Knoll becomes Abbott

26-11-2001: Entry in the Commercial Register on November 22 makes it official. As of today there is one Abbott affiliate in Germany with two sites: Ludwigshafen and Wiesbaden/Delkenheim. The name of the new company - entered in the Commercial Register in Wiesbaden - is Abbott GmbH & Co. KG.

Having undergone a re-structuring process, Abbott GmbH, Wiesbaden/Delkenheim, Knoll GmbH, Ludwigshafen, and Knoll Deutschland GmbH, Ludwigshafen, are now merging to form a new company. The company structure will remain largely unchanged at the Delkenheim site. The name "Knoll" will continue to be used as a trademark for most of the Knoll product range. The new company has a workforce of more than 3,450 employees, of which 1,800 are Ludwigshafen-based.

Abbott GmbH & Co. KG will be run by five managers who will be responsible for the following operating divisions: Robert B. Hance, Abbott Diagnostics Division (ADD) - Vice President, Diagnostic Operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa, responsible for all activities of the Diagnostics Division in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Dr. Heinz Kipper, Abbott International (AI) - General Manager, Commercial Operations AI, responsible for the Pharmaceutical, Hospital and Nutritional Products business. Dr. Kamlesh Kumar, Abbott Diagnostics Division (ADD) - General Manager ADD, responsible for the Diagnostics business in Germany and Austria. Dr. Steffen Röllinger, Abbott Laboratories, Global Pharmaceutical Research Development (GPRD) - Divisional Vice President Ludwigshafen R & D Operations, responsible for the coordination of Research and Development in Ludwigshafen. Dr. Dieter Wagner, Abbott International (AI) - Divisional Vice President German Operations, is in charge of the Ludwigshafen site and also assumes the role of Executive for Labor Relations at Abbott GmbH & Co. KG.