ADC restructures, eliminates COO post

ADC Telecommunications has announced plans to streamline its management structure to make itself more nimble as a means of coping with the current economic slowdown.

Foremost among the changes is the elimination of the position of chief operating officer (COO). Lynn Davis, the company’s current president and COO will retire from ADC effective November 1. Rick Roscitt, ADC’s chairman and CEO, will assume the role of president.

In an effort to simplify its reporting structures, the company also will eliminate between 100 and 150 management positions, resulting in annual savings of $15 million to $20 million dollars.

These cuts are on top of the 10,000 previously announced workforce reductions ADC plans to enact by year-end. According to an ADC spokesman, the managerial cuts are being made to match the requirements of the reduced workforce.

“Right now, with the current situation in telecom, companies have got to be agile and have got to be quick to respond to customer needs,” he said. “The companies that pare their structure down to react quickly are the ones that are going to be best performers in this period.”

In addition, Larry Ford, the company’s senior vice president and previous head of ADC’s Integrated Solutions Group, will become president of its Wireline Business, filling a previously vacant position.