After 16 years of service with BPA, Mike Ganacoplos retired as president of BPA North and South America on Monday, May 19, 2014.

“Mike was a key contributor to the growth of the organization; his leadership, knowledge and passion will be missed by his BluePrint Automation family. At the same time, we are happy for Mike to now enjoy a very well deserved retirement and more time with his family.” said Martin Prakken, CEO of BPA.

As Ganacoplos’ retirement was long planned, it allowed BPA to conduct a very thorough and careful search for the right individual to succeed him. BPA happily announces Mr. Peter Schneider as the new President of BPA North and South America.

Schneider holds a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and comes with a strong background in the machinery building industry. He has built a solid career in managing large projects and complex engineering disciplines; working his way up to general management with full P&L responsibility.

Schneider said, “BluePrint Automation and BluePrint Robotics are an excellent combination to support our approach to deliver products and service for flexible packaging systems. Mike Ganacoplos did an excellent job in growing size and competencies of both entities for the last 16 years. I am very excited to be part of the future success story. The main focus of both organizations for the next few years will be product innovation, standardization, and reduction of time to market. This will support our continuous journey to be the most recognized industry partner for flexible packaging systems.”