Jan Cerny is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, currently serving as the Vice President of Operations at BENTELER Automotive in the Northern Europe region. In this role, Jan is responsible for overseeing plants in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Russia, where he allocates resources to ensure optimal capital utilization and sets up plant visions for strategic growth. He is instrumental in driving Lean Transformation initiatives and implementing the Lean Production System across the region. Jan also plays a key role in steering investments for growth, infrastructure, and maintenance, while closely monitoring operational KPIs and defining countermeasures in collaboration with plant managers. Prior to his current position, Jan held the role of Plant Manager at BENTELER Automotive, where he was responsible for the overall performance of the plant in the Czech Republic. During his tenure, he also served as an Interim Plant Manager for BENTELER Automotive plants in Slovakia and Denmark, demonstrating his versatility and leadership capabilities across different locations.

BENTELER is a global company serving customers in automotive technology, the energy sector and mechanical engineering. As metal processing specialists, we develop, produce and distribute safety-related products, systems and services worldwide. In doing so, we are guided by our corporate values of courage, ambition and respect. Our portfolio encompasses components and modules for the automotive industry, in the areas of chassis, body, engine and exhaust systems as well as future technologies such as battery storage systems for electric vehicles. Based on almost 150 years of experience in steel, we develop seamless and welded quality steel tubes – from material development to tube applications. In addition, we develop technical equipment and plant for leading automotive suppliers and for the glass-processing industry. Under the management of the strategic holding BENTELER International AG, headquartered in Salzburg, Austria, our around 23,000 employees at 86 locations in 26 countries offer first-class manufacturing and sales competence – all dedicated to delivering a first-class service wherever our customers need us. In the 2023 financial year, Group revenues were around €8.8 billion.