WAITAKI, New Zealand (April 20, 2016) — The Waitaki District Council in New Zealand recently celebrated the upgrade of the Oamaru Water Treatment Plant, which will use innovative water filtration technology from GE to increase plant capacity by 25 percent. The upgrade is part of a broader commitment by the council to provide high-quality drinking water to the growing local population.

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (April 15, 2016) -- Yaskawa America Inc. (YAI) has announced the promotion of Mike Knapek, president and 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.