Pacific Dunlop to change name, reorganize

MELBOURNE, Australia (April 12)—After completing a several-months-long corporate strategic review, Pacific Dunlop Ltd. will shift its focus to protective products and change its name to Ansell Ltd. to reflect its new strategy. Shareholders at an April 12 Extraordinary General Meeting approved the name change and reviewed Ansell's plans to develop into a global health care product solution provider, according to Executive Chairman Ed Tweddell. The Melbourne-based company, with U.S. headquarters in Red Bank, N.J., will become a firm that relies on "innovative marketing solutions, not just product manufacture, with more effective supply chain logistics and stringent financial management," he said. Key initiatives the company plans to initiate include, restructuring its European business to focus on high-margin growth products such as powder-free latex or synthetic surgeons' gloves and reorganization of its sales force and administration to eliminate duplication.