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Dr. Kai-Oliver Zander

Partner

Germany

Kai-Oliver is an experienced transformation expert supporting clients on their journey to radical and sustainable performance improvements

Areas of Focus

Education

Texas Tech University, Lubbock (TX), USA
Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering
Jade University of Applied Sciences, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
M.Eng. in Engineering and Management

Past Experience

Lumics (JV between McKinsey and Lufthansa Technik)
Senior Consultant

Kai-Oliver is a Partner based in the Frankfurt office and a member of the global Performance Practice.

He advises clients’ on radical but sustainable transformation to highly productive organizations. His consulting work focusses on supply chain management and performance improvements along the entire value chain. He has supported numerous clients successfully in solving complex supply chain management issues by linking supply chain strategy to efficient operations. He has strong experience advising clients in the industrial and consumer goods, heavy asset, and transportation industries. 

Additionally, Kai-Oliver has advised several clients on substantially increasing heavy asset performance. For instance, He has advised on asset and maintenance management as well as direct cost optimization.

Kai-Oliver has developed and published several thought- pieces on topics such as performance enhancement or supply chain optimization and design, underlining his strong functional expertise in these areas.

He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University. In his private time, he is passionate about traveling, bike riding, and skiing in the mountains.

Optimizing fleet management to drive efficiency & sustainability
Energy, Utilities & Resources
Optimizing fleet management to drive efficiency & sustainability
Globally, companies rely on large fleets of cars, trucks, vans, and specialized vehicles to keep their operations and people moving. Both vehicle numbers and fleet management complexity are increasing, particularly as organizations plan to decarbonize and move to alternative powertrains, such as electric vehicles (EVs). Traditionally, optimizing fleet management has not been a business priority.
Find out more
Building a sustainable and highly productive supply chain
Building a sustainable & highly productive supply chain
Bernd Schreiber, Dr. Kai-Oliver Zander, Naoya Furuta
Supply chains are under unprecedented strain, impacting productivity and leading to shortages for consumers and manufacturers alike. At the same time, companies face growing pressure from society and regulators to become more sustainable, which opens up new opportunities with customers increasingly willing to pay a premium for more sustainable products. Meeting these conflicting objectives requires a comprehensive approach that future-proofs supply chains by delivering both greater sustainability and higher productivity.
Find out more
Achieving resilience and sustainability for the EV battery supply chain
Energy, Utilities & Resources
Achieving resilience and sustainability for the EV battery supply chain
Bernd Schreiber, Dr. Philipp Seidel, Alexander Krug, Rodrigo P. Navarro, Dr. Kai-Oliver Zander, Shinichi Akayama
However, battery supply chains remain complex, global, and fragile, with many still evolving from scratch. Their resilience is impacted by a growing number of factors, from rising raw material costs to geopolitical disruption. Average battery pack prices have risen in 2022, the first increase since 2013. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns, greater regulation, and governments’ desire to localize battery production add to pressure on already-stretched global supply chains. All of these factors lead to potential bottlenecks that affect production.
Find out more

Kai-Oliver is a Partner based in the Frankfurt office and a member of the global Performance Practice.

He advises clients’ on radical but sustainable transformation to highly productive organizations. His consulting work focusses on supply chain management and performance improvements along the entire value chain. He has supported numerous clients successfully in solving complex supply chain management issues by linking supply chain strategy to efficient operations. He has strong experience advising clients in the industrial and consumer goods, heavy asset, and transportation industries. 

Additionally, Kai-Oliver has advised several clients on substantially increasing heavy asset performance. For instance, He has advised on asset and maintenance management as well as direct cost optimization.

Kai-Oliver has developed and published several thought- pieces on topics such as performance enhancement or supply chain optimization and design, underlining his strong functional expertise in these areas.

He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University. In his private time, he is passionate about traveling, bike riding, and skiing in the mountains.

Optimizing fleet management to drive efficiency & sustainability
Energy, Utilities & Resources
Optimizing fleet management to drive efficiency & sustainability
Globally, companies rely on large fleets of cars, trucks, vans, and specialized vehicles to keep their operations and people moving. Both vehicle numbers and fleet management complexity are increasing, particularly as organizations plan to decarbonize and move to alternative powertrains, such as electric vehicles (EVs). Traditionally, optimizing fleet management has not been a business priority.
Find out more
Building a sustainable and highly productive supply chain
Building a sustainable & highly productive supply chain
Bernd Schreiber, Dr. Kai-Oliver Zander, Naoya Furuta
Supply chains are under unprecedented strain, impacting productivity and leading to shortages for consumers and manufacturers alike. At the same time, companies face growing pressure from society and regulators to become more sustainable, which opens up new opportunities with customers increasingly willing to pay a premium for more sustainable products. Meeting these conflicting objectives requires a comprehensive approach that future-proofs supply chains by delivering both greater sustainability and higher productivity.
Find out more
Achieving resilience and sustainability for the EV battery supply chain
Energy, Utilities & Resources
Achieving resilience and sustainability for the EV battery supply chain
Bernd Schreiber, Dr. Philipp Seidel, Alexander Krug, Rodrigo P. Navarro, Dr. Kai-Oliver Zander, Shinichi Akayama
However, battery supply chains remain complex, global, and fragile, with many still evolving from scratch. Their resilience is impacted by a growing number of factors, from rising raw material costs to geopolitical disruption. Average battery pack prices have risen in 2022, the first increase since 2013. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns, greater regulation, and governments’ desire to localize battery production add to pressure on already-stretched global supply chains. All of these factors lead to potential bottlenecks that affect production.
Find out more

More About Dr. Kai-Oliver
  • Texas Tech University, Lubbock (TX), USA
    Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering
  • Jade University of Applied Sciences, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
    M.Eng. in Engineering and Management
  • Lumics (JV between McKinsey and Lufthansa Technik)
    Senior Consultant