IBM Corp yesterday duly announced the formation of the IBM Personal Computer Company, whose status is that of a separate operating unit formed to focus exclusively on delivering leadership personal computer products to customers around the world under the existing Personal Systems line of business and its chief James Cannavino. IBM Personal Computer Co will have responsibility for development, manufacturing, distribution and brand marketing for IBM’s personal computers worldwide from its headquarters in Somers, New York. IBM vice-president Robert Corrigan is president of the new company, and Edward Rogers its chief financial officer. The new company is organised along IBM’s geographic markets worldwide, and is intended to deliver a wide variety of product brands, ranging from premium systems to mobile computing. The right products delivered through the right channels at the right time with the right price – not organisation – are what count to our customers, Corrigan said. We will begin to demonstrate our new way of executing beginning with the next series of announcements. He will be responsible for the unit’s business results worldwide, including profit, return on asset, unit and revenue growth, cash from operations, customer satisfaction, quality and personnel. IBM did not talk numbers, but the new company is thought to have about 10,000 employees and sales of $7,000m a year. IBM also said that its Personal Systems Programming unit under assistant general manager Lee Reiswig, now has responsibility for worldwide PS software business results, including brand marketing.
