The Hoechst group (D-65926 Frankfurt) has reorganised its engineering plastics division according to products and geographical regions. Replacing the previous geographical structure will be four new strategic business units (SBUs) for Polyacetal/Nylon, headed by Carl Amond at Dallas, Texas, Performance Polymers, headed by Ben Cantanzaro at Summit, New Jersey, and PE-GUR managed by Volker Hülck in Frankfurt, along with the fluoropolymers SBU, managed by Hartmut Voigt in Frankfurt, which is foreseen to be part of the new joint venture with 3M (PIE No. 21). All SBU managers will report to division head Bernd Sassenrath.

Each of the new SBUs has been subdivided into business lines. For polyacetals, the European business line will be headed by Dietrich Fleischer in Frankfurt, the business line in the Americas by Dave Conger in Dallas and the nylon line – for both continents – by Tom Heany in Dallas. Within the Performance Polymers SBU, Hermann Schaap is to be manager of the polyester business line, which will have its headquarters at Frankfurt. The "Vectra" liquid crystal polymer business line, also at Frankfurt, will be headed by Steve Mullins, while Almuth Poertz will be in charge of the "Fortron" PPS line at Wilmington, North Carolina. Steve Bowen will head Polyester Composites Inc. at Winona. Jim Sullivan is to be manager of the Americas business line in fluoropolymers, while Shawn Gorman, based at Bayport, Texas, will have responsibility for the GUR business line in the Americas.

Hoechst has not revealed whether its long awaited refocused strategy for engineering plastics will be exhausted in the management restructuring or whether realignments iin the product portfolio itself are still to come. However, the fact that business lines have been created for all products currently in its range suggests that there are no immediate plans to drop any of them.