CNH ANNOUNCES ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES IN ITS AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS
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Lake Forest, Illinois (February 1, 2005) CNH Global N.V. (NYSE:CNH) announced today that it is reorganizing its Agricultural Equipment Business to drive additional focus on achieving best-in-class business results. The new organization will place greater emphasis on strategic marketing and brand management, brand identity and communication, and supply chain activities.
The company is also creating an International Region to be responsible for industrial and commercial activities in Australia and New Zealand, eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, as well as its joint ventures. This action recognizes the significance of a number of rapidly growing markets for agricultural equipment, while allowing the other three regions to devote their full resources to the core markets of western and central Europe, Latin America, and North America.
"Two years ago, we created geographic regions to improve our speed of decision-making and to better meet regional and customer requirements," said Roland Sunden, President, Agricultural Equipment Business. "We also set up global functions to improve the management of our strategic assets, such as brands, capital investments and product development resources. The organizational changes we are announcing today are refinements to this structure, and mark a strengthening of our global functions by assigning senior operational and business leaders to drive them."
Rich Christman, previously responsible for the Agricultural North America and Australia-New Zealand Region, has been named Chief of Commercial Governance and Supply Chain, Agricultural Equipment Business. He will be based in Lake Forest, Illinois, and have responsibility for agricultural business development, brand management and strategy, distribution structure and policies, supply chain, and aftermarket sales process improvement.
Franco Fusignani, formerly head of the Agricultural Europe, Africa and Asia Region, is Chief of Product Development and Industrial Governance, Agricultural Equipment Business. Responsible for the planning, design and launch of new products; industrial investment; technology strategy; and industrial policies, Fusignani will be based in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Marco Mazzu', formerly responsible for the Agricultural Latin America Region, is Regional President, Agricultural Equipment Business Europe, which includes western and central Europe. Mazzu' will be based in Basildon, United Kingdom.
Jim Sharp is joining CNH as Regional President, Agricultural Equipment Business North America, which includes Canada and the United States. Most recently, Sharp has been head of Ingersoll-Rand Company's Construction Equipment business, based in Davidson, North Carolina. Sharp joins CNH with more than twenty-five years of experience in a variety of Ingersoll-Rand business units, including the Bobcat, Road Machinery, Construction and Mining, and Centrifugal Compressor divisions. He will be based in Racine, Wisconsin.
Michael Edmondson has been named Regional President, Agricultural Equipment Business International. He had been responsible for Agricultural Sales - Africa, Middle East, Asia and Joint Ventures. Edmondson will be based in Basildon, United Kingdom.
Luciano Paiola is Regional President, Agricultural Equipment Business Latin America, which also includes Mexican Industrial Operations. He will be based in Curitiba, Brazil. Paiola was formerly responsible for Agricultural Product Development and Industrial Governance.
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CNH is the power behind leading agricultural and construction equipment brands of the Case and New Holland brand families. Supported by 12,000 dealers in approximately 160 countries, CNH brings together the knowledge and heritage of its brands with the strength and resources of its worldwide commercial, industrial, product support and finance organizations. More information about CNH and its products can be found on line at www.cnh.com.