Projects

Our comprehensive project list provides an overview of the wide range of initiatives we have supported across regions, products and markets. It reflects the breadth of our experience in the aluminium industry. Selected case studies highlight specific examples of how we help aluminium companies address complex strategic, operational and technological challenges — combining deep industry knowledge, structured analysis and hands-on execution to deliver sustainable, practical results.

Project List

Strategy, Corporate Development & MA Support

Sales & Business Development

Project Development & Execution

Operations, Excellence & Readiness

Recycling & Sustainability

Technology, Innovation, Digitalisation

Strategy, Corporate Development & M&A Support
2025 Remelting, casting, rolling and finishing of Aerospace Plate and Shate Development of go-to-market strategy, sourcing strategy, pitch-deck development, sales support, pricing strategy and benchmarking Saudi Arabia
2024 Aluminium rolling Development of a commercial strategy, including an investment program; optimization of product mix Europe
2024 Rolling incl. remelting and casting Support of M&A preparation. Definition of improvement potential in marketing, sales, product mix, operational performance and potential cooperations Central Europe
2022-2023 Components manufacturing / machining Development of a corporate strategy including an investment program; elaboration of an asset development concept and implementation plan Europe
2021-2023 Aluminium rolling Development of a new corporate strategy and supervising implementation as head of the PMO Europe
2022-2023 Automotive supplier (Tier 1, 2) Temporary replacement of the CEO until a successor was appointed Germany
2022 Foil rolling incl. remelting and casting Due diligence including assessment of organization, assets, capabilities, CAPEX and business plan; identification of improvement potential Italy
2021-2022 Casting – sand- casting SME in sale of sand-casting business unit and site. Supported investment banks with market intelligence and CIM development, among others France
2021-2022 Rolling, painting (post processes) Project lead in strategic partnership negotiations with a lacquer and paint supplier concerning new supply and manufacturing agreements France / Germany
2021-2022 Aerospace components manufacturing / machining Project leader for post-merger integration Europe
2021 Aerospace components manufacturing / machining Responsible for the strategy process of an acquisition of a German aerospace machining company Europe
2021 Rolling incl. remelting and casting Due diligence including assessment of organization, assets, capabilities, CAPEX and business plan; identification of improvement potential Several locations in in West- and North Europe
2021 Rolling incl. remelting and casting Due diligence including assessment of organization, assets, capabilities, CAPEX and business plan; identification of improvement potential Italy
2020 Remelting, casting, rolling and finishing Technical due diligence to support the acquisition of a European integrated aluminium rolling mill by private equity (operational excellence / equipment / EHS) Europe
2019-2020 Remelting, casting, rolling and finishing of Aerospace Plate and Shate Support feasibility study “Special Metals Cluster” in the framework of the Saudi “Vision 2030”, with a major international consulting firm Middle East
2000-2020 Misc. rolling companies, incl. remelting and casting Due diligence including assessment of organization, assets, capabilities, CAPEX and business plan; identification of improvement potential Poland, Belgium, Russia, Germany
2018-2019 Casting – large billets Co-program lead of strategic investment (CAPEX) project in large billet capability. France
2017–2019 Remelting, casting, rolling and finishing of Plate and Shate Manage carve-out from an international group, creation of a competitive stand-alone structure in a private equity context, strategy process and turn-around management Italy
2013-2014 Rolling incl. remelting and casting Establish, start-up Greenfield plant & manage temporary operation as Operation Director Middle East
2013 Hard alloy extrusion Project lead for the attempted acquisition of an Italian extrusion company Europe
2011-2012 Hard alloy extrusions Managing Director with full P&L responsibility (€50M); execution of €12M investment program; restructuring and stabilization of the organization

Italy

 

2010-2011 Hard alloy extrusions Commercial Director: development of product and sales strategy; establishment of dedicated sales and inside sales teams

Italy

 

