LUFTHANSA CARGO TO RESTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT

LUFTHANSA CARGO TO RESTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT    Lufthansa Cargo has announced plans to reorganize in January to give the company clearer lines of responsibility over its distinct business segments, including air freight carriage, ground handling and logistics services.
   Lufthansa Cargo will split its core business operations into three divisions accountable for their own profit and loss results. Global Cargo Net — encompassing sales, marketing, network development and business excellence — will oversee airport-to-airport air freight carriage worldwide. Global Cargo Handling Services will manage ground services provided by and for the company. Global Freighter Operations will take responsibility for all-cargo operations. A division called Corporate and Shared Services will provide controlling, finance, strategy, human resources, technology, communications and quality management services in support of the three core units.
   Industry observers have speculated about a possible sale of part of Lufthansa Cargo since early this year, when the airline formed two joint ventures with Frankfurt neighbor Deutsche Post AG. Under the new structure, Lufthansa will be able to more easily track the precise bottom line value of each piece of its business, conceivably making a future split more feasible. “With Cargo Development, we intend to create a dynamic customer and value-oriented organization, and thereby significantly increase the company’s value,” said Jean-Peter Jansen, Lufthansa Cargo chairman.
   “We are laying the foundations for ongoing and profitable growth,” Jansen said.
   Lufthansa has shifted management to run the new structure. Executive board member Andreas Otto will oversee Global Cargo Net and all marketing and sales. Erwin Obladen has been appointed vice president of worldwide sales. Georg Hermann Sahler is the new area manager for the Germany, Joachim Steinbach is in charge of Europe and Africa, Georg Midunsky will head up the Americas area and Martin Schlingensiepen has been named manager of the Mideast and Far East.
   Harald Eisen'cher will serve as vice president of marketing. Herbert Steppat is in charge of network planning and control as vice president-network. Wolfgang Schmitz will be vice president of business excellence and development.
   Werner Sch'bler has been appointed as head of the Global Cargo Handling Services. Klaus K'ster will be in charge of ground handling in Germany, and J'rgen Siebenrock will take over management of ground handling in the Americas.
   The Global Freighter Operations unit will be managed by Capt. Werner Knorr, former flight operations manager at Lufthansa Cargo.