LYTIX
Technical problem solving for
manufacturing & operations
Important problems. Clear analysis. Practical solutions.
Measurable results.
I help manufacturing and operations businesses solve important technical and operational problems using engineering, process, data-analysis and problem-solving expertise.
Operational analysis
Diagnose process and production problems using data, root-cause analysis, and first-principles engineering.
Process optimisation
Identify and capture waste reduction, yield improvement, and cost savings through systematic study.
Engineering decision support
Technical review of projects and capital decisions with independent, pragmatic assessment.
Fractional senior capability
On-demand senior technical leadership for businesses that need expertise without a full-time hire.
Typical work includes production data analysis, process optimisation, engineering decision support, technical project review, and fractional senior technical capability for businesses that need expertise without a full-time hire.
You don't buy "engineering" or "consulting".
You buy resolution of an important problem.
If you're facing any of these challenges, talk to me about what you're dealing with.
Process variability
Your process keeps varying but you don’t know why—yield fluctuates, scrap rates rise, and you’re chasing root causes instead of getting ahead of them.
Production bottlenecks
Certain stations or steps consistently slow you down, but optimising one area just shifts the constraint elsewhere.
Hidden cost drivers
Material usage, energy consumption, or labour hours keep creeping up, but you can’t pinpoint where the waste is actually occurring.
Data trapped in spreadsheets
Your production data, quality results, and process parameters live in separate Excel files that don’t talk to each other.
Capital decision risk
You’re considering a major equipment upgrade or facility expansion, but the business case feels speculative without rigorous analysis.
Response time to issues
When something goes wrong, it takes too long to understand the impact and decide on the right fix.
Sustaining improvements
You get a win—maybe from a Six Sigma project or Kaizen event—but the gains don’t stick because there’s no follow-up system.
Skills gap
Your team has great people, but not enough senior technical capability to solve complex problems without external help.
A proven problem-solving framework
My approach follows a disciplined engineering process: find an important problem, understand it thoroughly, analyse and model it, develop the solution, implement it, measure the result, and capture the learning.
Find the problem
Identify what actually matters—where the biggest value or risk lies.
Understand it
Get on the shop floor, study the data, talk to the people doing the work.
Analyse & model
Use engineering principles, data analysis, and where it helps, simulation or machine learning.
Develop the solution
Design something practical that works with your existing systems and people.
Implement
Roll it out, train the team, and stand by for the first few runs.
Measure & learn
Track the actual results, capture what worked and what didn’t.
Find an important problem → understand it → analyse/model/test it → develop the solution → implement it → measure the result → capture the learning.
Selected projects demonstrating the approach in action
These represent a sample of work across manufacturing, process engineering, and operations optimisation.
Production parameter mapping and sensitivity analysis
Identified key production inputs and opportunities for cost optimisation and product customisation from large Excel datasets.
Business outcome
Data gathering time reduced from hours to seconds, enabling real-time product customisation during customer review sessions.
50+ similar projectsTools
Materials research and optimisation
Designed an economically optimal heat exchanger for latent energy storage applications using freezing fluids.
Business outcome
Delivered an economically optimal heat exchanger design meeting cost and performance targets for latent energy storage.
20+ similar projectsTools
Chemical plant optimisation
Implemented multivariable process control to reduce variability and improve profitability.
Business outcome
Typical annual savings of approximately $1–5M per project through reduced variability, higher yield, and lower energy consumption.
15+ similar projectsTools
Heinrich Badenhorst
Heinrich Badenhorst
Chemical Engineer & Senior Technical Leader
LYTIX is my consulting practice. I'm a chemical engineer and senior technical leader with 23 years of hands-on experience across industrial manufacturing, process engineering, R&D, and operations leadership.
I help manufacturing and operations businesses solve important technical and operational problems using engineering, process, data-analysis and problem-solving expertise. I don't just deliver analysis; I ensure the recommendations get implemented and deliver measurable business value.
What sets this apart from traditional consulting is the emphasis on hands-on problem solving. I bring the same rigour you'd expect from a senior engineer, combined with the commercial awareness of someone who has run operations and made capital decisions.
Credentials & Expertise
Based in Marlborough, New Zealand (NZ-wide remote available)
If you have an important technical or operational problem,
I'd like to hear about it.
Based in Marlborough, New Zealand. Available NZ-wide remotely.