2005-2009 Hard alloy extrusion Elaborate and execute a commercial strategy and product mix optimization Europe / Asia / Russia
2005-2007 Rolling, extrusion and forging incl. remelting and casting Led integration of a newly acquired large scale organization into a US company. Temporary management as Executive Director Operations Russia
2004-2005 Aluminium rolling Restructuring / revamping of an aluminium rolling mill, execution of a massive investment program Europe
2001-2004 Components manufacturing / machining Start-up and development of several companies, elaboration of corporate strategies, site development concepts and layout Europe
2001 Aerospace components Interims Managing Director USA
2000-2001 Medical engineering Project lead for the acquisition of a 40% stake at a medical engineering company Europe
1999–2007 Remelting, casting, rolling and finishing of aluminium rolled products Integration of a plant after acquisition, different improvement projects for production and maintenance, drive and manage a major investment program throughout the plant   Italy
1998-1999 Hard alloy extrusions Development of a corporate strategy and restructuring plan, cost cutting measures Europe
Sales & Business Development
1995-2022 Aluminium rolling, extrusion, several different metal components companies Developing new sales channels, optimizing product mix, establishing product management teams, developing and expanding business volume, restructuring sales teams, increase product focus Europe / USA / Asia
2017-2020 Market intelligence Aerospace market intelligence lead / SME Global
2019 Advanced aluminium alloys (Aerospace / Automotive / Industrial) Business Development Manager Advanced Alloys: alloy product development and qualification; transfer of aerospace alloys to automotive and industrial applications; market and technology review

Europe / Global

 

2019 Casting – sand casting Project lead in developing growth strategy for aerospace sand casting products and business unit France
2013-2019 Forgings & extrusions (Aerospace / Automotive) Business Development Manager: product development and qualification of forged and extruded products; transfer of aerospace alloys to automotive applications; technical support for Al-Li casthouse investment ($100M)

Europe / Global

 

2013-2019 Aerospace / Automotive – Forgings, Extrusions, Al-Li products Product qualification projects for forged and extruded components; qualification of advanced alloys for aerospace OEMs; transfer qualification of aerospace-derived alloys for automotive applications; Al-Li product qualification support

Europe / Global

 

2006-2019 Automotive – Hard alloy extrusions and forgings Product qualification for automotive applications using aerospace-derived alloys; transfer qualification projects from aerospace to automotive structural components; alloy approval and testing support at OEM and Tier-1 level

Europe / Global

 

2001-2019 Aerospace – Producer / site qualification Support of aerospace site and source qualification activities: coordination of customer audits; approval of new production sources; alignment of quality systems with aerospace OEM and NADCAP requirements across forging and extrusion plants

Europe / Global

 

2018 Airware (Al-Li) Driving Airware (Al-Li) business development outside aerospace Global
2017-2018 Casting, rolling, cold rolling and finishing Project lead in developing growth strategy for aerospace sheet France
2017-2018 Extrusions (hard alloys) Project lead in developing growth strategy for aerospace extrusions France
2017 Casting – Airware (Al-Li) Airware casting capacity review. Pre-study for casting capacity expansion options France
2009-2012 GRP pipes Growing and developing sales network in Asia Europe / Asia
2009-2010 Aerospace forgings & extrusions (Airbus account) Global Account Manager for aerospace OEM: management of qualification programs for advanced forged and extruded products; negotiation of long-term agreements; development of new alloy business Global
2009-2010 Aerospace – Forgings & extrusions Qualification management for advanced forged and extruded products

Europe / Global

 

2008-2009 Aluminium rolling Developing export organization, growing sales volume Europe / Asia
2006-2009 Hard alloy extrusions (Aerospace / Automotive / Oil & Gas / Defense) Application engineering and business development: alloy and product qualification across multiple industries; development of hard alloy extrusion products; implementation in new markets

Europe / Russia / Asia

 

2001-2009 Aerospace – Plate, Sheet, Extrusion, Forging Management of qualification programs for aerospace aluminium products

Europe / Global

 

