Beckhoff Automation Appoints New President

Beckhoff Automation LLC (Savage, MN) appointed Kevin Barker as their new president to manage business operations across the U.S., taking over the leadership role that Aurelio Banda has held for four years as he led revenue growth and business developments to new heights, finishing fiscal year 2018 with nearly $80 million in U.S. sales, new field offices and more employees than ever. Barker now oversees all sales, engineering, marketing and administrative operations from their headquarters in Savage, which also houses the main technical support hub and warehouse for customers in the U.S.

Prior to joining Beckhoff, Barker worked at Yaskawa America, Inc. as their director of sales in the motion division. “As a proven manager of large cross-functional teams and an esteemed expert on motion control, EtherCAT and general automation technologies, Kevin Barker is well prepared to guide us to the next phase of business development,” said Hans Beckhoff, the managing director and founder of Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG (Verl, Germany). “Kevin’s expertise and abilities align very well with our philosophy to implement leading automation technology based on our PC control principles, in close collaboration with customers.”

“I have dedicated my entire career to helping machine builders, manufacturers and other high-tech companies succeed on a global scale with leading-edge automation technologies. This is the logical progression of my journey and an exciting new chapter,” Barker said. “I am honored to lead this U.S. subsidiary of such a profoundly innovative automation company. I am ready to take charge with a strategic vision that empowers all U.S.-based employees.”

www.beckhoff.com