Murata Machinery USA Inc. announced key leadership changes, including naming Keiji Yuasa as president and CEO of Muratec USA, effective Oct. 1, 2025.
In a statement, the company says Yuasa brings more than two decades of global leadership experience and operational expertise developed during his tenure with Murata Machinery.
Since joining the company in 2005, he has served as managing director of Murata Singapore Pte. Ltd. and in corporate planning in Human Resources Japan, where he cultivated strong relationships with leaders across multiple business divisions.
Yuasa succeeds Toshiyuki Komori, who served as Muratec USA’s president and CEO for four and a half years. Komori has returned to Muratec USA’s parent company, Murata Machinery Ltd. (MML) of Kyoto, Japan, as executive sales manager for Turning in MML’s Machine Tools Division.
“I am honored to lead Murata Machinery USA at such an exciting time,” Yuasa said. “Building on our proud legacy of innovation and excellence, we remain committed to advancing Muratec’s end-to-end automation solutions and driving sustainable growth across all divisions—empowering our customers to enhance efficiency, competitiveness, and long-term success throughout North America.”
New leadership in two divisions
Muratec USA also announced other leadership changes at the division level.
In the Textiles Division, Chuck Butts has been appointed director of operations, effective Oct. 1, 2025. Long-time director of operations David Stalvey, a 37-year veteran of Muratec USA, will remain with the company as textiles advisor.
With over 30 years of experience at Murata Machinery USA’s Textile Division, Butts has developed expertise and leadership through roles that have spanned from field technician to sales manager. In his new role, he now guides the division with vision and continuity while actively supporting the industry through his involvement with the National Council of Textile Organizations and the Southern Textile Association Board of Governors.
Muratec USA’s Logistics and Automation (L&A) Division has named Kazuyuki Uratani as general manager, effective Nov. 3, 2025. Masatoshi Wakabayashi, former general manager of L&A, will continue to serve the division as executive director.
In his new advisory role, Wakabayashi will leverage more than 30 years of global leadership experience within the Muratec Group to guide and support Muratec USA’s continued advancement in automation solutions.
Uratani, who joined MML in 1992, has dedicated over 33 years to the L&A Division, leading Factory Automation sales since 2018 and driving growth through major projects, including partnerships in the EV battery industry. In his new role, Uratani aims to achieve sustainable growth for Muratec USA’s L&A Division and strengthen its North American presence by leveraging his extensive leadership, strategic planning, and material handling expertise.
Contact Details
Related Glossary Terms
- chuck
chuck
Workholding device that affixes to a mill, lathe or drill-press spindle. It holds a tool or workpiece by one end, allowing it to be rotated. May also be fitted to the machine table to hold a workpiece. Two or more adjustable jaws actually hold the tool or part. May be actuated manually, pneumatically, hydraulically or electrically. See collet.
- turning
turning
Workpiece is held in a chuck, mounted on a face plate or secured between centers and rotated while a cutting tool, normally a single-point tool, is fed into it along its periphery or across its end or face. Takes the form of straight turning (cutting along the periphery of the workpiece); taper turning (creating a taper); step turning (turning different-size diameters on the same work); chamfering (beveling an edge or shoulder); facing (cutting on an end); turning threads (usually external but can be internal); roughing (high-volume metal removal); and finishing (final light cuts). Performed on lathes, turning centers, chucking machines, automatic screw machines and similar machines.
