Meat processor Danish Crown is putting Europe at the centre of its strategy as part of the co-op's latest corporate changes.

The company said the fresh moves anchor the business around six core markets with a “stronger” focus on Europe.

The changes follow measures Danish Crown launched in June to forge a “simpler” organisational structure with fewer managerial tiers.

At the time, the company said the move was expected to generate “efficiency improvements” of roughly DKr500m (then $77.9m) and would lead to around 800 job cuts over three years.

“We have established important milestones for our strategic direction that will position Danish Crown as a leading food company in Europe, creating greater value from our owners’ livestock, building stronger brands, and operating with a more streamlined business,” Danish Crown CEO Niels Ulrich Duedahl said on Friday (2 October).

Danish Crown did not respond to Just Food's questions about the latest changes.

In a statement, the company said it was consolidating seven of its eight operating divisions into a single unified business.

The units Sokołów, Beef, Industry, Foods, KLS, UK, and ESS-FOOD will come under a global governance structure.

The consolidated business will have shared manufacturing, sales, and product development operations.

By-products specialist DAT-Schaub will continue operating as a standalone entity.

As part of the new structure, the MD roles responsible for the individual business units will be phased out.

Danish Crown also aims to double the proportion of owner-supplied livestock that is used to make products, lifting the share from roughly 25% today to 50% by the end of 2030.

In the statement, the company said it will start a "detailed design process over the coming months" with the new organisation "expected to be fully operational within six months".