Holger K.
European Benchmarking And Quality Standards Expert
Professional Value
Holger , a European benchmarking and quality standards expert, helps public sector agencies and mid‑size manufacturers achieve business excellence through rigorous EFQM‑based benchmarking and process re‑engineering. He has led large‑scale benchmarking projects in over ten European and Asian countries, enabling clients to secure EFQM certification and realise measurable efficiency gains. Primarily across Europe and Asia.
Executive Profile
Dr. Holger is a senior researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (IPK), Berlin/Germany, and Head of the Department Business Excellence Methods as well as of the Information Centre Benchmarking (ICB).
He studied Business Engineering at the Technical University of Berlin and at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and finished his studies with the degree of a Dipl.-Ing. In winter 1998, Dr. Holger joined the Division of Corporate Management at Fraunhofer IPK as a Senior Researcher.
Since then, he has initiated and conducted several national and international Benchmarking and Business Process Reengineering Projects and was responsible for their realisation. Besides projects all over Europe, Dr. Holger managed large-scale projects in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc.
His primary research interests are in the area of Benchmarking, Total Quality Management, and EFQM, in both the public and private sector as well as in the industry and service sector.
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft undertakes applied research of direct utility to private and public enterprise and of wide benefit to society. Its services are solicited by customers and contractual partners in industry, the service sector, and public administration. The organisation also accepts commissions and funding from German federal and state ministries and government departments to participate in future-oriented research projects with the aim of finding innovative solutions to issues concerning the industrial economy and society in general.
At present, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft maintains some 80 research units, including 58 Fraunhofer Institutes, at over 40 different locations in Germany. The majority of the roughly 12,500 staff are qualified scientists and engineers, who work with an annual research budget of over 1 billion euros. Of this sum, more than €900 million is generated through contract research.
Roughly two thirds of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s contract research revenue is derived from contracts with industry and from publicly financed research projects. The remaining one third is contributed by the German federal and state governments, partly as a means of enabling the institutes to pursue more fundamental research in areas that are likely to become relevant to industry and society in five or ten years’ time.
Affiliated research centres and representative offices in Europe, the USA, and Asia provide contact with the regions of greatest importance to present and future scientific progress and economic development.
Core Competencies
Benchmarking And Best Practices
Holger has expertise in Benchmarking and Best Practices, including indicator benchmarking, business process benchmarking, and EFQM.
He provides training and applies benchmarking to small and medium-sized enterprises.
His work in this area focuses on identifying and implementing best practices to improve organizational performance.
He has a strong background in conducting national and international benchmarking projects.
Innovation Consulting
Holger offers Innovation Consulting services, evaluating national innovation systems and comparing international science and technology systems.
His experience includes working with countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and others.
He helps organizations assess and improve their innovation capabilities, providing a comprehensive understanding of global innovation trends and best practices.
Quality Mgt
Holger is knowledgeable in Quality Management, with expertise in EFQM, ISO 900X, and ISO 1400X.
He implements quality management systems, including QS9000, VDA 6.1, and TS 16949.
Holger also benchmarks quality management systems, helping organizations evaluate and improve their quality processes.
His work in this area focuses on achieving operational excellence and ensuring continuous improvement.