Sony Restructuring its Mobile Unit to Better Compete Against iPhone, iPad
In an effort to re-establish itself as a viable mobile device company, Sony has recently made some major in-house changes to its executive line up.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Kunimasa Suzuki, one of CEO Kazuo Hirai’s top deputies, has just been named the new head of Sony Mobile Communications. Suzuki will replace current Mobile Business CEO Bert Nordberg, who will move to the position of chairman of the department.
Sony bought out former joint-venture partner Ericsson this year for approximately $1.4 billion in order to take full control of the mobile phone business. The lack of control, Sony believes, was the company’s biggest weakness in its competition against Apple’s highly successful mobile device department.
The buy-out was just the start of what Sony hopes to be a streamlining of the company’s operations. The first step was to pursue a “four screen” unifying strategy, incorporating smartphones, tablets, PCs and televisions.
“Kuni has a vast experience in product planning and management in the information technology and mobile product business, as well as experience of cultivating business in emerging markets,” Kazuo Hirai said. “He is a strong leader and the right person to oversee Sony Mobile Communications as we establish a new business structure as ‘One Sony’ intended to reinforce and accelerate our overall business management.”
The joint-venture business of Sony Ericsson saw a pre-tax loss of $318 million in its final year and a 16 percent year-on-year drop in sales. The upcoming house cleaning that it taking place at Sony may help bring it back to the forefront of the mobile industry.
