Digital Engineering & CAE
Simulation-driven product development, engineering processes and digital models.
DR. SCHAFSTALL CONSULTANCY
Where ideas
converge into
impact.
Interdisciplinary thinking. Connecting Engineering · Technology · AI · Manufacturing · Business.
Understanding complex challenges. Connecting expertise, people and technology. Turning ideas into practical solutions.
INTERDISCIPLINARY BY DESIGN
Different perspectives.
One powerful direction.
Complex challenges rarely belong to one discipline. The greatest potential emerges where engineering, technology, AI, manufacturing and business meet — not as isolated competencies, but as one connected perspective.
EXPERTISE
Deep expertise.
Broad perspective.
Experience across engineering software, simulation, product development, technology strategy and business development creates the foundation for connecting disciplines rather than optimizing them in isolation.
Engineering Automation
Transforming engineering knowledge into scalable, robust workflows.
AI for Engineering
Surrogate models, engineering AI and agentic approaches focused on practical value.
Product Development × Manufacturing
Connecting the digital product with industrialization, production knowledge and execution.
Strategy & Business Development
Connecting technology, market needs, positioning and implementation.
SELECTED ENGAGEMENTS & EXPERIENCE
Experience that connects.
Technology that enables.
Across engineering software, simulation, manufacturing and business, one principle has remained constant: connect complementary technologies and people, preserve their individual strengths and translate complexity into solutions that users can understand and adopt.
SIMUFACT / MSC SOFTWARE · ENGINEERING SOFTWARE & LEADERSHIP
Building technology, business and organizations.
I founded the company that later became Simufact with the ambition to bring advanced simulation closer to manufacturing engineering. Over more than two decades, my role evolved from entrepreneurship and software innovation into international technology and business leadership — spanning product development, engineering services, R&D, sales and new markets.
A guiding principle was to shape complex simulation around the language, processes and decisions of its users. At the same time, I brought different companies, teams and capabilities together and, following the integration into MSC Software, developed new technologies, markets and scalable structures as CTO and later CEO.
Building technology was only part of the journey. Building teams, organizations, markets and the connections between them mattered just as much.
HEXAGON MANUFACTURING INTELLIGENCE · SMART MANUFACTURING
Connecting technologies and organizations.
As Executive Vice President Smart Manufacturing and a member of the Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence leadership team, I developed and drove a common Smart Manufacturing vision across technologies, product lines and regions. The focus was on connecting software and hardware, engineering and manufacturing, and teams across organizational boundaries — without losing their individual strengths.
This included building an international Smart Factory organization, establishing regional Smart Manufacturing Hubs and developing cross-product solutions for digital transformation together with customers.
Innovation grows when technologies, organizations and people start strengthening each other.
GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION & DIGITAL ENGINEERING COMPANY · STRATEGIC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Connecting technology, markets, partners and growth.
As a consultant, I supported the strategic development of a global Digital Engineering portfolio — from technology and product strategy to pricing, sales, channels and partnerships, competitive positioning and market development.
A particular focus was an important Asian market, where I helped develop a collaborative ecosystem connecting automotive customers, engineering service companies, technology expertise and the local sales organization — turning individual opportunities into a scalable approach.
Sustainable growth emerges when technology, customers, partners and commercial strategy move in the same direction.
DETROIT ENGINEERED PRODUCTS (DEP) · STRATEGIC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Engineering new opportunities.
Working closely with DEP as a consultant in the role of Director Strategic Business Development, I support the expansion of its engineering technology business — with a primary focus on the German-speaking market and close collaboration with teams in Japan and other regions.
My work connects business development, partnerships and technology positioning with new applications for DEP technologies. This includes shaping the positioning of AIWorks and exploring how MeshWorks can connect manufacturing process development more closely with product development. Shipbuilding is one example of combining engineering information, geometry processing, CAE automation and simulation into a workflow that follows the language and logic of the engineer.
New opportunities emerge when we understand what technology can really do, recognize where else it can create value, and translate it into the language of the engineer.
A principle that has remained consistent across different technologies, industries and roles:
Understand what a technology fundamentally does. Recognize where else it can create value. Combine and adapt existing capabilities. Then translate the complexity into the language and workflow of the engineer who will use it.HOW I WORK
From understanding
to execution.
UNDERSTAND
Quickly grasp the engineering, technology and business challenge.
CONNECT
Bring together the right people, disciplines and technologies — and recognize where existing capabilities can create value beyond their original application.
ENABLE
Translate complexity into the language and workflows of the user, making advanced technology accessible and scalable.
EXECUTE
Turn the resulting concept into something that works and creates measurable impact.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT × MANUFACTURING
Engineering does not end
with the digital model.
The strongest solutions connect product development, simulation and digital engineering with manufacturing knowledge and industrial reality.
INNOVATION IN PRACTICE
Turning engineering challenges into scalable solutions.
Shipbuilding is a current example of how I approach a new engineering domain — starting with the engineering challenge, not with a predefined software product.
The solution combines existing capabilities in engineering information, geometry processing, meshing, automation and simulation with shipbuilding-specific knowledge. Rather than reinventing these technologies, the focus is on understanding what each can contribute, connecting them intelligently and translating the result into a workflow that follows the language and logic of the engineer.
Understand the domain. Reuse capabilities. Connect technology and people. Make complexity accessible.Have an engineering challenge that does not fit neatly into an existing product or process? I support companies from the first concept and technology strategy through collaboration with domain experts to a practical implementation approach.
INSIGHTS
Innovation grounded
in engineering reality.
Perspectives on AI, engineering automation, simulation, product development and engineering transformation.
PERSONAL
Technology connects possibilities.
People make them happen.
Complex challenges are not solved by technology alone. What matters is connecting people, engineering knowledge, technology and business perspectives so that practical solutions can emerge together.
LET’S CONNECT →LET’S CONNECT
Bring the right perspectives together.
People · Expertise · Technology · Collaboration · Impact
In a world of specialized expertise and organizational silos, progress often starts by creating connections. I bring people, engineering knowledge, technology and business perspectives together — opening paths for collaboration and turning disconnected capabilities into shared solutions.
Breaking silos. Connecting strengths. Creating momentum.