Being an American, it is always difficult working for a company that although it recognizes the US as the largest market for selling its products, does not respect our marketing or marketing research. Working for this Swiss-German owned company, the US group is treated like a distributor, that because of our size they have to put up with. When products are not designed to specifications as originally agreed upon, well the rest of the world doesn't need that feature, so why does the US? If there is a product problem, it is always because the US customer did not use it correctly. If a launch date is delayed by Germany, it is ok, but if US sales are below plan due to that product not being available, too bad!
As a product manager - middle manager, you had to make every effort to get along with your global counter parts, who at the middle level were decent folks, but had little leverage. But they might be able to help with back orders or push for one specification over another. There were a lot of politics and you had to be involved enough to know channels on both sides of the ocean.
Concerning the 300 R& D employees who lost their jobs because their jobs would be hired in Germany - Fishers, IN should raise the taxes that Roche pays locally. Then Roche laid off 250 more people in 2008 from Indianapolis, many who had been with the company over 15 years. Tillman made it clear in company townhall meetings that these layoffs were because the company needed more profit out the Indianapolis corporation.
