Harkort Consulting Gmbh

What Harkort Consulting Gmbh does

Harkort Consulting GmbH is a German management consulting firm founded in 2018 by René Hoppert and Emre Gümüş, headquartered in Dortmund with additional offices in Düsseldorf and Stuttgart. The firm specializes exclusively in Lean Management consulting for German mid-sized companies (Mittelstand), applying established methodologies including Value Stream Analysis, Kaizen, 5S, and Shopfloor Management to manufacturing, administrative, logistics, sales, and digitalization contexts. Its service portfolio comprises six core offerings: Lean Production, Lean Admin, Lean 4.0 (Lean integrated with Industry 4.0/digitalization), Lean im Vertrieb (sales), Lean Logistik (supply chain), and Layoutplanung (facility layout planning).

The company's go-to-market is sales-led and directed at the German Mittelstand, primarily firms with 50–500 employees. It employs Account Managers (e.g., Luca Schrodt) and relies on direct outreach via website contact forms, phone inquiries, professional networks (LinkedIn, Xing), and an extensive content marketing program featuring a blog and gated whitepapers on Lean topics. Revenue is generated through bespoke, project-based professional services engagements combining analysis, strategy development, hands-on on-site implementation, and employee qualification; pricing is not publicly disclosed but is understood to be scope-driven. Harkort has received external validation through the Compamedia "Top Consultant" award in 2022 and 2023 and the Kununu "Top Company" employer award in 2022 and 2023, and its reference logo base spans roughly 20 named clients including Deutsche Bahn, Condair Group AG, bdtronic, Esser-Werke, DST, Mebrutec, and Sternglas.

The company is privately held and founder-owned, with no external investors or parent entity identified. There is no software product, API, or proprietary technology platform; Harkort is a pure-play professional services firm whose "delivery technology" is its Lean consulting methodology and consultant bench. Operating geographies are confined to Germany, and there is no indication of international expansion.

Name

Harkort Consulting Gmbh

Legal name

Harkort Consulting GmbH

Website

https://harkort.consulting

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harkort Consulting GmbH is a German management consulting firm founded in 2018 that delivers Lean Management (Lean Production, Admin, Logistik, Sales, Layout, and Lean 4.0) project-based services to mid-sized companies (Mittelstand), primarily manufacturers, across Dortmund, Düsseldorf, and Stuttgart.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting Services

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Operations & Process Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performance Management & Productivity Consulting (BPAHAGAL), Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting (BPAHAGAB)

Keywords

• Lean management consulting
• Operational excellence
• Process optimization
• Lean transformation
• Continuous improvement

Headquarters

HQ city

Dortmund

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Project-based management consulting engagements focused on Lean Transformation, operational optimization, and process improvement for mid-sized German companies. Services include analysis, strategy development, practical implementation, and continuous development support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Harkort Consulting delivers Lean Management consulting services to German mid-sized companies (Mittelstand). Its offering spans six solution lines — Lean Production, Lean Admin, Lean 4.0, Lean im Vertrieb, Lean Logistik, and Layoutplanung — covering manufacturing operations, administrative workflows, digitalization, sales, logistics, and facility layout. Engagements combine consulting, on-site implementation support, and employee qualification, delivered as project-based assignments.

Product overview

Harkort Consulting GmbH is a management consulting firm founded in 2018 by René Hoppert and Emre Gümüs, offering a portfolio of Lean Management consulting services. The company provides six core consulting solutions: Lean Production, Lean Admin, Lean 4.0, Lean im Vertrieb, Lean Logistik, and Layoutplanung. These services are designed to help mid-sized companies optimize operational and sales processes, reduce costs, and establish a culture of continuous improvement. The company also operates the Harkort Blog as a knowledge-sharing resource. Harkort Consulting serves clients across various industries including mechanical engineering, metal products manufacturing, electrical/electronics equipment, and paper/forest products. The firm positions itself as a hands-on partner for medium-sized enterprises on their path to operational excellence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lean Production Consulting

Quantifiable outcome

• Liefertreue um 82% steigern (Delivery reliability improved by 82%)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ROI Management Consulting: Munich-based operations and production consultancy focused on performance improvement in German industrial mid-market. Closely comparable to Harkort across Lean production, logistics, and supply-chain engagements for Mittelstand manufacturers.
• Kloepfel Group: Mittelstand-focused consulting and M&A advisory firm in Germany with operational excellence and process optimization practices. Comparable client segment (German mid-sized industrials) and overlapping Lean/process improvement content.
• Strategy Engineers: Operations and strategy consultancy specializing in industrial production, supply chain, and operational excellence. Direct overlap with Harkort's Lean Production, Lean Logistik, and Layoutplanung practices serving Mittelstand manufacturers.
• Staufen AG: Germany's largest pure-play Lean management consultancy with multiple German offices and a Mittelstand focus. Most directly comparable peer to Harkort in target customer (industrial Mittelstand), methodology (Lean/operational excellence), and delivery model (hands-on implementation).
• RLE International: International engineering and operations consultancy with strong German Mittelstand presence in product development and process optimization. Comparable delivery model and industrial mid-market customer base.
• UNITY Consulting & Innovation: German Lean/Agile management consultancy with practices in operations strategy and digital transformation. Comparable target customers (German Mittelstand/industrial) and a similar Lean + digitalization narrative overlapping with Harkort's Lean 4.0 offering.
• Homann & Partner Managementberatung: German management consultancy specializing in operational excellence and process optimization for Mittelstand industrial clients. Closely comparable niche positioning and Lean methodology focus to Harkort.

Broad incumbents

• Porsche Consulting: Strategy and operations consultancy owned by Porsche AG with a significant Mittelstand and operational excellence practice. Larger and broader than Harkort, but overlaps directly on Lean production, digital factory, and operational transformation for German industrials.
• Sopra Steria (Schwartz Management Consulting): European IT and management consultancy with a German Mittelstand practice offering operational and digital transformation services. Larger incumbent with overlapping target customers and digitalization themes similar to Harkort's Lean 4.0.
• Kearney: Global management consultancy with strong operations and procurement practices serving European industrial clients. Larger, broader competitor with overlapping capabilities in operational excellence for manufacturing-heavy Mittelstand accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/companies/harkortconsultinggmbh
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCP7r11WwJuPSkG4CTn7u5sg
• Facebookfacebook.com/harkortconsulting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harkort-consulting-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/harkort.consulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harkort Consulting Gmbh