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Sebastian Küchler

PartnerMunique

Serves clients around the globe on R&D topics with a strong focus on transformation toward future technologies, efficiency improvement, project excellence, and organizational setup

Sebastian is a partner in McKinsey’s Munich office who specializes with our Operations Practice, where he leads McKinsey’s product-development and procurement sector. Sebastian works with leading automotive OEM companies to efficiently apply cutting-edge technologies and efficiency-improvement processes, as well as project excellence and organizational setup.

Examples of Sebastian’s recent work include the following:

  • leading a transformation program of the R&D function of a premium OEM, including the definition of a new organizational structure and governance model
  • organizing the transformation of the R&D department for an automotive OEM toward systems-engineering principles
  • reducing the product-development cycle for an automotive OEM
  • developing R&D performance program for a Tier-1 supplier
  • establishing R&D target cost in the early concept phase for a premium automotive OEM
  • launching a performance management program for the powertrain organization of an automotive OEM
  • spearheading the indirect cost-optimization program for the R&D department of an automotive OEM
  • formulating a commercial vehicle OEM’s transformation program, which included footprint optimization
  • creating the R&D capability review for an automotive OEM in China
  • designing and implementing a steering model for an engineering service provider at an automotive OEM by addressing savings over five years

PUBLISHED WORK

Smartphones on wheels: New rules for automotive-product development,” McKinsey & Company, October 2022

The present-focused, future-ready R&D organization,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020

A regional view of truck-industry profit pools,” McKinsey & Company, January 2019

Sales support: How to get it just right,” McKinsey & Company, May 2016

PAST EXPERIENCE

University of Stuttgart
Employee, Institute for System Dynamics

EDUCATION

University of Stuttgart
PhD, engineering
MS, cybernetics

Georgia Institute of Technology
MS, engineering, mechanics, natural sciences