Thomas Knapp

Managing Director - MM Neuss site @ MM Board & Paper

About

With a profound expertise in overseeing large-scale operations and a commitment to excellence and leadership, I have shaped my career around leading roles in the paper production industry. As the Managing Director at MM Board & Paper, my focus lies in driving profitability and sustainability for our state-of-the-art production facilities. My mission aligns with MM Board & Paper's dedication to innovation and environmental stewardship, and I bring over a decade of experience in navigating complex projects, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and leading diverse teams to deliver exceptional results. In my current role, I have full P&L responsibility for a facility generating 300M in revenue, managing a dedicated team of 350 employees, and overseeing an impressive production capacity of 400T t/a. My strategic approach recently led to the successful turnaround of profit margins by addressing critical pain points and boosting efficiency across all departments. This feat was achieved while executing the permanent shutdown of an unprofitable segment, showcasing my ability to execute tough decisions that serve the long-term interests of the company and our stakeholders.

Country

City

Germany

Industry

Paper & Forest Products

Skill

Site Decommissioning, Auditor, Database Design, Software Project Management, Business Transformation, Intercultural Management, Business Process Improvement, Pulp, Organizational Development, Public Relations, Investment Planning, Shutdown Planning, General Management, Business Strategy, Organizational Effectiveness, Environmental Compliance, Health & Safety, Property Management, Culture Change, Water power

Experience

Managing Director - MM Neuss site

MM Board & Paper

2024-11 - Present · 1 yr 11 mos

Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Full P&L responsibility for most modern production plant in Europe for White Top Coated Recyled Liner (containerboard) and WLC with 300M revenue, 350 employees total and 400T t/a production

Chairman of Board / CEO - MM Kwidzyn site

MM Board & Paper

2023-9 - 2024-10 · 1 yr 2 mos

Kwidzyn, Voivod Pommern, Polen

Chairman of Management Board/CEO in the integrated plant for pulp and paper production Kwidzyn - Production of high-quality Kraft pulp, Folding Boxboard (FBB), Uncoated Finepaper (UFP) and Packaging Kraft Paper (PKP) - Biggest production facility of MM group (total 700T t/a paper & board and 480T t/a pulp on 400 ha plot) and one of the biggest in Europe - More than 2,000 employees total and 600M revenue - Additional Chairman of Supervisory Board of affiliated company Tor-Pal Major achievements: - Mill transformation: Short-term turnaround of profit situation 2023-24 by focusing on pain points and efficiency in all fields including permanent shutdown of unprofitable business area / paper machine - Re-setup and initializing powerful organization, Mill strategy 2028 and Culture change towards cost leadership and Great place to work - Implementing shut down of one non-profitable paper machine - Short-term improvement of delivery performance and focus on Customer Excellence - Define strategy of balancing out integrated pulp and energy network - Handover to new local CEO

Managing Director - MM Gernsbach site

MM Board & Paper

2021-4 - 2023-8 · 2 yrs 5 mos

Gernsbach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Full P&L responsibility for Europe's most efficient consumer board production plant with 250M revenue, 300 employees total and 300T t/a production as well as MD of two further affiliated companies Major achievements: - Successful turnaround and new positioning of mill on the market as quality and innovation benchmark (e.g. new historical records in production or sales) - Implementing employer branding while establishing resilient and lean organization - Modernization of mill in all fields with definition of long-term development plan

Managing Director - MM Hirschwang site

MM Board & Paper

2018-3 - 2021-3 · 3 yrs 1 mo

Reichenau, Lower Austria, Austria

Full P&L responsibility for site with 50M revenue, 150 employees and 85T t/a production of high-quality coated recycled cartonboard Major achievements: - Successful set-up of operational excellence in organization, quality and performance (e.g. Mill of the year, safety culture, new all-time records in many fields, product launches) - Production and converting facility with additional biological waste incineration plant, water power plants, water purification plant, landfill and various real estates (55 ha) - Management of proper site decommissioning within 6 months including legal / environmental acceptance, org. downsizing and structured asset sales

Mill Service Manager (SCM/CSM) - MM Frohnleiten site

MM Board & Paper

2012-6 - 2018-3 · 5 yrs 10 mos

Frohnleiten, Styria, Austria

Responsibilities in Europe's biggest recycling-cardboard production facility MMK Frohnleiten: - Team leader SCM and CSM - Mill sales processes and product management / innovation (250M revenue) - Capacity planning / pricing (500T t/a)

Assistent to MD for Controlling / Special projects - MM Frohnleiten site

MM Board & Paper

2008-11 - 2018-3 · 9 yrs 5 mos

Frohnleiten, Styria, Austria

Special projects / mill development in all fields: sourcing, production, logistics, HR, reporting/accounting, packaging, automation, investments, M-o-B, process optimization etc.