November 2019 ertonline.co.uk


BSH UK & Ireland CEO to move over to BSH Group


CEO of BSH UK & Ireland, Andreas Meier, will be leaving to take up a new position within the BSH Group. The parent manufacturing company of Bosch, NEFF, Siemens and Gaggenau appliances announced that Mr Meier will start his new position as Executive Vice President, Head of Consumer Product Division, in February next year. In this role he will take on responsibility for the


Small Domestic Appliances business globally.


Since taking over as CEO for the UK


& Ireland division in 2014, the company has seen market share grow along with an increased revenue.


Commenting on his new role, Mr Meier said he would be leaving the UK & Ireland role “with some regret”. “Despite numerous challenges and


uncertainties, we have enjoyed a huge amount of success in the past fi ve years. “The foundation of this has been professionalism and collaborative


the


culture of our employees as well as our exceptionally committed customer base, for which we are extremely grateful.”


A successor to the CEO role will be announced soon.


Miele restructures business and cuts jobs


Miele has announced its latest business changes as part of its future plans. The German appliance manufacturer will “bundle” its operating business into eight individual units and it is introducing a more powerful format for worldwide sales and a new location for digital marketing and sales. This realignment in the fi elds of administration


and sales with a view to greater growth is coming at the cost of around 1,070 jobs worldwide by the end of 2021; nearly 240 jobs could be shed in Germany at the company’s central headquarters and around 830 jobs may be affected outside Germany. These changes across the entire Miele Group, which are set to save 190 million – also through reductions in material costs – are part of its Design2Excellence (D2E) programme, which was launched a year ago. Also included in this programme is the ‘New


Growth Factory’ business unit, which was specifi cally created to identify new fi elds of business, and the Group’s new Digital Hub Marketing & Sales


is to be set up in Amsterdam. Elsewhere under D2E, around 470 jobs will be


created to strengthen Miele’s digital expertise, to exploit new business fi elds and at further new locations to provide cross-border support. “The objective is to expand the company’s position in the premium segment for domestic appliances and commercial machines whilst at the same time sustainably securing the economic standing of the entire Miele Group,” the company said in a statement. “The Executive Board is fully aware of the huge impact of these cuts on the employees concerned. Consequently, every effort will be made to arrive at responsible and socially acceptable solutions which refl ect the values of the company.” The manufacturer said there is an “urgent need for action” and that the increasingly price- aggressive behaviour of Asian corporations is a contributory factor.


“Account must be taken of far-reaching changes in the marketplace and in consumers’ habits,” the


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statement said. “Furthermore, economic prospects in important markets are greatly subdued. This situation is triggered by familiar geopolitical confl icts and risks to which no end is in sight.” At the same time, Miele reported around 4.16


billion turnover in its 2018/19 fi nancial year; this corresponds to growth of more than 30 per cent. The fi rst quarter of the current business year also points to further growth.


The company also spoke about its Laundry


Care 2025 programme and preparations for the future relationship between the Gütersloh washing machine plant (GTG) and the new production plant in the Polish town of Ksawerów. Through this, around 650 jobs are to be shed before the end of 2025.


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