Unocal Will Trim Up to 80 Managers in Marketing Unit

In another of its continuing efforts to streamline operations, Unocal Corp. announced Monday that it is eliminating 70 to 80 middle managers from its Western marketing work force.

The Los Angeles-based oil company said the move is designed to make its marketing organization in the West more responsive to customers.

It said its dealers, distributors, jobbers and customers would be better served when it streamlined middle management, moved decision making closer to the field, decentralized certain staff functions and strengthened the company’s level of service.

“We must eliminate inefficiencies and focus on profitability,” said Fielding Walker, Unocal marketing vice president. “As part of this effort, we are replacing our current geographic organization with a business-unit orientation that is more closely aligned to meeting our customers’ ” needs.

Under the plan announced Monday, Unocal’s marketing operations will be organized into three business units: retail, commercial and automotive products. Previously, the marketing unit was structured along geographic lines.

Unocal, whose stock dropped 50 cents to $24.50 in trading Monday on the New York Stock Exchange, has battled to remain competitive with Atlantic Richfield Co. and others oil companies that have streamlined operations.

In the past three months, the company has announced:

* the sale of its service stations in the Southeast as well as certain chemical operations;

* layoffs of 100 people at its Brea research facilities, and

* the start of a broad review of its 920-employee headquarters staff that could bring further cuts in staff.