Following the announcement of the Electrolux Group’s intention to simplify its global company structure, Electrolux Australia and New Zealand managing director, Kurt Hegvold explains the path ahead and what this simplified structure looks like in ANZ.
“These changes will merge our European and APAC operations to leverage common synergies, reduce organisational layers and improve our speed of execution,” Hegvold said.
“With many brand and positioning similarities between the merged business areas, there is tremendous opportunity to share knowledge and expertise and to further drive our focus on our mid- to premium level offerings. Importantly, ANZ remains a critical market within the newly formed region. As such, the current focus on customers and consumers’ needs in the ANZ market remains a constant.”
In October, Electrolux Group global CEO, Jonas Samuelson announced a continuation of the current global reorganisation initiative communicated in July of this year, addressing the challenging macro environment and increasing focus on agility and simplification in the organisation. The Group will reorganise into three regional business areas and two global product lines reporting to the CEO, leveraging global scale with fewer layers.
As a result of these changes, 3,000 roles globally will be impacted with both the removal of roles and establishment of newly created roles.
While there are many similarities in the new Europe and Asia business area that will benefit ANZ, the uniqueness of the APAC region has been recognised. With some roles based in Europe, others will continue to be based in APAC to ensure optimal support of the country-based operations around both Europe and APAC.
“The ANZ business will continue the organisational evolution, as shared in July, as we see previously announced changes take effect which includes some newly created roles and some removal of other roles. We don’t take these actions lightly and remain committed to ensuring our valued employees are supported through this time of necessary transition,” Hegvold said.
“For ANZ, we continue to create a business that supports retailers and consumers locally, offering our current range of products and supporting our current portfolio of brands complemented by agile product innovation as consumer demands change. Reassuringly, our products are backed by the largest appliance technical and service support network in ANZ.
“In a period of change felt across the industry, what remains constant at Electrolux is the continued focus on a competitive whitegoods offering, the priority of the cooking category in ANZ and the importance it holds in the newly created business area. This is in addition to our continued strategic investment in innovation, the suite of brands and the products at the core of those brands.
“Outwardly, we won’t look different to retailers and consumers through this change. We can be counted on to deliver the brands, products and services that people have trusted for decades. What can be expected is an enhancement to how we work and how we deliver.
“We will continue sharing our plans with our stakeholders across ANZ in a timely and comprehensive manner that will ensure business continuity and the health of our ongoing trusted partnerships.”