Decentralised responsibility for profitability

Nobia organises its operations on the basis of decentralised responsibility for each brand. Nobia has brands in the kitchen market in Europe that are offered to customers through various sales channels.

The aim of Nobia’s organisational model with decentralised responsibility for each brand is to create proximity to the end customer. An important competitive factor is the possibility of affecting the composition of the customer offering by influencing the specialised kitchen showrooms. The greater the influence, the greater the possibility of correctly and quickly adapting to customers’ needs.

Each kitchen solution is unique in terms of composition, measurement and accessories, making the value-adding stages to the end customer increasingly complex. The ability to handle this complexity is a crucial factor for competitiveness. From the customers’ point of view, this ability is reflected in high delivery precision, which is continuously measured and is one of Nobia’s most important key performance indicators. Nobia strives to simplify the purchasing process for customers by providing a wide selection of products and services and the developing of the offering on the Internet.

Fewer and larger business units

During 2008, Nobia restructured the organisation by establishing fewer and larger business units. The purpose was to enhance the efficiency of the co-ordination of product lines, product supply and administration. The new organisation means that the number of business units has been reduced to eight from 14. The new business units created as a result of the re-organisation are: Nobia SweNo, Nobia DK, Nobia UK, and Pronorm/EWE/FM. The remaining, existing business units are: Novart in Finland, Hygena in France, Poggenpohl and Optifit in Germany, in addition to the joint-venture Culinoma in Germany.

Production and purchasing in the larger business units have been changed so that they are able to serve a large number of brands. The business units are also responsible for harmonising the product range in their respective purchasing clusters.

At the same time, a high level of independence is maintained for each brand, with separate management teams and sales organisations, all within the framework of Nobia’s strategy. The basis for sales is a distinct concept with strong, local brands that are marketed in dedicated sales channels. The organisation for each brand is responsible for generating proximity to the local market and strengthening relations with end customers.

Leadership and control

Group management is responsible for Nobia’s strategy and profitability, and controlling and monitoring the Group’s business units. The scope of business concepts, product-line harmonisation and production structure are established within the framework of Nobia’s strategy.