Maersk Line to restructure its Centre Organization

Maersk Line announced that it will restructure its global HQ function (Centre). The new Centre organization will be presented on June 12th and will be initiated immediately thereafter. It is expected that a consequence of the new organization is a reduction of the number of positions by approximately 400, with 250 of those in Copenhagen.

The new Centre organization follows the substantial changes Maersk Line has made to its global organization (non-Centre) since 2008. This included de-layering, off-shoring of work to shared service centers, simplification of processes and empowering the frontline. The results have been good, but more can be done, and Maersk Line is now taking the next step making its Centre organization more agile in order to strengthen Maersk Line’s focus on customers and markets.

A key objective of the new Centre organization is faster decision making. Furthermore, execution and service tasks currently in Centre will be moved closer to the customers in Maersk Line’s country offices in the global organization as well as its shared service centers.

“We want to build a successful business that consistently delivers acceptable returns to its shareholders. This requires that we challenge ourselves to have as efficient an organization as possible,” says Søren Skou.

The review of the Centre organization was initiated in March this year. The objective has been to simplify and focus the Centre, which has led to 400 fewer positions. An Employee Consultation Committee will be established, which Maersk Line will consult about the expected redundancies as also required by Danish legislation.

Maersk Line employs 25,000 people, including 2,200 in Centre. Centre locations include offices in Copenhagen, London, Singapore, Mumbai, Pune, and Manila. < Korea Shipping Gazette >