Huber+Suhner said it will adopt a new strategy starting from January 2021. The company will focus on the three market segments Industrial, Communication and Transportation, which will replace Radio Frequency, Fibre Optics and Low Frequency at the highest level of the structure. It is reorganising its internal structure too.

The company is establishing a global sales team, as opposed to the current regional organisation in eight sub-regions. The goal is to focus on specific market segments and improve proximity to customers. Operational responsibility, which previously was under the technology segments, will be transferred to the three market segments Industrial, Communication and Transportation. Responsibilities are set up for Sales, Strategy and Business Development, and Technology and Operations.

The Technology and Operations division will be responsible for research and development, product management and the entire supply chain from planning to operational procurement, manufacturing and logistics. The technologies will be integrated into the three new market segments. Radio Frequency for example will be integrated into the Industry segment, Fibre Optics into Communication, and Low Frequency into Transportation. This will keep technology expertise together as a whole and provide an organisational assignment to the specific segments. Huber+Suhner will continue to offer customers integrated systems for different technologies. The combination of segment-specific and cross-segment technologies will open up additional opportunities for business, it said.

The Strategy and Business Development division will be responsible for combining offerings for available technologies. The strategic focus in this field will provide a boost for the organisation and the long-term positioning of the company with regard to innovation, partnerships and M&A. The company wants to expand in its core markers Test and Measurement, Cell Site, Communication Equipment Manufacturers, WAN/Access Networks, Railway. The Small Cells segment will be merged with the Cell Site core market.

The reorganisation has leds to changes in the executive team. Reto Bolt will become COO of the Industry segment. He was previously COO of the Radio Frequency division. Drew Nixon will become COO of the Transportation segment. He was previously COO Global Sales. CEO Urs Ryffel will lead the Communication segment until the appointment of the new management.

Ivo Wechsler (CFO) and Patricia Stolz (CHRO) will remain members of Executive Group Management. Fritz Landolt, who was previously COO of Fibre Optics MCI, Patrick Riederer (previously COO Low Frequency division) and Dr Martin Strasser (previously COO Fiber Optics FDC) will step down from the Executive Group Management on 31 December but remain in key management positions within the company.

Huber+Suhner will publish a report relating to the new market segment structure for the first time for the first half of 2021 , including a prior-year period restatement. The figures for the fiscal year 2020 will still be reported by technology segment as before. They will be published at the media and analysts' conference on 09 March.