How Opel’s Bilyana Stern is steering two Stellantis plants towards supply chain strength through leadership, autonomy and operational resilience

At the Automobil Produktion Kongress 2025, Bilyana Stern, plant manager at Opel’s Kaiserslautern facility and director of the press shop at Rüsselsheim, outlined her dual leadership approach across two sites and how the Kaiserslautern team has transitioned from uncertainty to operational strength within Stellantis’ supply chain.

“I was very impressed by the team working there,” said Stern of her first days in Kaiserslautern. “They are relatively young, with a lot of drive. The plant has been through major transformations in the past few years… Now we are in a great position to supply 22 plants producing cars.”

The Kaiserslautern plant now delivers 500 different parts daily to Stellantis locations across Europe. Stern sees this as evidence of the plant’s strategic importance: “Without that location, the full Stellantis corporate would not be working at all in Europe.”

Managing two locations means clarity and accountability are essential. Stern empowers her site leads with autonomy and well-defined targets. “It’s clear what the expectations from the team are,” she said. “I’m there to guide them and remove big obstacles. But finally, it’s the team that is moving everything.”

Stern has instilled a culture of KPI ownership. “When we have such a high number of orders, the people know the importance of the KPIs. They need to come, report and explain any deviations,” she said. But she also emphasises pacing and sustainability. “It’s a long marathon. You can take breaks, but we don’t need to sprint. Step by step and with small improvements we reach the big targets.”

She adds that providing clear priorities is crucial to avoiding burnout and maintaining momentum. “Once we get overwhelmed, it’s too late. So they need to raise their hand, and we fight together.”

From her dual role overseeing daily output to strategic leadership, Stern’s focus is firmly on continuity, communication and creating value across Stellantis’ network. Her emphasis on collaborative problem-solving and step-by-step improvement is shaping a more resilient and responsive operation at Opel.