Motorola Unveils 'Seamless Mobility' Reorganization

Announced Monday, the new structure will consist of the following units: Personal Devices, Networks, Connected Home, and Government and Enterprise.

"Aligning our organization with our vision of seamless mobility takes it to the next level," said Zander in a statement. "With a more streamlined structure, Motorola will boost its flexibility and speed to capitalize on new opportunities allowing us to deliver seamless mobility to our customers and consumers worldwide." Zander took over the helm at Motorola earlier this year.

Some smaller company units will be shuffled around. The reorganization will be carried out during the first quarter of 2005 and additional details will be announced later, said Jennifer Weyrauch, Motorola spokeswoman.

"Handsets and devices for now will be the biggest (group)," she said, noting that handsets alone make up about 40 percent of Motorola's business today. They will be included in the Personal Devices business group, which will consist of the company's personal communications businesses and its phone centric devices for the enterprise and the home. In an example of the "seamless mobility" concept, the group will connect with other business groups. Ron Garriques will head the group as its president.

The Networks group, to be led by Adrian Nemcek, its president, will consolidate the firm's network businesses, leveraging talent, operating efficiency and R and D. Focusing on Motorola's existing cellular radio access networks and on core IP networks, the new business group will also house next generation IMS/softswitch technologies, iDEN infrastructure, telco wire line access, 802.XX mobile broadband group and applications management services as well as embedded communications and computer platforms. Some operations from the previously mentioned Connected Home unit will be moved to the Networks group.

The Government and Enterprise business group will seek to build on Motorola's voice and data delivery solutions that it delivers to existing customers and to new customers. The company plans to consolidate its existing market and solutions-oriented businesses into a new enterprise-oriented organization. Greg Brown will head the new group as its president.

The fourth business group "- Connected Home "- serves cable and satellite customers while working to expand home-based products and solutions for the broadband networked home. Included here will be the firm's telecom video solutions. Dan Moloney, president, will head the unit.

Weyrauch said that some key communications operations will be moved out of the Connected Home group and into the Networks group. The former Integrated Electronics Systems Sector will be disbanded and its employees and operations will be moved into different groups.

Motorola has been whittling its headcount down in recent months from about 150,000 at its high to some 65,000 employees. About 23,000 employees were lost when Motorola spun off its Freescale Semiconductor Inc. recently.

"Motorola's key support functions," the company stated, "will be architected centrally and distributed throughout the company." Those functions include supply chain operations, information technology, finance, human resources, legal, strategy and business development, marketing quality, and technology.

A new organization will be created to oversee Motorola's supply-chain operation, which includes the firm's worldwide manufacturing, distribution, and procurement, the company added, saying it "is also moving to centralize and provide more consistency in its information technology organization."