Robert Thonissen

Background

About Robert Thonissen

Robert Thonissen, a chemical engineer by background, is currently founder and Managing Director of the Institute of Quality and Management Sciences (Instituut voor Kwaliteit en Management Wetenschappen, IKMW, Belgium) and guest professor at the Faculty of Engineering technology (FET) of KU Leuven University (Leuven, Belgium). He has more than 30 years of quality management and training experience in different industrial organisations such as PRB Kaulille (Belgium) and Ford Company (Detroit, USA; Cologne, Germany; Genk, Belgium). His core experience includes implementation, management and training of quality management techniques and systems, such as Process Management, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Statistical Process Control (SPC), Eight Disciplines (8Ds) Problem Solving Global 8D), Lean learning and implementation. Robert Thonissen graduated from the KHLim University College (Diepenbeek, Belgium) as a chemical engineer. He obtained a master degree in Total Quality Management at the Hasselt University (Hasselt, Belgium) and a PhD degree of Automotive Engineering Quality Improvement at the University of Bradford (Bradford, UK). Additionally, he became a Master Black Belt 6 Sigma at the Six Sigma Academy Ford. As a guest professor at KU Leuven University he coaches two student teams Punch Powertrain Solar Team and QAUDIT of the FET postgraduate program ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship’. As a trainer consultant Robert Thonissen has worked on multiple implementation projects, e.g. implementation of Griwe Production System, Lean Production System (Kemmerich Group, Germany, Quality Improvement Program (Graphite Materials, Germany, Beside his consultancy activities Robert Thonissen also fulfils some additional functions, e.g. Member of the Board of the Kaizen Users Group Benelux Q1 Assessor for Automotive suppliers, Lean advisor to CHR group etc.