2006-2008 Hard alloy extrusions Implementation of business development organization. Creating “Growth Funnel” for new products, market implementation Europe / Russia / Asia
1995-1998 Aluminium rolling Starting and developing sales organization in Japan for the Asia Pacific region Asia Pacific
Project Development & Execution
2025-2026 Rolling incl. remelting and Casting Support of project development of a Greenfield Rolling Mill plant North America
2024–2026 Remelting, casting, rolling and finishing of Aerospace Plate and Shate Support FEED 2 and 3 studies: support strategy definition, drive process engineering, specify equipment, define plant layout / intraplant logistics, contribute to operational readiness planning Middle East
2024-2025 Rolling incl. remelting and Casting Project study “re-establish plate production” incl. progress review Europe
2022 Rolling incl. remelting and casting Project study for an Aerospace Plate rolling mill plant Middle East
2020 Hot rolling concept study “Potential Improvements of Adding a Finishing Stand to a Single Stand HM”, commissioned by a major rolling mill supplier: productivity / quality / capabilities Italy
2013-2019 Aluminium-Lithium alloys (casthouse investment) Technical coordination and qualification for Al-Li casthouse investment ($100M): development of alloy qualification strategy; supply chain analysis; customer alignment for new Al-Li casting capability Europe / Global
2013 Aluminium location with several companies Create a site development master plan Europe
2001-2006 Aerospace aluminium products – plate, sheet, extrusion, forging Aerospace Project Manager: product development and qualification for major Airbus programs (A380, A400M, A350, A318); alloy application engineering; qualification of innovative joining and forming technologies Europe (Switzerland)
2001-2006 Aerospace structural materials (metallic) Aerospace OEM Advanced Metallic Initiative: alloy and product innovation program; development and qualification of advanced metallic materials to maintain competitiveness versus CFRP Europe / Global
1996-2001 Lightweight aluminium sheet – deep drawing research PhD research: improvement of deep drawability of aluminium sheet through process-optimized blanks; development of processes for lightweight sheet forming Germany (Erlangen)
Operations Excellence & Readiness
2020–2023 Remelting, casting, rolling and finishing of Foil products Drive transformation in operations, from family business towards a structure according to industry best-practice, quality and productivity improvements, support major investments Italy
1993-2023 Rolling incl. remelting and casting Introduce and maintain lean manufacturing tools – 5S, TPM, suggestion system, daily management, Kaizen Several locations in Europe and Middle East
2020-2021 Aluminium rolling Implementation of S&OP process, restructuring planning process Europe
2014-2021 Aluminium rolling Commissioning and start-up of two new rolling mills Europe
2013-2020 Aluminium rolling Supply chain optimization, paperless factory, working capital reduction, digitalization of the production processes Europe
1988-2020 Rolling incl. remelting and casting Misc. projects in restructuring, business process improvements, product development Several locations in Europe and Middle East
2014–2016 Melting, casting, rolling and finishing of
Aerospace Materials
Lead debottlenecking of casting and preheating, diverse optimization projects in hot rolling and plate finishing, quality related improvements in hot rolling and casting, preparation of investment proposals Germany
2009–2014 Cold rolling and finishing of aluminium rolled products for Foil, Litho, Can + Automotive markets Implementation of a group-wide business system, introduction of lean methods and tools, define, introduce and drive performance management system of the groups pilot plant  Germany
 / Europe
2010-2013 Rolling incl. remelting and casting Develop operational readiness plan for Greenfield rolling mill plant Middle East
2007–2009 Remelting, casting, rolling and finishing of Plate and Shate Management of operations with focus quality and reliability (availability), maintenance improvement program with global consulting firm, revamping of cold-mill, introduction of a business system Italy
2001-2003 Aerospace components manufacturing Implementation and start-up of ERP system; reorganization production scheduling USA / Europe
2001 -2003 Components manufacturing Implementation of Kaizen / continuous improvement process, set up of a Kaizen organization Europe
1994-1995 Aluminium rolling Implementation of Kaizen / continuous improvement process, set up of a Kaizen organization Europe
1994-1995 Aluminium rolling Working capital optimization, reduction of 40% Europe
1994 Aluminium rolling Implementation and start-up of ERP /MES / production scheduling system; reorganization SC department Europe
1990 Grinding materials WIP reduction Europe
Recycling & Sustainability
2023-today Aerospace & industrial aluminium supply chain (CBAM compliance) CBAM compliance consulting: analysis of embedded emissions for aluminium producers; development of CBAM reporting methodology; benchmarking of secondary material flows

