A·U
DWG 01Profile

André Uhl

Technology & Business Transformation Executive

Twenty years turning technology strategy into business outcomes in industrial automation — from mechanical motion control to an integrated AI system. I lead technology vision, architecture and AI transformation for Schneider Electric's Industry business.

Role
VP Technology & Architecture
Organisation
Schneider Electric
Board
Director, ODVA
Based
Marktheidenfeld, DE
€300M → €640MMachine Solutions growth supported
€43MAnnual R&D investment directed
200 / 5Engineers led, across five countries
7–8%R&D ratio held through growth
DWG 02Focus

Selected platform and transformation initiatives — the work that moved the portfolio from products toward platforms, and from AI experiments toward a system.

01 Automate the Automation Applying AI across the automation lifecycle to accelerate engineering and enable next-generation industrial offers. AI system · Engineering transformation Initiated & led
02 SET · Omega · OPC UA TSN Strategic platform initiatives creating reusable architectures, interoperability and scalable technology foundations. Platform strategy · Interoperability Defined & led
03 PacDrive 3 Integrated motion, safety, automation and networking platform; est. annual market potential above €300M. Packaging · Food & Beverage Led development
04 FDT 3.0 Strategic evolution from FDT 1.2 to a cloud-oriented concept, and the transition of FDT Group into FieldComm Group. Standards · Ecosystem Chairman
05 MARGO & OPC UA FX Contributed to the founding groups, shaping open and interoperable industrial technology ecosystems. Open ecosystems · Edge interop Founding contributor
Technology strategy
Connecting technology and portfolio choices to revenue, margin and competitiveness
Enterprise architecture
Governance across machine, process, hybrid and software automation
AI & digitalisation
From isolated use cases to an integrated AI system
Platform & portfolio
Common foundations that increase reuse and reduce duplication
Global R&D leadership
Multi-site engineering organisations and innovation investment
Ecosystem influence
Board governance, standards bodies and strategic partnerships
DWG 03Industrial AI Systems

The foundation of next-generation automation: intelligent agents, simulation environments and adaptive control combining into self-optimising industrial ecosystems. My focus is integrating them into scalable architectures for real-time decision-making across machines, processes and software.

An industrial robot arm facing a humanoid robot across an abstract plant landscape.

Edge AI

Inference at the machine

Physical AI

Models that act on matter

Humanoids

General-purpose kinematics

Industrial robotics

Six axes, deterministic

Agentic AI

Perceive, plan, act

Multi-agent systems

Coordination without a centre

Unified Namespace

One namespace, many publishers

Reinforcement learning

Policy from reward

Simulation

Test before steel

Digital twin

Model bound to machine

AI-based control

Learned loop closure

DWG 04Experience

Two decades in one industry and, since the ELAU acquisition, one company — from a CoDeSys engineering toolkit to enterprise technology strategy.

07/2021 — present Vice President, Technology & Architecture Schneider Electric Automation GmbH · Marktheidenfeld Enterprise-wide technology vision, architecture strategy, AI transformation and platform governance for the Industry business. IP Business Unit Officer; lead of the Systems Architecture domain.
01/2016 — 06/2021 Director, Device Lifecycle Platform & System Architecture Schneider Electric Automation GmbH Common architecture strategy, platform roadmaps and governance across the Industry business; reduced duplicated development through convergence.
07/2015 — 12/2015 Director, Product Adaptations Schneider Electric Automation GmbH Customer-specific automation solutions and actuator businesses, combined annual revenue above €30M.
10/2011 — 06/2015 Vice President, R&D Schneider Electric Automation GmbH Global Machine Solutions R&D: €43M annual investment, 200 engineers across Germany, France, India, China and Brazil. Supported growth from ~€300M to €640M at a 7–8% R&D ratio.
10/2010 — 09/2011 Director, R&D Schneider Electric Automation GmbH Software, hardware, firmware and platform development. Led PacDrive 3 and integrated the ELAU development organisations following the acquisition.
11/2007 — 09/2010 Vice President, Customer Support ELAU GmbH · Marktheidenfeld Global technical sales support, training, application engineering and services — turned from cost centres into business units generating more than €3.3M annual revenue.
12/2004 — 10/2007 Head of Machine Technology Development ELAU GmbH Founded the department for reusable machine automation functions and application libraries; patentable innovations across robotics, PLC frameworks and mechatronic modules.
03/2003 — 11/2004 Project Manager, Software Engineering Toolkit ELAU GmbH CoDeSys-based engineering toolkits for PacDrive automation systems.
1998 — 2003 Dipl.-Ing. (FH), Electrical Engineering & Automation University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt · Grade 1.3 Executive education: UNC Kenan-Flagler · INSEAD · MIT Electrifier Program.
DWG 05Boards & Standards

Industrial automation moves at the speed its standards allow. Two board seats, and contributions to the founding groups of two more open ecosystems.

03/2022 — present Board Director ODVA Strategic direction and future evolution of industrial networking and automation standards.
04/2016 — 05/2025 Board Member; Chairman from 09/2023 FDT Group Defined the evolution from FDT 1.2 toward the cloud-oriented FDT 3.0, and as Chairman supported the transition of FDT Group into FieldComm Group.
MARGO
Founding-group contributor — open, interoperable industrial edge
OPC UA FX
Founding-group contributor — field-level interoperability
OPC Foundation
Leadership in OPC Foundation-related initiatives
Industries
Food & Beverage · Oil & Gas · Water · Mining, Minerals & Metals · Process
DWG 06Patents

Named inventor. Fourteen years apart, and the same problem approached from opposite ends: first the mechanism, then the control derived by a machine.

DWG 07Contact

Open to conversations on industrial AI, open automation and interoperability standards — and to speaking at events on the same.

Location
Marktheidenfeld, Germany
Languages
German (native) · English (business fluent)
Education
Dipl.-Ing. (FH)
Boards
ODVA · FDT Group (former Chairman)
Off the clock
Family · Triathlon · Ballroom & Latin · 3D printing