With effect from June 1, 2011, Eckard Eberle (45) will take over as CEO of the Industrial Automation Systems Business Unit, which is headquartered in Nuremberg and is part of the Siemens Industry Automation Division. He succeeds Ralf-Michael Franke who was appointed CEO of the Siemens Drive Technologies Division early April. Eberle was previously Head of the Siemens Control Components Business Segment and Head of Facilities Management in Amberg. As Chief Executive Officer of the Industrial Automation Systems Business Unit, Eberle will be responsible for the product and system portfolio for automation solutions concerning all aspects of Totally Integrated Automation. This includes a wide range of Simatic S7 controllers as well as industrial software based on the Manufacturing Execution System Simatic IT. Eberle has many years of experience at Siemens. After studying for his electrical engineering degree, he joined the company in 1992. He worked in Erlangen as a project manager in power station automation until 1994 and then in sales with responsibility for China. From 1996 to 1998 Eberle set up the sales and engineering operations for power station automation in Nanging, China. After returning to Germany, he worked in the Siemens corporate consulting unit until 2005, followed by two and a half years as managing director of the former Siemens subsidiary, mdexx. From 2008 Eberle was involved in the "Industrial Sales Restructuring" project in Nuremberg before being appointed Head of the Control Components Business Segment. In 2009 he became Head of Facilities Management in Amberg.
