As part of the restructuring measures at the Sarnamotive Division – see PIE 02, 2004 – Matti Paasila, CEO of the Sarna group (CH-6060 Sarnen; www.sarna.com) has assumed interim management of the European automotive sector. The previous division manager, Stefan Tschugmell, as new managing director of the Czech subsidiary Sarnamotive Bohemia in Liberec, will concentrate on expanding eastern European business. At the same time, the European and US supply businesses are to be merged into a single division. Operating management of Sarnamotive America will remain with Douglas C. Chapple for a transition period. According to Sarna, the search for a new manager for the global automotive activities is already under way.

Sarnamotive´s restructuring project, which began in November 2003, is being led by Rainer Berner, commercial director of the German subsidiary Paulmann & Crone (D-58513 Lüdenscheid; www.sarnamotive.de). As part of the project, some 400 jobs are being eliminated at Lüdenscheid and the US. The activities in Lüdenscheid, formerly spread over four plants, are gradually being concentrated at the new competence centre at Timberg. At the same time, more assembly-intensive activities are being shifted to the Czech plant. A US plant was closed in spring 2004.