Murata Machinery, the U.S.-based subsidiary of Murata Machinery Ltd. of Japan has combined its two U.S. divisions. The two - factory automation, based in Charlotte, N.C., and clean room, Salt Lake City, UT - are now under a single umbrella called the Logistics and Automation Division operating out of both locations.

Head of the new combined division is Nils Hart, who formerly headed up the clean room operations. Fintan Mulligan, who headed up factory automation, is now national sales and marketing manager.

Hart says the merger will result in a broader, more responsive organization providing industrial automation that meets today's demanding supply chain requirements.