September, 5, 2012: Omron Industrial Automation, a global manufacturer of automation products and a leading provider of application expertise, has announced the appointment of Mr Pradeep Karnik as its Managing Director for India. Mr Karnik succeeds Mr Takaaki Ombe who will take on a different role at the company after ensuring a smooth transition to the new leadership. As the new MD, Mr. Karnik will be responsible for Omron Industrial Automation's strategic growth and expansion in India, bringing global best practices and technologies to critical Indian industries.

Mr Karnik is a veteran of the industrial automation industry with a cumulative experience of 24 years across multiple disciplines and vertical industries. He joins Omron from Schneider Electric where he served as VP - Industry Business, responsible for building up Automation systems Business in sectors like steel, chemical, textiles, automobiles, F&B and pharmaceuticals. Prior to this, he has also held leadership roles at companies such as Siemens and NELCO.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr Takaaki Ombe said "We're glad to have Pradeep on the management team here in India as we believe that the macro-economic indicators will provide the industrial automation industry tremendous scope for growth. A strong leadership will ensure that we leverage this opportunity and Pradeep's technical expertise combined with a deep understanding of the market and customers is the perfect mix."

Mr Karnik said, "Omron is a global leader in the industrial automation space and has proven its superiority across multiple disciplines time and again. I believe that India is ready for the same level of excellence demonstrated across the world and therefore I am excited about the opportunity to replicate that success in India."

As Omron Industrial Automation continues to gather momentum in India, its focus on solutions will drive growth for the company going forward. The company is bullish on the Indian growth story, as seen through their continuous investments in human capital.

Omron Automation - India caters to over 8 industrial applications encompassing the wide requirements of packaging, automotive, material handling, solar, food and beverages, textile and panel handling applications. In recent years the company has been concentrating on the solution business, which provides "One Stop" solutions, improving the overall efficiency on diverse production sites. Focusing on the themes of quality, safety and the environment, they support manufacturing innovation worldwide with their unique sensing & controlling technologies.

Dwijen Arun Desai, Omron Automation Pvt Ltd, India. Email: dwijend@ap.omron.com