DSM to reduce staff by 900 to 1,100

Heerlen, Netherlands – Dutch nutritional supplements and chemicals company Royal DSM NV says it is laying off between 900 and 1,100 staff worldwide as part of a reorganization of its businesses.

The reorganization aims to create a more agile, focused and cost-efficient organization, with a stronger business and market focus and globally leveraged support functions, DSM said in a news release. The changes are expected to result in structural savings of €125-150 million by the end of 2017.

The company has established an executive eommittee and is developing a business improvement and efficiency program for its nutrition business that will be made public in November.

“In an increasingly global and fast-paced business environment we need to adapt our organizational and operating model to service our customers even better. With the adjustments announced today, we become more agile, focused and cost-efficient. Businesses fully focus on growth, while at the same time we become more competitive by leveraging our global support functions,” said Feike Sijbesma, chief executive officer and chairman of the managing board, Royal DSM.

The new organizational model will apply to finance, human resources, legal, IT, business services, indirect sourcing, communications and corporate departments as well as the regional centres. In addition, DSM will implement efficiency measures in its major R&D centres globally.

Approximately half of the cuts will affect staff in the Netherlands by the end of 2017.