Career Progression in Manufacturing: Insights from Matthew Otzel

Thursday, June 5, 2025

How did you start your career at Mondelēz?

I started my career at Mondelēz as a Continuous Improvement Engineer in the Naperville bakery. This role included deploying the IL6S system throughout the bakery and delivering plant wide productivity projects. During my tenure, I focused on optimizing production processes and enhancing operational efficiency. My efforts contributed to significant cost savings and increased output for the facility. Over time, I took on more responsibilities, which eventually led to leadership roles within the organization.

What do you enjoy most about working in manufacturing?

In manufacturing, every action that you take can have a direct impact on the people who work to make our product. This can be from removing barriers in their day to day, building capability to eliminate losses or improving their tasks to increase performance. Manufacturing is at the core of Mondelēz and being able to influence the success of the bakery keeps me striving for world class performance. Being part of a team that drives continuous improvement and innovation is incredibly fulfilling.

What technical skills have been crucial for your career advancement in manufacturing?

Root Cause Analysis is at the core of everything we do in manufacturing. Being able to develop that skill to truly get to the basis of the problem will enable you to eliminate the loss and any future reoccurrence. It takes practice in real application to improve. Through the tools, continuously learning about the equipment and processes to improve efficiency can drive you to be well rounded for the next steps of your career.

Can you describe a typical day in your current role as a Manufacturing Manager?

A typical day always includes the Daily Management System (DMS) to proactively manage your key metrics, understand the losses and support the team to correct. By knowing where to focus, you can enable the team to solve the problem to correct performance. From here, it is deploying the master plan for Autonomous Maintenance (AM) to the site. The major focus is the AM Work Processes and elimination of Operational losses. Additionally, regular engagement with the team helps create a collaborative environment and encourages continuous improvement. Effective communication is essential to align all departments with the manufacturing goals and ensure smooth operations.

How has leadership at Mondelēz fostered your professional growth as a Manufacturing Manager, and can you share examples of how their support contributed to your career advancement?

Through my career at Mondelēz, I have had managers who take interest in my growth and building my skills for the future. This includes 1:1s where we balance a conversation about my current work and discuss my career goals. This allows us to create a plan to develop my gaps for the next role in mind. Additionally, develop your leadership skills through the RCAs, projects, and deliverables you have. Every situation can be an opportunity to step up and lead others which can enable your career advancement.

What advice would you give to current Process Engineers who aspire to move into Manufacturing Management roles, based on your own career path?

Get out of your comfort zone. Be present on the floor where the work happens and listen to the core team. Get involved with other Pillars and learn their Work Processes and role in the bakery. Being able to work cross functionally is a key to success in manufacturing where all pillars are working together for one common goal. This will enable you to take on more leadership roles or projects to gain the experience to take on a management role in the future.

What advice do you have for anyone considering a career in Manufacturing at Mondelēz?

Be prepared to learn IL6S and truly buy into the process. This methodology covers all the systems needed to be successful in manufacturing. If you believe and deploy IL6S, the performance and results will come.