Structural changes take place at Lenzing
Cellulosic fibre manufacturer Lenzing has decided to restructure its production, marketing and sales operations in response to changing market conditions.
The management board will now consist of four members rather than three. CEO Peter Untersperger will be supported by a chief financial officer and a chief operating officer for production, as well as a chief sales and marketing officer.
Chief operating officer Friedrich Weninger, who is responsible for the company’s global fibre business, will focus more on the company’s core production activity, effective immediately. This step is particularly crucial as the new Tencel production plant is expected to open in 2014 at a cost of around €150 million ($203.6 million).
The new facility will increase production capacity for the specialty fibre by approximately 40% to 220,000 tonnes annually and the soon-to-be-appointed chief sales and marketing officer will be responsible for managing the additional production volumes.
Finally, chief financial officer Thomas Winkler will step down from his position on the management board at the end of 2013 because of differing opinions related to the “future course and organisation” of the Lenzing Group. Mr Winkler has agreed to serve the company in an advisory capacity for another year.
“Lenzing achieved the best results in the history of the company in 2011 and 2012. We owe this success also to the successful capital measures which took place under the leadership of Thomas Winkler, to whom I would like to express our wholehearted thanks and appreciation on behalf of the supervisory board,” said Michael Junghans, chairman of the supervisory board.
