A German manufacturer of lab-automation equipment was growing its production base in Taiwan and needed a leader on the factory floor. This appointment had both operational and succession implications, as the current head of the Taiwan operation was approaching retirement age.
The Client
The Munich-based company designs and manufactures lab-automation equipment for life-science and biotech customers worldwide. Its systems are employed across disciplines where high-quality standards are a necessity, such as clinical testing and the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. The Taiwan location had a 12-person team handling production and quality operations, with procurement coordinated with Munich.
The company was scaling its production capacity in Taiwan and needed a dedicated head of operations at the site level to drive it. They would also be expected to take over from the current Taiwan MD, who was close to retirement.
The Challenge
Identifying a candidate who could run a Taiwanese factory floor and collaborate with Munich in English was a challenging task. Mandarin fluency was a must for the local team, as the production floor and management team in Taoyuan mainly operated in Chinese.
Experience in a precision-mechanical or life-science manufacturing environment was also a requirement, with direct exposure to quality management and supply chain. The new leader would take over three direct reports, with the expectation of further team growth as the Taiwan operation expanded.
The team had been under the same leadership for years, and the new leader would have to find their feet fast. Senior leadership knew this, and the German CEO committed to being present in Taiwan for the first weeks to support the transition.
The Solution
Candidates were drawn from life-science and precision-equipment manufacturers, where factory floor credibility and cross-border communication are one and the same job. However, the dual language requirement and the need for experience reporting into a European HQ meant the realistic field was severely limited.
After screening and interviewing several candidates at the video call stage, two were selected for in-person interviews with the Taiwan team and German leadership. The top prospect had been running production operations for a lab automation equipment manufacturer and spoke fluent Mandarin and English. Once a clear preferred candidate emerged, the client moved quickly to make an offer to protect the December start.
She had on-site meetings with the Taiwan team and a separate call with German leadership before the offer was made. The offer was accepted and confirmed at 250,000 TWD per month starting December 1st.
The Results
Background checks were cleared quickly, and the candidate joined the business on December 1 after signing the contract in November. She would travel to Munich soon after joining to learn group processes, with onboarding structured across both the Taipei facility and German headquarters. The client had named December 1 as a firm deadline from the start, and the search delivered on it.
The appointment also set up an operational succession path, putting the candidate in line to take over the Taiwan MD role once the current one retired. Keller Executive Search completed the search and secured a signed contract for the client’s required December 1 start.
The Impact
The new hire joined the company at the deadline given by the client, entering a growing operation and a team that had been under the same leadership for years, with the German CEO on-site in Taiwan for the first few weeks to help ease the transition. She met two needs at once: an operations leader for a production floor that needed a dedicated manager and a successor to the Taiwan MD as he moved toward retirement, without either mandate being compromised for the other. Now the Taiwan operation has someone who is ready for what the role requires currently and what it will ask of her in the future.
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