Kai Bohn
Freelance Engineer · team b-quadrat · düsseldorf

kaiBohn

Global Head of Norms & Standards · CE Marking, Machinery Safety & Technical Documentation · Chairman VDI 4500 · Dipl.-Ing. EUR ING

Standards exist so good practice doesn't have to be reinvented every project. The point is to make regulatory requirements workable — clear, consistent, and defensible across markets.

Get in Touch
team b-quadrat

Contact

Freelance Engineer
Consulting · Lecturing · Standards
Phone+49 151 22330033
Emailkai.bohn@teamb2.de
LocationDüsseldorf, Germany
LinkedIn LinkedIn
About Me

Standards, Norms & Problem Solving

Engineer, co-founder, and university lecturer — with more than 30 years of experience at the intersection of technology, standardization, and technical communication.

As Global Head of Norms & Standards at SMS group GmbH, I am responsible for CE marking, machinery safety, and technical documentation across our plant engineering business.

I've spent more than 30 years in this field — first in product management at Mannesmann Demag, then as co-founder of team b-quadrat (engineering and technical communication, 1999–2012), and since 2013 at SMS group, in roles across documentation, modular systems, BPM, and now standards.

Outside the day job: Chairman of VDI working group FA 205 (VDI 4500 series) since 2003, member of the VDI Advisory Board on engineering education, and lecturer for CE marking at TH Köln from 2015 to 2024.

Happy to talk about machinery directive, IEC 82079, structured authoring, or what "good documentation" actually means in heavy industry.

Extensive international experience in mechanical and plant engineering shapes my perspective on global markets and cross-border standardization requirements.

Norms & StandardsCE MarkingMachinery SafetyTechnical WritingTechnical MarketingTechnical CommunicationFunctional SafetyLanguage ServicesEUR INGTÜV
30+Years of experience in this field
13 yrsSMS group — growing global responsibility
since 2003Chairman VDI FA 205 · VDI 4500
EUR INGEuropean Engineer (FEANI)
What I Do

Services & Focus Areas

In-depth expertise meets more than 30 years of practical experience — from international standards to effective technical communication.

01

Consulting & Lecturing

Freelance consulting for companies in mechanical and plant engineering, as well as lecturing at TH Cologne — practice-oriented, standards-based, and tailored to specific needs.

02

Technical Writing & Documentation

Building and managing documentation departments for complex systems. Structured authoring and standards-compliant technical communication as a strategic competitive advantage.

03

CE Marking & Machinery Safety

TÜV-certified CE representative for machinery. Conformity assessment, risk assessment, and standards-compliant documentation — from directive to market.

04

Norms & Standards

Development and implementation of technical standards at national and international level. Strategic alignment with regulatory requirements in mechanical and plant engineering.

05

Functional Safety & Language Services

Safety concepts and Functional Safety in Electrical & Automation Engineering as well as global language services — multilingualism as a quality feature of technical documentation.

SMS group · Ilsenburger Grobblech · Rolling Mill
Career
From co-founding a specialized engineering firm to global responsibility at a world market leader.
Professional Background

Career & Experience

From co-founding a specialized engineering firm to global responsibility at a world market leader — a path defined by conviction and consistency.

Jan 2026
– present
Head of Language Services
SMS group GmbH · Mönchengladbach / Hilchenbach
Building and managing global language services across the group.
Jul 2022
– present
Global Head of Norms & Standards
SMS group GmbH · Hilchenbach / Mönchengladbach
Responsible for CE marking, machinery safety, and technical documentation across the plant engineering business.
May 2021
– Jul 2022
Senior Expert Implementation — BPM Document Management
SMS group GmbH · Düsseldorf
Implementation of company-wide document management processes on a BPM basis.
Jan 2020
– Apr 2021
Head of Documentation & Head of Modularsystems E&A
SMS group GmbH · Düsseldorf
Dual responsibility for technical documentation and modular systems in the E&A division.
Aug 2018
– Dec 2019
Head of Documentation and Functional Safety
SMS group GmbH · Düsseldorf / Hilchenbach
Head of Documentation and Functional Safety — Electrical and Automation.
Jul 2016
– Jul 2018
Head of Documentation
SMS group GmbH · Düsseldorf
Head of Documentation and Functional Safety — Electrical and Automation.
Jan 2013
– Jun 2016
Deputy General Manager — Documentation
SMS group GmbH · Düsseldorf
Head of Documentation Electrical and Automation / Deputy General Manager Documentation E&A Systems.
Apr 2015
– May 2024
Lecturer — CE Marking
TH Cologne · Cologne
9 years of teaching CE marking at one of the largest technical universities in Germany.
2019
– 2024
Lay Judge (Honorary Position)
Düsseldorf Regional Court · Düsseldorf
Five-year voluntary service as a lay judge. Awarded the Certificate of Appreciation by the Judicial Administration of North Rhine-Westphalia, April 2024.
since Oct.
2019
Member, Advisory Board on Engineering Education
VDI — Verein Deutscher Ingenieure
Voluntary engagement on the VDI Advisory Board on Engineering Education.
Apr 1999
– Dec 2012
Executive Managing Director & Co-Founder
team b-quadrat — Engineers and Technical Writers GmbH · Hillesheim
Co-founded and led a specialized engineering firm for technical documentation and CE marking for 13 years. Awarded the entrepreneurship prize “Pioniergeist 98”.
May 1996
– Apr 1999
Product Manager Technical Documentation
Mannesmann Demag AG · Ratingen
Product management in technical documentation at the internationally active engineering group.
Degree
Diploma in Engineering
Ruhr University Bochum
Engineering degree Dipl.-Ing., Ruhr-Universität Bochum.
Awards & Publications

