London - Invista Apparel has announced a global restructuring program that it hopes will help enhance capability and strengthen its customer relationships.

The changes will see Invista?s spandex business split into a new western region and eastern region to serve its global base of customers. The western region, led by Max Wiesendanger, merges the company?s Europe, Middle East and Africa interests with those of North, Central and South America into a single business unit.

The eastern region, led by Dan Kotkin, will include both the South Asia and Asia Pacific markets. Each region will have responsibility for sales and customer ?value creation? initiatives within their respective geographies.

Invista?s spandex manufacturing assets, supply chain and commercial development initiatives will be managed globally under the direction of Wally McWalter. Don Burich, who previously led the Americas region, has comparable responsibility for its nylon business.

To facilitate increased consumer and customer input in innovation, Invista Apparel?s marketing team will now be more closely integrated with the firm?s global technology team, with both units led by Bob Kirkwood, who previously headed the research and development function and continues to serve as Invista?s chief technology officer.

Dave Trerotola, president of Invista Apparel, described the organizational and management changes as a logical step in the strategic development of the Apparel business. ?These organization changes will enable us to better align global resources with the textile market dynamics of each hemisphere, strengthen our innovation strategies, and intensify customer relationships in mutually productive ways,? Trerotola said.