies

Selected mandates

Placeholders: add figures you are allowed to publish.

Consumer goods

Strategy deployment at Mibelle Group

Hoshin Kanri rolled out within three months to tighten the link between strategy and operations. [Result / KPI]

Aviation

Kick-starting the lean transformation at Air New Zealand

Lean, kaizen and collaborative problem solving as the foundation for a continuous improvement culture. [Result / KPI]

Healthcare

Lean capability building at Johnson & Johnson

Engaging, practical lean coaching programme for leaders and teams. [Result / KPI]

Home / About

About LEAN-INTERIM

Our mission: helping visionary leaders deliver what is important to them with greater value at greater speed.

Dietmar Dold
Founder

Dietmar Dold

Interim manager, transformation leader and lean coach. Dietmar has held interim CEO and board mandates, worked as a partner in a Big 4 management consultancy, and has led transformation programmes on several continents, including in Switzerland, Germany and New Zealand.

Clients describe him as the kind of consultant who tells you what you need to know, not what you want to hear: always constructive and supportive.

  • 1990s – New Economy
    Driving force behind e-commerce and the transformation from hierarchy to process organisation
  • 1999 – Pixelpark Academy
    Initiated the corporate academy in Germany
  • Since 2004 – LEAN-INTERIM
    Interim management and business transformation for clients worldwide
  • KPMG Academy, New Zealand
    Initiated the academy as part of the consulting practice
  • Today
    Interim mandates, transformation programmes and the Lean Interim Academy
Home / Contact

Let's talk

Tell us briefly about your situation. You will get an answer within one working day: in English or German.

Direct contact

LEAN-INTERIM GmbH
[Street, No.]
[Postcode, Town], Switzerland

E-mail: [info@lean-interim.com]
Phone: [+41 …]

Book a 30-minute call

What happens next?

  1. Short call to understand your situation (30 min, free)
  2. Proposal: role, scope, timing, cost
  3. Start, typically within 1–3 weeks
Home / Imprint

Imprint

LEAN-INTERIM GmbH
[Street, No.]
[Postcode, Town], Switzerland

Managing director: [Name]
Commercial register: [Canton / CHE-number]
VAT no.: [CHE-xxx.xxx.xxx MWST]

E-mail: […] · Phone: […]

LEAN-INTERIM® is a registered trademark. [Check registration details]

Home / Privacy

Privacy policy

Home / Terms of use

Terms of use

Facing a leadership gap or a transformation?

Let's find out in 30 minutes whether and how we can help.

Book an initial call