DuPont to consolidate two businesses into one

US materials company DuPont will consolidate its DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers business with its DuPont Performance Polymers business, as well as consolidate the DuPont Protection Technologies business with the DuPont Building Innovations business. Both consolidations will be effective on 1 January 2016. The company says the consolidation will create greater efficiency and enhanced capabilities in the two segments where these businesses operate – the Performance Materials segment and the Safety & Protection segment, respectively. DuPont will continue to have six reporting segments.

“By bringing these business units together under common management structures, we are creating businesses of more significant scale to better serve our customers with more powerful science capabilities and stronger applications development,” said DuPont Interim Chair/CEO Edward D. Breen. “At the same time, this will lead to more effective deployment of capital in these businesses, while capturing savings in our cost structure and driving greater value for our shareholders.”

The combined DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers and DuPont Performance Polymers businesses – which will comprise the DuPont Performance Materials reporting segment – will be led by Patrick E. Lindner, currently President of DuPont Performance Polymers.

DuPont Performance Polymers includes nylon, acetal and PBT resins, as well as thermoplastic elastomers and biopolymers. The Packaging & Industrial Polymers business is made up of polymer modifers and additives and speciality resins used in adhesives, barriers, sealants and peelable lidding; as well as the DuPont Teijin Films business.

With the merger of the two units, it is expected that some jobs will be cut though the US company has not indicated how many people will be affected.