After separation, one of the units will be called as ‘United Technologies’.
United Technologies, an American aircraft manufacturing company said it would split into three companies. The breakup, to be completed by 2020, signals a shift away from a kitchen-sink approach to industrial manufacturing in favor of generating returns by specializing in a single area of business.
One of the entities will be called United Technologies, which would focus on aerospace, wrapping up the company’s Collins Aerospace Systems and Pratt & Whitney units. Another will be Otis, manufacturing elevators and escalators, and the third will be Carrier, making heating and cooling equipment among other products.
Gregory J. Hayes, chairman, and chief executive, United Technologies, stated, “Our decision to separate United Technologies is a pivotal moment in our history and will best position each independent company to drive sustained growth,”
The decision follows the recent completion of United Technologies’ $30 billion acquisition of Rockwell Collins, a manufacturer of airplane parts. With the acquisition, the company added the scale it needed to establish a stand-alone business in aerospace systems.
Formed in 1934, United Technologies spent decades getting bigger and broader in reach, and for the most part, making a lot of shareholders richer along the way. The company had been reviewing its operations and had promised a decision on a breakup before year’s end.
Hayes, United Technologies, for his part, had been dropping hints that he wanted to split up his $103 billion conglomerate, as at a Fortune conference in September 2018, he said that the board and investors had been asking, “Will these businesses be better as a part of United Technologies as a conglomerate, or better as stand-alone, focused business?” He added his two cents: “My view is: Focus ultimately leads to success.”
The separation to refine the focus on the individual areas
Citing stagnant growth in earnings per share, Carter Copeland, an analyst with Melius Research, stated, in recent years, the company “struggled to make the conglomerate model produce the same kind of financial outcomes,” he added, “Separating allows them to focus on what each business needs to do to be successful on its own.” He also elaborated; producing airplane engines requires a different strategy than making air-conditioners. The aerospace business operates on decade-long timelines while cooling equipment requires a shorter-term outlook.