Europe / Global

 

2025-2026 Remelting and casting Review of scrap remelting capabilities and develop plan to increase absorption of contaminated scrap Europe
2023-2026 Remelting company Project development and operational readiness plan for Greenfield remelting and billet casting plan (Phase 1); Extend remelting and homogenization capacity (Phase 2) USA
2024 Remelting facility Prepare plan for operational readiness for a Greenfield remelting / casting plant USA
2022 Scrap trader Project study for remelting and slab casting plant USA
2018-2019 Rolling inc. remelting and casting Establish and start-up of a remelting and casting facility in a „brown field“ plant Spain
Technology, Innovation & Digitalisation
2024-today Digital Material Passports (DMP) – Aerospace and Automotive Development and deployment of Digital Material Passports: digital replacement of paper certificates (CoC / EN 10168 / 3.1); participation in data-space development project led by aerospace OEM and more than 30 partners Europe / Global
2013-today Aerospace & Automotive – Advanced aluminium alloys (2xxx, 7xxx, Al-Li) Alloy transfer and product development for forgings and extrusions: adaptation of aerospace high-performance alloys for automotive structural applications; technical support for Al-Li product introduction Europe / Global
2024-2025 ERP Lead of global SAP S/4HANA smart field implementation, including four aluminium sites, one R&D center, three corporate offices USA, Czech Republic, France, Switzerland
2023-2024 S&OP and IBP Program Lead of global S&OP transformation journey including digital transformation initiatives. Strategy development, vendor negotiations and selection Global
2023-2024 Commercial data lake Program Lead of commercial data lake data migration strategy Global
2020-2022 CRM Program lead of full Salesforce implementation. Strategy development, vendor negotiations and selection, design and implementation as well as all post go-live change management processes and maintenance. Global
2018-2019 R&D Project Lead of the Aerospace R&D Portfolio Valuations France
2001-2006 Aerospace – Plate, Sheet, Extrusion, Forging (2xxx, 7xxx, Al-Li) Materials consulting and aluminium application engineering for aerospace OEM: alloy selection and development; technical interface between OEM design teams, aluminium R&D and manufacturing sites Europe / Global

We are happy to provide more information on request. Our projects typically start with a focused discussion to understand your situation, priorities and potential impact.

Case Studies

Commercial and Investment Strategy for a Rolling Mill

Challenge: Lack of strategic clarity on target markets, product segments and future investment priorities in a competitive rolling market.

Focus Areas: Commercial Strategy · Market Segmentation · Investment Roadmap

Outcome: Aligned commercial and investment strategy with clear market focus and prioritized CAPEX decisions.

Restructuring an Extrusion Business to Restore Profitability

Challenge: An underperforming extrusion business facing declining margins, complex product portfolio and operational inefficiencies.

Focus Areas: Restructuring · Operations Excellence · Portfolio & Cost Optimization

Outcome: Comprehensive turnaround program stabilizing operations and creating a clear path back to profitability.

New Plant Layout and Machinery Concept for Aerospace Machining

Challenge: Need for a future-proof plant layout and machinery concept to improve flow, efficiency and competitiveness in aerospace machining.

Focus Areas: Plant Layout · Machinery Concept · Operational Readiness · Automation

Outcome: Integrated layout and machinery concept optimized for process flow, scalability and performance.

Our case studies are closely linked to our service portfolio and reflect the typical challenges we address across the downstream value chain.

Ready to strengthen performance, reduce complexity and unlock growth?

Address

Lightmet Consulting FlexCo
Konstantingasse 6-8/9
1160 Vienna
Austria