In August 2024 Kemira announced changes to its operating model and leadership team to better meet its profitable growth ambitions. The design phase of the new operating model and organizational structure started in August and is now completed. The number of Kemira employees will remain approximately the same even if many roles and responsibilities will change.
Kemira will move to three externally reported business units: Water Solutions, Packaging & Hygiene Solutions and Fiber Essentials. The centralized Operations unit will be established and it includes Kemira’s manufacturing network, Sourcing and Supply Chain Management to further strengthen Kemira’s operational backbone, enabling stronger cooperation and optimizing efficiency.
The recruitment process of the Chief Operations Officer is ongoing. The position is new and will be part of Kemira’s Group Leadership Team. Kemira’s President & CEO Antti Salminen will act as interim Chief Operations Officer from the beginning of January 2025 until the Chief Operations Officer starts in the role.
The new Research & Innovation unit will focus on long-term research and innovation while the product development will move into the new business units, increasing proximity to customers and the autonomy to prioritize initiatives to result in increased speed-to-market.
Kemira has also established a New Ventures & Services unit with focus on new market segments, new technology platforms and digital service solutions. The unit is responsible for the exploration, development and commercialization of new markets arenas as well development and implementation of new technologies and digital solutions and services across the business units.
The changes in the structure will also impact Kemira’s external financial reporting and Kemira will report three business units, Water Solutions, Packaging & Hygiene Solutions and Fiber Essentials, externally from Q1 2025 onwards. Kemira will publish more detailed financial information for the new business units at a later stage.
Kemira’s new organization and the new Group Leadership Team start in January 2025.
Source: kemira.com
BASF has signed an agreement to sell its extruded polystyrene (XPS) Styrodur business to Karl Bachl Kunststoffverarbeitung, a fellow German company, as part of its strategy to focus on expandable polystyrene (EPS).
The approximately 50 employees involved in production, marketing, and sales will remain with BASF.
Barentz, a player in the speciality ingredients sector, has appointed Derk Jan Terhorst as group chief executive officer, effective immediately. Terhorst succeeds Terry Hill, who served as Interim CEO since May 2024. With over three years of experience at Barentz as Group CFO, Terhorst brings a robust background in financial management and strategic oversight.
Former Dow president and CEO Paul Oreffice died on Dec. 26 at his home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. He was 97. During Oreffice’s tenure at Dow, he is often credited with transforming the company from an American-focused industrial power into a global leader in chemicals and plastics.
