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Passion for Improvement 

Tim Haase is passionate about lean processes - and about designing them collaboratively. Since February, he has been leading the newly created team for the Continuous Improvement Process (CIP) at ORAFOL. It’s a double win: the company becomes even more productive, and Tim Haase is living his dream job.

TIM HAASE, KVP-/LEAN-MANAGER

“The goal is for us to make ourselves redundant,” says Tim Haase with conviction. He’s well aware of the paradox: after all, he only started as head of the newly founded CIP team in February 2025. But thinking from the end is part of the job: “In our ideal scenario, every employee will eventually think proactively about how to improve their daily work.”

Tim Haase is the perfect person to achieve this goal. Even during his studies in industrial engineering at BTU Cottbus, he discovered his passion for lean management: taking processes apart and putting them back together better is his calling. He even wrote his thesis on how to optimize production. In 2021, he joined ORAFOL in the Engineering & Technology department, where he helped introduce the SAP software system. For this complex project, he and his team developed the planning processes.

“I have an eye for processes that aren’t clearly defined or simply aren’t efficient.”

This skill made him the ideal candidate to tackle the CIP initiative at ORAFOL. And for Tim Haase, there’s another advantage:

“Working together as a team to identify where processes can be improved and then getting the maximum out of existing resources - that’s what I find so fascinating about CIP.”

CIP stands for Continuous Improvement Process. The idea behind it is to improve workflows step by step – instead of changing everything at once, small, continuous improvements are implemented. The goal is to optimize time, cost, and quality on an ongoing basis. All employees are involved and encouraged to contribute their ideas.

TIM HAASE AND LUTZ GASSMANN DOCUMENT THE CHANGEOVER BOTH IN WRITING AND ON VIDEO, AND THEN ANALYZE IT TOGETHER WITH THE ENTIRE TEAM.

Higher Output and Better Work Environment

That’s precisely what he’s doing right now in production at the Oranienburg site. At a coating machine, the three-person CIP team is optimizing changeover processes - working directly with the people who know the machine and the workflows best:

“We develop everything together with the employees who operate the machines,” explains Tim  Haase. “It’s crucial to involve everyone and build acceptance. After all, it’s ultimately our colleagues who have to implement the process in their daily work.”

The CIP team identifies on its own which machines might be good candidates for improvements. Sometimes, production managers also approach them with specific challenges.

To find the optimal changeover processes, the CIP team conducts multiple workshops. In these workshops, four to eight machine and plant operators from each shift examine their workflows in detail. And quite literally: every changeover operation is recorded on video and then analyzed step by step together with the CIP team. This quickly makes it clear to participants if, for instance, a different sequence of steps would be more efficient - or if certain steps could even be eliminated. In the end, processes are often standardized to establish a uniform procedure.

TIM HAASE HAS AN EYE FOR SPOTTING PROCESSES THAT AREN’T EFFICIENT.

„We can often cut changeover times by about 25%, which adds up to substantial extra production time over the year.” says Tim  Haase.  And the colleagues at the machines appreciate the opportunity to design their workplace and workflows to suit their real needs, making their work easier. For example, during workshops, they might reposition cabinets and shelves, hang tools within easy reach, or apply floor markings.”

CIP as a Key Success Factor

“ORAFOL is growing - and with that growth comes greater complexity. CIP helps us build structures, improve efficiency, and ultimately stay competitive,” explains Tim Haase, emphasizing the importance of his work. “That’s crucial for our future.” That’s why the company decided to approach the topic in a structured way and establish a dedicated department. However, they didn’t start from scratch: with Norbert Walke, Toni Bürger, and Lutz Gassmann, ORAFOL already had CIP coordinators since 2023 who assisted with workflow questions, documented processes, and supported the onboarding of new colleagues. “My three colleagues have incredibly valuable operational knowledge thanks to their many years of production experience,” Tim Haase says enthusiastically. “In the CIP team, we’re combining this practical know-how with my theoretical background - which creates something truly great for ORAFOL.”

This “something great” has positive effects both internally and externally. Along with higher productivity and greater flexibility, quality also improves - because the core principle of CIP is to minimize errors. For employees, well-defined processes mean a better work environment and higher workplace safety. “And because we involve everyone, they feel valued - and that leads to greater overall satisfaction.”

“Working together as a team to get the maximum out of existing resources - that’s what I find so fascinating about CIP.”

Read more in the ORAFOL magazine

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