ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions set for 'planet' reorganisation

The Industrial Solutions business area, the engineering and construction arm of the thyssenkrupp Group, is being reorganised as part of the transformation programme “planets”. The aim is to secure growth, enhance performance, focus more strongly on customers, markets and high-margin service business, and drive culture change within the business area.

The modern management structure will focus on customers and business fields while integrating the Marine Systems and System Engineering units more closely. A new position of chief operating officer will be created on the business area board for this. In addition, Johan P Cnossen (56) from The Netherlands will join the leadership team of Industrial Solutions and manage the transformation office for the implementation of 'planets'.

In the future the plant technology business will have one less management tier. The current Resource Technologies and Process Technologies business units are to be dissolved. The new structure will be implemented at the start of the new fiscal year on 1 October 2016. Industrial Solutions will then have eight business units: Industrial Specialties, Mining Technologies, Cement Technologies, Electrolysis & Polymers Technologies, Fertilizer Technologies, Services, Marine Systems and System Engineering.

The Industrial Solutions business area held up well in the 1HFY15-16, reporting YoY improvements in order intake, sales and adjusted EBIT. However, there were sharp differences in order intake in the various businesses. The growth was mainly attributable to a major cement plant contract from Saudi Arabia, while demand for mining equipment and chemical plants was impacted by volatile raw material prices. The reorganisation will help secure jobs in this difficult engineering environment and create a basis for long-term profitable growth, the company said.