About me
About me
I am your specialist for Siemens automation in industrial machine and plant engineering: SIMATIC STEP 7 Classic, TIA Portal and PCS 7, visualization with WinCC Unified and WinCC OA, and seamless connectivity via OPC UA, PROFINET and PROFIBUS – from consulting to commissioning.
Areas of focus
Where my strengths lie
Control technology
Control and process technology for demanding industrial plants.
PLC software development
Effective, maintainable PLC software with a clear structure and consistent architecture.
Communication & interfaces
Networking via Modbus RTU/TCP and OPC UA – including OPC UA GDS Push.
Process visualization
Process visualization and supervisory control – particularly strong with WinCC Unified and WinCC OA.
Migration & modernization
Migration of legacy controllers (S5 → S7 → TIA Portal) and modernization from WinCC flexible to WinCC Unified.
System engineering & training
System engineering as well as training and instruction of your staff.
Management
Ernesto Lienhard
Technician HF Automation
With over 25 years of experience in installation, automation and commissioning, I run Lienhard Automation with technical depth and an international outlook. My strength lies in the Siemens world: SIMATIC STEP 7 Classic, TIA Portal and PCS 7, programmed in FBD, LAD, STL and SCL, including safety controllers.
In visualization and supervisory control I am particularly strong with WinCC Unified and WinCC OA; I implement the clean networking of plants via OPC UA, Modbus (RTU/TCP), PROFINET and PROFIBUS – from the first consultation to on-site commissioning.
For over ten years I worked mostly abroad – on five continents, from North and South America across all of Europe and Africa to Asia (including Japan). These valuable years taught me a great deal, technically as well as in dealing with the most diverse cultures – a real asset for any international project.
Career
The professional path
From electrician through aviation to industrial automation – over 25 years of technical practice as a basis for reliable solutions.
- Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship as an electrician
Solid hands-on and electrical training – the foundation of the entire career.
- 3 years
Aircraft electronics technician
SR Technics
Demanding electronics and systems work on aircraft – with the highest demands on precision, safety and reliability.
- 2001–2003
Packaging machines, international
SIG-Pack Verpackung AG
Software and commissioning on high-performance packaging machines in Latin America, Europe and the USA – the entry into international machine and plant engineering.
- 2003–2004
International commissioning
Romaco
Commissioning and software assignments in Europe, the USA, Mexico and Jordan.
- 2005–2011
International grid & radiator lines
Schlatter AG
Software development and commissioning of welding, grid and radiator lines worldwide – including Turkey, Latvia, Brazil and Mexico.
- Further education
Technician HF Automation
Further education with a sound technical basis for well-considered, reliable automation solutions.
- since 2013
Self-employed – Lienhard Automation LLC
own projects & international assignments
Own automation projects (incl. WWTP/wastewater and WinCC modernization) as well as – partly in parallel – international assignments, including for Tecvil and Siemens Logistics AG (DHL, Swiss Post).
- 2025–2026
Professional Bachelor in Business Administration
Part-time further education in business administration – for the entrepreneurial management and development of my own company.
Achievements & milestones
What I have achieved in over 25 years
A selection of successfully implemented projects at home and abroad.
Mix-Mail distribution centre for Swiss Post (Zurich Mülligen) – a world first in sorting, up to 19,000 items per hour
DHL Gateway Basel: software development for a new logistics centre with more than 500 belts, sorters and chutes
International commissioning in Mexico, Turkey, Brazil, Latvia, Belarus and Germany
Safety controller for the sludge incineration plant (Werdhölzli, Zurich)
Numerous wastewater-treatment projects: stormwater tanks, wastewater heat recovery and membrane biology
Migration of legacy controllers (S5 → S7 → TIA Portal) and software extensions of existing plants
Steel & industrial plants: international PLC programming and commissioning
Values
What you can rely on
Vendor independence
Independent recommendations in the interest of your plant – not of a manufacturer.
Precision
Clean concepts, consistent program architecture, traceable documentation.
Reliability
On-time delivery and support beyond commissioning.
International experience
Projects and commissioning in Europe, North and South America.
Partner network
Stronger together
My well-established network of partner companies in Switzerland, Europe and the USA – for projects of any size.
Vonaarburg Engineering
Meisterschwanden, Switzerland
Buchmann Software
Bülach, Switzerland
TECVIL North America
The Woodlands, Texas, USA
TECVIL SARL
Neuve Eglise, France
Eckardt Engineering
Mühlhausen, Germany
Let's talk about your project.
Whether a new plant, a retrofit or commissioning at home or abroad – I advise you independently and without obligation.