Motor and drive company names CEO

Yaskawa America Inc. (YAI) named Mike Knapek, president and chief operations officer (COO) of the drives & motion division, to the position of CEO. Knapek takes over for Masahiro Ogawa, who has led Yaskawa’s drives, motion, and robotics business in the Americas for the past 5 1/2 years. Ogawa will return to Kurosaki, Japan to take on the role of Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Yaskawa’s global robotics business. As CEO, Knapek will lead both the drives & motion and Motoman robotics divisions of Yaskawa America, Inc. He will also continue to serve as president and COO of the Drives & Motion Division. In August 2015, Knapek, became corporate vice president of Yaskawa Electric Corporation in Japan.

Knapek began his career with Magnetek, Inc. in 1986. After Yaskawa acquired the Magnetek’s drives division from Magnetek, he took on leadership roles in several product areas for Yaskawa. He later became responsible for the drives business in North and South America. Knapek became President and chief operations officer (COO) of Yaskawa America Inc. in March of 2011.

Yaskawa America Inc.

www.yaskawa.com 

– Edited from a Yaskawa press release by CFE Media. See related stories linked below.

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