Alexander Julius from MacroMetal referred to the times when local producers could not supply enough products, such as in 2021, when the recovery in demand gained momentum after Covid. Julius said, "Factories underestimate the memory of customers in these periods when we stepped in, it is natural to buy from the local market; but we complete the picture."
Julian Verden from Stemcor and Laurent Taylor from Steelforce also made statements in support of Julius' statements. “We remember what happened last year,” Taylor reiterated, and advised that "No one should buy 100% domestic or 100% imported goods." He underlined that purchasing imports is a skill that requires research and is a tool that can be used in purchasing negotiations.
Verden described the role of the trader as "a branch of customers" and "extension of factories". He stated that it makes more sense for foreign manufacturers exporting to the EU to work with an external representative, namely an EU trader, rather than having permanent staff in the EU and permanent costs.
Metin Tayfun İşeri, the chairman of the Turkish flat steel association Yisad, who attended the conference on behalf of the factories in Turkey and Turkish importers, talked about his experience in the USA during his speech, stating that distributors, service centers and steel users did not know how to import and drew attention to the role of the traders in large-volume sales.
Comments
No comment yet.