Monday April 14 3:33 PM EDT
3Com Announces Organizational Framework in Anticipation of
a Merged 3Com and U.S. Robotics
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 1997-- 3Com Corp today announced that
following completion of its pending merger with U.S. Robotics (Nasdaq:USRX), the combined company
will be organized around three self-contained, global business units. The enterprise systems business unit
will design, market, manufacture and sell enterprise products including hubs, switches, routers and
network management software, and will focus its efforts on the enterprise market. The carrier systems
business unit will design, market, manufacture and sell carrier class communications systems for network
service providers. The client access business unit will design, market, manufacture and sell client access
products for LANs and WANs through reseller channels into all four served markets of enterprise, carrier,
small business and consumer. This organization will continue 3Com's focus on its four strategic markets:
enterprise, carrier, small business and consumer. More details will be announced within 30 days and the
new organization will become operational following the merger closing sometime this summer.
This continues 3Com's evolution from its genesis as a product-oriented organization to a market-oriented
organization targeting specific customer groups. Last August, 3Com defined two organizations, 3Com
Systems and 3Com Interface Products. Now the pending merger of 3Com and U.S. Robotics creates new
opportunities for the combined company to align more directly with enterprise, carrier, small business and
consumer customers.
The company also announced that Bob Finocchio, president of 3Com Systems, has decided to leave the
company for personal reasons. Finocchio will continue with 3Com in a strategic counsel role and
complete his transition out of the company following completion of its fiscal year, which ends May 31,
1997.
"Bob's leadership has been instrumental in helping 3Com become a very successful, comprehensive
network systems supplier worldwide," said Eric Benhamou, chairman and chief executive officer of
3Com. "As he completes his accomplished tenure here, we all wish him the very best in his future
endeavors.
"Because of the management strength and depth of our organization already in place, we expect a smooth
transition that will continue to provide the highest value to our customers, employees and shareholders
worldwide. With our ample pool of executive talent to draw on we expect all executive positions to be
filled internally upon completion of the transaction. The new organization will continue to improve our
ability to lead in the enterprise, carrier, small business and consumer markets. No other networking
company can serve all these markets with the breadth of product solutions and distribution channels we
have."
On February 26, 1997, 3Com announced a definitive agreement to merge with U.S. Robotics
Corporation, the leading supplier of products and systems for accessing information across the wide area
network, including modems and remote access products. The combined company, which will retain the
3Com name, will have revenues in excess of $5 billion annually and employ over 12,000 people
worldwide. Completion of the transaction is subject to approval of both companies' shareholders as well
as certain regulatory approvals.
3Com Corporation has helped more than 50 million people gain access to critical information through high
speed networks. Designed to serve large enterprises, service providers, small offices and homes, 3Com
products provide a scalable architecture to meet the immediate and long term connectivity needs of
today's user. With research and development on three continents, 3Com is one of the data networking
industry's largest and fastest growing companies. The company's innovative marketing, engineering, sales
and support simplify communication, optimize network reliability and protect customer investments. For
further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at 3com.com or call
1-800-NET-3Com.
3Com is a registered trademark of 3Com Corporation
CONTACT: 3Com
Bob Ingols, 408/764-8002
Bob_Ingols@3Com.com |
