Katharina Brandt

Partner · Munich

Factory network design and NPI gate discipline

Practice

Katharina spent nine years in automotive plant management before consulting. She works factory network questions — which plant makes what, and why — and the product introduction cycles that decide whether a launch lands.

Her published work includes a widely cited teardown of launch delays: where the weeks actually go, gate by gate, in forty NPI programs.

Focus areas

Led case studies

Equipment 2024

Kesselmann Werkzeugbau

Family-owned tooling and precision components group, 14 plants

+210 bps gross margin

Automotive 2024

Brendalen Special Vehicles

Niche vehicle manufacturer, three platforms, one new launch per year

Design freeze to stable rate: 41 to 19 weeks

Published insight

Automotive Engineering

Where the weeks actually go in a delayed launch

Benchmark 1 min read Feb 27, 2025

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