Lectra announced appointment of Akihiko Tanaka to the role of Managing Director, Lectra Japan. Based in Osaka, Akihiko Tanaka's role is to support Lectra's Japanese fashion & apparel and automotive customers as they undergo transformations related to Industry 4.0. Akihiko Tanaka has over 20 years of experience as a Sales Director in the automotive and electronic industries. From 1994 to 2000, he worked in France as Sales Director of Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) in charge of commercializing automation equipment to the automotive and electronic industries, and then went back to Japan in early 2000. In 2001, he joined INCS, a consulting and engineering company, to develop the footprint of a 3D CAD offer, initially within Japanese markets, then elsewhere in Asia, and Europe. In 2005, Akihiko Tanaka joined Dassault Systèmes where he successively held the roles of Business Developer for PLM solutions, then Sales and Marketing Director for the design solution 3D CATIA, and finally as Director, academic programs.