Recognition & Contributions

Entrepreneurial success, professional recognition, and academic contribution to standardization in technical communication.

Award · 1998

“Pioniergeist 98” Entrepreneurship Award

Winner of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate entrepreneurship award for the co-founding of team b-quadrat.

Award · 2008

3rd Place WIN-WIN CUP 2008

Awarded at the WIN-WIN CUP 2008, sponsored by the trade magazine “absatzwirtschaft”.

Certification · TÜV Saarland

CE Representative for Machinery (TÜV)

Certified representative for conformity assessment under the EU Machinery Directive. Registration No. 28748 · TÜV Saarland Bildung + Consulting GmbH. ↓ Certificate (PDF)

Voluntary Service · 2019–2024

Lay Judge at Düsseldorf Regional Court

Five-year voluntary service as a lay judge. Certificate of Appreciation by the Judicial Administration of North Rhine-Westphalia, April 2024. ↓ Certificate (PDF)

Publication

Technical Documentation Article

Specialist article on standardization in technical documentation — contribution to the advancement of industry standards.

Certification · FEANI · Brussels, 23 March 2006

EUR ING — European Engineer

28982
FEANI Registration No.
Mechanical Engineering · Dipl.-Ing.
Ruhr University Bochum · Second Cycle Degree

The title EUR ING (European Engineer) is the highest professional recognition for engineers in Europe, awarded by FEANI — the umbrella organisation of national engineering associations from more than 30 European countries. Awarding requires an accredited university engineering degree and several years of proven professional practice. The title is officially recognised in all FEANI member countries.

As EUR ING, Kai Bohn stands for technical excellence by European standards — valid and recognised across national borders.

↓ View Certificate (PDF)
Continuous Development

Further Training & Certificates

Selected seminars, training courses, and certifications for professional development.

Pilz Academy · 2017

CE Process under Machinery Directive

Seminar "CE Overall Process under Machinery Directive in Practice", 17–18 October 2017. Pilz GmbH & Co. KG, Ostfildern. ↓ Certificate (PDF)

VDMA · 2017

Functional Safety

Event "Functional Safety", 19–20 January 2017, Frankfurt am Main. Maschinenbau-Institut GmbH, a VDMA company. ↓ Certificate (PDF)

VDMA · 2017

Machinery Directive & Cyber Security

Information day "Machinery Directive and Cyber Security", 23 November 2017, Frankfurt am Main. VDMA e.V. ↓ Certificate (PDF)

Rösberg Engineering · 2016

LiveDOK NG

Training LiveDOK NG, 30 June – 1 July 2016, Hilchenbach. Rösberg Engineering GmbH for Automation. ↓ Certificate (PDF)

TH Cologne · hdw nrw · 2019

Design Thinking in Teaching

Workshop "Teaching Transfer: Design Thinking – Socially Innovative and User-Oriented", 21 January 2019, TH Cologne. Accredited by AKKO. ↓ Certificate (PDF)

Engagement

Associations & Standards Committees

Actively shaping norms and industry standards — nationally and internationally.

VDI
since 1991
Member of VDI
Verein Deutscher Ingenieure
since 2003
Chairman FA 205 — VDI 4500 Technical Documentation
VDI Fachausschuss · VDI 4500 series
since 2019
Member, Advisory Board on Engineering Education
VDI
Further Memberships & Standards Projects
Stahlinstitut VDEh
Verein Deutscher Eisenhüttenleute (German Steel Institute)
🇫🇮 STVY · since 2015
Finnish Technical Communication Society · stvy.fi ↗
International Standards Projects
IEC 82079-1IEC 82079-3ISO EN 20607ISO EN 12100
Contact

Get in Touch

A technical question, a standards project, or an exciting idea? I look forward to the conversation.

Phone+49 151 22330033
Emailkai.bohn@teamb2.de
Websitewww.teamb2.de
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/kaibohn
Send an Email