Dr. Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann - Schau Verlag Hamburg

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“marketing trading”. For years the company has brought its
US customers together with manufacturers in every part of the
world – something that is still by no means standard practice
in an industry which did its best to avoid this scenario in the
past. Gundlach again: “We have a totally different take on this
at the Salzgitter Mannesmann Handel Group. For one thing
we stand by our margins. We have to work consistently hard
for them. And by bringing customers and suppliers together,
orders can be discussed in far more precise detail. The result
is an entirely new and open atmosphere, which all sides
appreciate. This three-cornered relationship contributes hugely
to customer loyalty. For years, this way of working has ranked
as one of the basic principles of the whole international Group
and a foundation for our success.”
Trading is very much a people business. In the first year
after the company was founded in Houston, a large number of
customers and suppliers chose to follow the traders they had
come to trust. They formed the basis on which the company’s
success is built. But the growth that followed required other
qualities as well: Flexibility and imagination, a sound financial
base, and of course an effective global network to support
both purchasing and exports from the USA, to other NAFTA
destinations and elsewhere. Claus Gundlach thinks back for
example to the years 2001 to 2003, when only very limited
quantities of steel could be imported into the USA. “We
imported insofar as we were able, but in a very short time
we developed a market within the USA and with the other
NAFTA countries.” It was a case of seeing new opportunities
and seizing them, a habit which is engrained in the Houston
team to this day. Gundlach again: “If you once rest on your
laurel, that’s when you start losing it.” The American way of
thinking fits in well with the company ethos. “Americans are
very innovative; there is a constant flow of attractive new
openings for our products. What‘s more, they give everyone
a chance to succeed.” Is trading a desk job? Absolutely not, in
fact a good part of the year is taken up by traveling – around
the world. In the course of which purchasing is an important
aspect. After all, customers want what customers always want:
The right material at the right time and at an attractive price.
Thanks to the global network of the international Trading
Group, these requirements can be fulfilled. In cooperation
with colleagues in Düsseldorf, new suppliers are brought
onboard and old relationships consolidated. Steelworks from
russia to Brazil and from Thailand to China and the Ukraine
have long since been part of the network. “Our customers are
not the only ones to benefit from this international network
and the open, friendly way in which we work together at the
Trading Group. The Salzgitter AG manufacturing units also
Beijing Seoul
Shanghai
Guangzhou Taipei
Hong Kong
Hanoi
Tubes for the US company are discharged at the port of Houston …
…ready for pre-processing just a few kilometers away: Here
threads are being cut into the ends.
40 stil stil 41
Singapore
Jakarta
Stephen Munsell at the
Salzgitter tubes storage depot
profit from these active customer relationships. The Group
plants have strong order books at the moment,” says Gundlach,
“and for flat rolled products, for example, Europe is without
doubt the more important market. Nevertheless for highquality
products we and Salzgitter Mannesmann International
are ready and willing to establish a beachhead for Flachstahl
GmbH in the USA. There is a strong demand for the beams
produced by Peiner Träger GmbH as well as for high-quality
plate, especially the high-end tube grades from Ilsenburger
Grobblech GmbH.”
The proportion of Salzgitter products sold has risen
substantially since spring 2005. This is due, among other
reasons, to the fact that the US company at this time took over
distribution of Mannesmann Fuchs rohr tube products in the
USA, an important business for the Group. Sales of special
tubes used primarily in the USA as casings for oil and gas field
exploration will reach around 40,000 tons this year. This figure
will rise still further in 2007 with the sale of higher quality
products, as soon as the scheduled investment in a 24“ line and
a heat treatment plant in Hamm has been completed. In the
tubes business as well, it is clear that the company in Houston
has long since abandoned outdated trading practices. Pipe in
particular is generally sold as “pre-treated”. In other words
it is bought in with plain – unthreaded – ends and put into
store. Then, when customers place their orders, the pipes are
supplied ex stock with threads pre-cut. Various subcontractors
such as the firm of Grant Prideco close to the port of Houston
cut the threads and fit a coupling ready for connection to
the next length of tube. Stephen Munsell, Senior Manager
at Salzgitter Mannesmann International explains: “This is
a service which our customers appreciate.” Interpersonal
relationships at the company follow the relaxed American
pattern. respect is mutual, and there is always time for a
joke between all levels of hierarchy. The pending workload
is discussed at regular Monday meetings. “These meetings
last an hour at most,” says Gundlach, “and by then everyone
knows what’s happening; in all departments.” Efficiency and
openness – the principle is evidently effective. Gundlach again:
“Comparable firms in the US generally operate with twice the
number of staff we have.” Two or three times a year the staff
gets together after work for a happy hour to which customers
are also invited. One evening at “McCormick & Schmicks” just
round the corner; Michael Schäfer, chief buyer at Delta Steel, is
there along with Jochen Seeba, his opposite number at ranger
Steel – both are ranked among the leading steel wholesalers in
the USA. The conversation over beer and plenty of appetizers
ranges from last weekend’s barbecue to new business. No
doubt about it, the success story continues …
PHOTOS: CArSTEN WUrr