Norbert Majerus

Owner and Founder – Norbert Majerus Consulting Ltd.

Beginning in 2005, Norbert implemented a principles-based lean product development process at the three Global Innovation Centers of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. For more than a decade he was Goodyear’s lean champion in research and development.

Norbert, born and raised in Luxembourg, has a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the Universitaet des Saarlandes, Saarbruecken, Germany. He joined Goodyear in Luxembourg in 1978, transferred to Akron in 1983, and has worked most disciplines in the Goodyear innovation centers in Luxembourg and Akron.

In 2016, Norbert published his first book, Lean-Driven Innovation (Norbert Majerus, CRC Press, 2016), which received the Shingo Research Award. Also in 2016, with Norbert’s guidance the Goodyear R&D organization applied for and received the AME Excellence Award. Norbert is a popular keynote speaker and has conducted workshops in the United States and many other countries. Since retiring from Goodyear in 2018, he continues to share his extensive lean expertise via Norbert Majerus Consulting.

Professional profile:
– Holds several Goodyear chairman and CTO awards
– Holds 60 U.S. patents and trade secrets, as well as numerous international patents
– Master blackbelt six sigma and master blackbelt in lean
– Featured speaker and popular teacher at many lean and innovation events
– Fluent in English, German. French, and Luxembourgish
– Work experience — innovation, new product design, equipment design, manufacturing, new product marketing and launch, new tire design, original equipment tire design, activity-based accounting, TQM, project management, ISO 9001 and other global OE quality standards, tire design standards, six sigma, lean innovation and lean product development

Personal profile:
– Born 1952 in Diekirch/Luxembourg
– Grew up in Bettendorf/Luxembourg on parent’s farm
– Former member of the Luxembourgish National Track team
– Soccer player and coach, and an accomplished cyclist and skier

Lean workshops, courses, and presentations:
– Starting a Lean R&D Initiative
– Introduction to Lean Product Development
– 1,500 New Products Every Year – On Time and On Target
– Advanced Lean Product Development
– Simulations, activities, games, exercises used to teach lean innovation
– Lean-Driven Innovation, Lean-Driven Hackathons
– Lean Leadership (Leading Lean R&D organizations and preparing leaders for their new role)
– Lean Project Management
– Development of faster and more efficient processes
– Managing People in a Lean Transformation
– Change Management
– Transforming from the Inside Out
– Value-Stream Mapping for Non-Manufacturing Processes
– A3 Problem Solving
– Lean Product Development Certification
– Lean Presentations

Consulting Services

As the owner and founder of norbert majerus consulting llc, Norbert has helped manufacturing and service organizations apply lean thinking to their research and development operations and innovation activities, and, in doing so, improved their processes and their abilities to efficiently deliver new products and services. Fees for norbert majerus consulting llc are based on scope or time spent; volunteer services are available for unique situations.

In addition to consulting services, Norbert is available for:
– Teaching (lectures, workshops, webinars, etc.)
– College programs
– Conference and meeting presentations
– Coaching leaders and teams
– Writing/publications

Speaking History

Conferences and Events:
– LPPDE (Lean Product and Process Development Exchange Inc.)
– AME (Association for Manufacturing Excellence)
– Shingo conferences and events
– COE (Center for Operational Excellence at The Ohio State University)
– BTOES (Business Transformation & Operational Excellence World Summit)
– IMPACT Manufacturing Summit
– Marcus Evans Events
– IRI (Innovation Research Interchange)
– SCPD (Society for Concurrent Product Development)
– LAA (Lean Analytics Association)
– IQPC PEX Asia Singapore (International Quality and Productivity Centre)
– Orgprom in Russia
– ASQ (American Society for Quality)
– Central Coast Lean Summit
– Lean Island – Iceland
– Lean Frontiers
– GBMP (Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership)
– IndustryWeek
– Journée de l’lngeniéur – Luxembourg
– NEO OpEx Forum (North East Ohio)
– Savvy consortium
– American Lean Manufacturing 2015
– Lean Leadership – LAA London UK, 2018
– Lean Association Finland Helsinki, May 2019
– TEX Week Boston 2019
– Lean Association Turkey – Istanbul, June 2019

Academic Presentations:
– MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
– Chalmers University of Technology Gothenburg
– EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne)
– The Ohio State University
– California Polytechnic State University
– Case Western University – Cleveland, Ohio

Workshops:
– AME
– LAA (Lean Analytics Association)
– Shingo Institute
– LPPDE
– COE – The Ohio State University
– Central Coast Lean –California Polytechnic State University
– Orgprom in Russia
– Lean Systems Summit, Portland, Maine
– Optima Associates
– Lean Island – Iceland
– Many private companies
– Lean Association of Finland
– Lean Assocoation of Turkey

Webinars:
– Lean Frontiers
– PMI (Project Management Institute)
– SCPD
– LPPDE
– AME

Publications:
– Lean-Driven Innovation, CRC Press, 2016
– “Leveraging Lean Principles in R&D,” Research-Technology Management, IRI, March 2017
– “Lean Possibilities in R&D,” Tire Technology International, 2015
– “The One with the Most Tools Wins!” Target Online, AME, April 2017
– “To A3 or Not to A3,” The Lean Post, Lean Enterprise Institute, February 2016
– “Riding the Goodyear Wheel to Innovation Excellence,” The Lean Post, Lean Enterprise Institute, July 2017
– “The Power of Lean within Goodyear R&D Processes,” Luxembourg Business Journal, Winter 2015
– Making the case for lean project management. AME Target magazine, July 2019

Countries:
– USA
– Russia
– Denmark
– Finland
– Netherlands
– Sweden
– France
– Turkey
– UK
– Luxembourg
– Australia
– Mexico
– Singapore