Toshiba Combines CE, PC Sales Groups, Cuts Six Jobs

Toshiba America Information Systems (TAIS) merged with Toshiba’s CE sales group, cutting six jobs, including Vice President Jim Donahue, in a deepening of a restructuring that began last summer (CED July 8 p1), sources close to the company said. TAIS staff will handle sales for CE and PC products and the number of U.S. sales regions was reduced to two from three as Kenneth Kelty, northeastern U.S. sales director, was laid off, sources said. Account managers Daniel Flannery, whose responsibility included American TV and Abt Electronics, Trude Haines (Video Only), Eric Lohsl and John Paris (P.C. Richard) also were dismissed, sources said.

Among the former Toshiba CE executives, Michael Allen and Tom Jordan will be western and eastern region sales directors for CE and PC products. Allen had headed up the western region since 2002, when Jerry Satoren was named vice president of sales. Satoren left Toshiba last year. Among the more senior executives departing was Kelty, who had worked for Toshiba for 23 years. Flannery was among the more recent hires, having joined Toshiba in 2004.

The restructuring began last year when Toshiba America Consumer Products (TACP) shut its Wayne, N.J., headquarters and combined operations with Irvine, Calif.-based TAIS. TACP had about 65 employees at the Wayne offices. Among those who made the move to California was Scott Ramirez, former CE vice president of marketing, who has shifted to vice president of product and marketing for TV and digital AV. Ramirez apparently wasn’t affected by the recent restructuring, sources said. In the restructuring last year, Donahue remained on the east coast in a smaller office to head up CE as vice president of field sales.

Toshiba’s CE group was “reorganized” to meet the company’s overall “strategic objectives,” a Toshiba spokeswoman said. The moves were part of an “ongoing integration” of the Toshiba TV and PC businesses as the Toshiba Digital Products Division “continues to fine tune” its structure, she said.