By Martin Vedris
SYDNEY: Two former Electrolux Major Appliances Australian executives have been promoted to significant roles in overseas divisions of Electrolux.
In a company statement released to Current.com.au, Electrolux has revealed the high profile placements.
Tom Bell, former manager of the Electrolux refrigeration plant at Orange in New South Wles, will succeed Daan Hekma as senior vice president – manufacturing, Electrolux Major Appliances in Asia Pacific. Bell will takes up his new position from January 1, 2008, reporting to Asia Pacific sector head Gunilla Nordström.
Daan, who also previously headed up manufacturing in Australia, has been appointed Director of Safety and Lean Manufacturing with Electrolux Major Appliances in North America.
Simon Coultas, former product marketing general manager for Electrolux Major Appliances Australia and New Zealand before he left Australia in 2003, has been appointed chairman of the food preservation global product council (GPC).
Bell is currently general manager – Thailand Operations where he is overseeing construction of the new Electrolux top-load washer and dryer plant at Rayong.
Coultas will continue his current role as vice president – product development, food preservation and air conditioning, Asia Pacific in parallel with his GPC chairmanship.
Apart from their Australian citizenship, both Bell and Coultas share careers at Electrolux — Tom in engineering and manufacturing and Simon in product development and research and development.
During his 18 months at Orange, Bell oversaw the introduction of the Electrolux Manufacturing System (EMS) to the historic fridge plant and continued as EMS champion for Asia Pacific when he moved to Thailand last year.
Coultas had a long career with Electrolux Major Appliances in Australia prior to moving to China in 2003 and, then, Singapore in 2004 and continues to visit the food preservation R&D Centre in Orange every month in his current Asia Pacific role.