Dr. Olaf Eichstädt studied mechanical engineering and later specialized in process technology at RWTH Aachen University, Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College and The University of New South Wales in Sydney.
After having received his diploma from RWTH Aachen University, he moved to Switzerland and worked with Prof. Lothar Reh at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. He did research in solids processing and developed a novel mixing process for fine powders and an optical probe to measure concentrations in solids mixtures. He received his Dr. sc. techn. from ETH in 1997 and also holds an Executive MBA in Technology Management from the University of St. Gallen and RWTH Aachen.
As a development engineer and project manager for a Swiss technology group, Dr. Eichstädt developed the world’s first laboratory agitated media mill capable of processing highly viscous products, a project which he started with the first idea and finished with a successful market introduction and production launch. He later headed the engineering and development team for grinding and dispersion equipment and drove the development of several wet grinding machines and modern control systems. During the acquisition and successful integration of a German competitor, he was responsible for the technical aspects of the merger. During this time Dr. Eichstädt became active in business process optimization and re-engineering as it was necessary to unite products, methods and cultures of the two different companies under one roof. He also established an IT based system for the worldwide preparation of consistent and standardized quotations, implemented the European machine safety and ATEX directive, automated the as-built documentation for his business unit’s products and was one of the driving forces during the introduction of LEAN principles in order preparation, order fulfillment and machine manufacturing.
Dr. Eichstädt also served as technical director for a well known Swiss manufacturer of high quality mechanical watches. He oversaw the rolling portfolio of more than 70 concurrent development projects and strengthened his department’s ability to thoroughly test all aspects of the watches’ viability. As part of the senior management team he worked across department boundaries to design and implement the New Product Development (NPD) process and the Engineering Change Processes. At the same time, he was also responsible for strategic group projects and introduced a systematic approach to product innovation and pre-development.
In 2011, Dr. Eichstädt established Linova Consulting GmbH to work with companies in the Chinese “Greater Bay Area” (Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen) to help clients improve business processes using the LEAN management framework and to upgrade innovation and product development capabilities.
From 2013 to 2020, Dr. Eichstädt acted as Associate Professor and Management Consultant at the Guangzhou (广州中国科学院先进技术研究所) and Shenzhen (中国科学院深圳先进技术研究院) Institutes of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS). In 2014, 2015, and 2016, his work was recognized as a “High Level Foreign Expert of Guangzhou” (广州高端外国专家). After several development projects with more than 25 patent applications he now works with biologists, process engineers and automation experts at the Synbio Core Facility at the intersection of process development, laboratory automation and robotics, software development, and operations management. The city of Shenzhen invests 130Mio USD in the laboratory facility which will become part of Guangming Science City (光明科学城) in 2024.
Since 2021, Olaf Eichstädt serves as Head of R&D for alupak AG in Switzerland, where he focusses on sustainable packaging solutions, the simulation of metal forming of thin metal foils and process automation including IIoT.
Dr. Eichstädt is co-founder and member of the board of Watchadvisor AG, which develops data-driven retail tech solutions for the Swiss watch industry.
Dr. Eichstädt is a Swiss and German national and lives with his wife in Switzerland. He speaks English, German, French and Chinese.