SimPlan AG appoints Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alice Kirchheim to the Supervisory Board
Hanau, June 2026, SimPlan AG announces a change to its Supervisory Board: Andreas Schindler is stepping down from the Supervisory Board of SimPlan AG after 14 years of dedicated service. The Annual General Meeting of SimPlan AG has elected Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alice Kirchheim, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML and holder of the Chair of Conveyor and Storage Systems at Dortmund Technical University, to the Board with effect from 29 May 2026 for an initial term of five years.
The Executive Board and the shareholders of SimPlan AG would like to express their sincere thanks to Andreas Schindler for his many years of competent service on the Supervisory Board and for the trusting collaboration. Over the course of 14 years, he supported the company’s development with a wealth of experience, professional foresight and a high level of personal commitment.
“Andreas Schindler has provided SimPlan AG with reliable support over many years and, with his expertise, has provided important impetus for the strategic development of our company. We would like to express our sincere thanks for this and wish him all the best for his future endeavours,” explains Prof. Dr Sven Spieckermann, Spokesman for the Executive Board of SimPlan AG.
With Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alice Kirchheim, SimPlan AG is gaining a proven expert in intralogistics, automation and the application of artificial intelligence in logistics systems. Since April 2024, she has been Director of the Fraunhofer IML and holds the Chair of Material Handling and Warehousing at TU Dortmund University. Previously, she worked at the Bremen Institute for Production and Logistics (BIBA) at the University of Bremen, Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences, the KION Group, and as a professor at Aalen University and the Helmut Schmidt University/University of the German Armed Forces in Hamburg, amongst other roles.
“In Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alice Kirchheim, we welcome a member to the Supervisory Board who uniquely combines academia, industrial practice and future-oriented topics in logistics. Her expertise in the fields of intralogistics, automation, digital transformation and artificial intelligence is an excellent fit with our group’s technological focus,” said Dr Harry Kestenbaum, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer at SimPlan AG.
SimPlan AG regards this new appointment to the Supervisory Board as an important signal for the company’s further strategic development. The Executive Board and shareholders are very much looking forward to working with her.
SimPlan AG
SimPlan AG was founded in 1992 and is now the leading service provider for the simulation and emulation of production and logistics processes. SimPlan develops simulation software as well as complementary analysis and assistance systems, and distributes third-party simulation software. Customers across a wide range of sectors rely on SimPlan’s services, including, for example, companies in the automotive, logistics, retail and mechanical engineering industries.
From
- independent consultancy on selecting the right simulation software and IT integration, as well as
- the sale of the selected software, including implementation, training and coaching
- through to the professional execution of simulation projects and
- virtual commissioning, right through to the
- creation of digital twins
SimPlan offers users a full-service package.
SimPlan is heavily involved in research projects focusing on the integration of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and the metaverse, as well as the application of simulation in new areas such as the use of new environmental technologies and the development of forward-looking, innovative production and logistics processes.
The company’s head office is in Hanau. Today, the group comprises the subsidiary SimPlan Integrations as well as branches in Braunschweig, Dresden, Bremen, Munich, Regensburg and Sindelfingen. The simulation service provider covers international markets with a branch in Austria and another in China. In total, the SimPlan Group employs 120 staff worldwide.
Image: From left to right:
Dr Ulrich Burges, Member of the Executive Board, SimPlan AG
Prof. Dr Sven Spieckermann, Spokesperson for the Executive Board, SimPlan AG
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alice Kirchheim, Member of the Supervisory Board, SimPlan AG
Dr Harry Kestenbaum, Member of the Executive Board, SimPlan AG
Contact SimPlan
Inka Meerwein • SimPlan AG
Sophie-Scholl-Platz 6 • D-63452 Hanau
Telephone: +49 6181-402 96 0
Email: inka.meerwein@SimPlan.de • Website: www.SimPlan.de
