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Matthew Gentzel

PartnerPittsburgh

Helps energy and materials companies pursue value, efficiency, and growth through sound strategies, operational excellence, and digital transformation

Matt serves clients in the energy and materials sectors. He is a core member of our Chemicals, Metals & Mining, and Oil & Gas Practices. Matt advises clients on a variety of issues related to strategy and operations, including corporate strategy, digitally enabled transformation, manufacturing improvement, cost reduction, capital project optimization, and organizational change.

An engineer by training, Matt has extensive experience analyzing large-scale, capital-intensive business operations. He regularly manages client performance transformations from diagnostic through design and execution, all the while building client capabilities to ensure long-term success.

Examples of his recent client work include the following:

  • assisting a leading energy company in designing its future-state digital vision for the downstream business
  • helping a hard-rock mining operation define and achieve performance targets, including reducing unit costs by approximately 15 percent and increasing productivity by 10 percent
  • leading a digitally-enabled transformation of an upstream oil and gas producer’s logistics group, which resulted in significant cost savings and improvements in safety
  • supporting a chemicals plant in transforming its maintenance and reliability function with a focus on sustainable cost improvement, resulting in a 66 percent reduction in work backlog and a 60 percent improvement in preventive maintenance compliance, with no cost increase
  • advising a mid-size industrials company on a corporate strategy to double market cap
  • leading the transformation of two heavy manufacturing facilities during a challenging industry downturn, resulting in improvements in labor optimization, workforce engagement, yield, and spend

Prior to joining McKinsey, Matt spent 7 years with a construction general contractor in the New York metro area. As a project manager and senior engineer, he focused on rehabilitating transportation infrastructure, including bridges, subways, and railroads. He is a licensed professional engineer.

Published work

The case for doubling down on refinery reliability now,” McKinsey & Company, June 2024

Tech-enabled asset productivity in chemicals and agriculture,” McKinsey & Company, September 2020

What high-reliability organizations get right,” McKinsey & Company, May 2019

Digitally enabled reliability: Beyond predictive maintenance,” McKinsey & Company, October 2018

Save money, raise asset productivity: Why maintenance staffing matters,” McKinsey & Company, April 2018

Extended lean toolkit for total productivity,” McKinsey & Company, October 2017

The upside of downtime,” McKinsey & Company, May 2016

Past Experience

Kiska Construction
Project manager and professional engineer

Education

Cornell University
MBA

Pennsylvania State University
BS, engineering science