Kao Integrates Its Beauty Care Management In North America a

Kao Corporation has announced the integration of management of a range of beauty care products business across North America and Europe as of January 2012 by a broad-based approach to unification of management structures in each country. This integration aims to accelerate global growth of the Kao Group by better leveraging the combined resources of beauty care divisions across the Group.

Previously, key beauty care subsidiaries such as premium mass products manufacturer Kao Brands Company (Cincinnati, USA), professional hair care products leader KPSS (Kao Professional Salon Services: Darmstadt, Germany), prestige brand products manufacturer and retailer Molton Brown Limited (London, UK) and the manufacturers of the SENSAI prestige cosmetics brand, Kanebo Cosmetics Inc. (Tokyo, Japan), all operated as seperate independent businesses in the North American and European markets.

Going forward these business divisions will come together through the introduction of a new management structure, a stronger country-by-country focus, and through standardization of work pratices and integration of information technology systems. "These initiatives will allow Kao to aaceleratematrix management across business units and functions," the company said.