JANUARY 31--Craig Bauer has been appointed Omron Electronics (OEI) chief operating officer (CEO), and Frank Newburn has been promoted to the position of co-CEO. Newburn will maintain his title as OEI's president as well as continuing his responsibilities as president of Omron Manufacturing of America (Schaumburg, IL).
Bauer will oversee Omron Electronics Industrial Automation and Technical Automation Services Divisions, the Omron IDM Controls Houston operation, and the Omron Canada and Omron Brazil subsidiaries. He joins Omron after a 24-year management career with Videojet Technologies Inc.
"The manufacturing business environment has changed dramatically in the last couple of years," Bauer said. "Only those companies which explore new directions and move forward in nontraditional ways will have the competitive edge. I believe the keys to Omron's success lies in our ability to further improve overall customer satisfaction while constantly challenging the organization to realize continuous improvement by eliminating non-value added activities."
