DuPont Divides to Conquer

Originally Published MPMN April 2002

INDUSTRY NEWS

DuPont Divides to Conquer

Norbert Sparrow

If you buy medical packaging materials or fabrics from DuPont Corp. (Wilmington, DE; www.dupont.com), 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 come under increasing competitive pressure in recent years.

The five market- and technology-focused businesses are electronic and communication technologies, performance materials, coatings and color 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.

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