Originally Published EMDM May/June 2002
INDUSTRY NEWS
DuPont Divides to ConquerIf you buy medical packaging materials or fabrics from DuPont Corp. (Wilmington, DE, USA), it's time to update your Outlook. The firm has announced a reorganization of its businesses into five groups, or growth platforms, as the company calls them. In addition, it plans to spin off its textiles businesses, which have diverted R&D resources from more-profitable sectors and have come under increasing competitive pressure in recent years.
The five market- and technology-focussed businesses are electronic and communication technologies; performance materials; coatings and colour technologies; safety and protection; and agriculture and nutrition. The restructuring will enable faster execution and improved capability for innovation and shareholder value creation, according to DuPont chairman and CEO Charles O. Holliday Jr.
Medical packaging and Sontara fabrics, which are used in gowns and drapes, will join the safety and protection platform as part of the nonwovens group. Surlyn materials now fall under the performance materials platform. Transition plans for the firm's European operations have not yet been finalized.
For more information, contact DuPont Corp., P.O. Box 80728, Wilmington, DE 19880, USA; phone: +1 800 4489835; fax: +1 800 2030013; e-mail: tyvekinf@usa.dupont.com; Internet: www.dupont.com.
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