Whirlpool of India goes in for recast, merges two divisions
Our Corporate Bureau
New Delhi, Jan 9: Inundated with unsold refrigerators' pile-up, Whirlpool of India has decided to merge its sales and service divisions into a common operational wing, kicking off its organisational recamp.The company has also announced the resignation of its vice-president sales Sunder Hemranjani. The sales division, along with the service wing, will be looked after by Raj Jain, who has been appointed as vice- president sales and service. The revamp, as briefly reported yesterday, will include the integration of the refrigeration-manufacturing unit at Faridabad and the up-coming CFC-free-no-frost machines at Ranjangaon, near Pune, under one business unit. A Whirlpool spokesperson said the revamp was aimed at consolidating the company's position. Whirlpool president and managing director Garrick D'Silva said: ``This change has been initiated to establish a distinctive business footprint for the future of the organisation.'' The company spokesperson also said the new structure has been designed to
simplify working structures, roles and accountabilities. ``To enable Whirlpool of India to be highly customer-focussed, increase the speed of service and improve trade management and sales, Service and trade marketing functions are being integrated. This will reduce overlaps and provide greater employment to the operating levels within the organisation,'' the company said in a release. The company spokesperson felt that the new structure would enable Whirlpool to establish one point of contact with the customer. Meanwhile, the company's Rs 350-crore no-frost refrigerator plant at Ranjangaon is nearing completion. The facility will be commissioned soon and the no-frost refrigerator range is scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of 1998-99. Whirlpool had, during the last quarter, closed down its factory in Faridabad for a few days, faced as it was with a large inventory pileup. The company, however, said that it had shut down the facility for maintenance. Industry sources also say that the
company has huge outstandings in the market, running into crores of rupees.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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