The Vitasheet name will be used to unify the business

British Vita has renamed its Thermoplastic Sheet Division as Vitasheet Group with immediate effect and announced plans to move to a single functional organisation. The market leading sheet business is also to establish a new centralised R&D centre. The sheet business used the Vitasheet name successfully during the K fair in 2004, the company said, and will now employ it across the ten businesses which it operates in this market.

Under the new structure key functions such as sales, operations and business development will be centralised. Vita chief executive Howard Harris said: “We have been listening to our customers and feel that a unified organisation will better meet their needs. We have one sheet business with ten locations and if we think of it and manage it as one business there are enormous upsides both for us, our suppliers and our customers.”

The company has filled a number of posts in the reorganised business with David Marshall becoming director of sales and deputy md; Luc Chavany, director of business development; Robert Hahn, director of operations; George Barron, head of HR; and Colin Robertson heading finance. It is understood a new managing director will be appointed within a few weeks.