New managing director
Change at the top of Schneider Electric Automation
Philippe Briard (54) has been Managing Director of Schneider Electric Automation since April 1, 2019 and has assumed responsibility for the Lahr site. He succeeds Ottmar Himmelsbach (61), who is retiring.
Philippe Briard was most recently plant manager at Schneider Electric in Soultz (Alsace). In the past, he was responsible for various management positions at Schneider Electric. In particular in the Universal Enclosures unit as coordinator for the Access program and then as Supply Chain Manager in this unit. He then worked for five years in the central Supply Chain Performance teams of GSC EMEA. In 2016, he successfully managed the SAP Bridge Deployment project at the Limoges plant. In 2017, he took over the plant management in Soultz.
Ottmar Himmelsbach is retiring after more than 39 years with Schneider Electric Automation. During this time, he has held various management positions. In 2010, he became Managing Director of Schneider Electric Automation. Due to the strategic merger of all Schneider Electric production plants in 2013, Ottmar Himmelsbach moved to Global Supply Chain within the Group and took over responsibility for the Lahr and Marktheidenfeld production plants in addition to his role as Managing Director.
Schneider Electric Automation, based in Marktheidenfeld, is part of the Schneider Electric Group and the international headquarters of the Machine Solutions and Innovation & Technology divisions. The globally active company develops and produces hardware and software products for automation solutions in machine and plant engineering. The plant in Lahr is currently being expanded into a Smart Factory. It is a competence center for motor technologies and linear axes. It develops and produces servo motors, stepper motors, DC brushless motors, integrated drives and actuators. as








