In a bid to strengthen customer relations, French chemicals company Rhodia announced yesterday that from now on it will be grouped around four divisions which will essentially serve the company's key markets.
In order to arrive at the divisions, Rhodia identified eight major markets that draw on the array of diversified products of Rhodia's Enterprises - consumer care, food, industrial care, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, agrochemical, electronic and fibre. From this point the group created the following four divisions - Automotive, Electronics and Fibers, Food and Consumer Care, Agrochemicals and Pharmaceuticals and Rhodia Pharma.
" Rhodia's business model is based on the cross-fertilisation of our expertises in chemistry and technology as well as a closer relationship with our customer-partners, " said Jean-Pierre Tirouflet, chairman and CEO of Rhodia.
" This strategy, already evident in a number of our business Enterprises, is being implemented company-wide by an evolution of our organisation and culture as well as through our offer. More structured and transversal, this new organisation will enable us to better respond to the issues of our customers and, together with them, meet the major challenges of tomorrow, " he continued.
The Food and Consumer Care division, representing 37 per cent of Rhodia sales, will principally serve the markets for food, cosmetics and detergents and is comprised of five Enterprises : HPCII, Rhodia Food, Specialty Phosphates, Phosphorus & Performance Derivatives and Acetow.
Earlier this month Rhodia announced the sale of its UK-based brewing and enzymes businesses to US biotech company Genencor International in a bid to strengthen its focus on food additives. The divestment was part of the current Rhodia strategy to re-align its portfolio, develop 'value-added' solutions for customers and to generate a total of €500 million from divestiture.
In 2001 Rhodia reported net sales of €7.2 billion.