Page 34 - Best of 2019 English

France
The Salzgitter Group operates in Germany's neighboring country through its Mannesmann, Trading and Technology Business Units
34 FSRTAENELCEDIGITAL
Traffic on the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe: Most of the steel you see in Paris is on the streets
It is only 300 meters from the Périphérique to the offices of Salzgitter Mannesmann France: you can hardly get much closer to the Paris city highway than this. If you want to do busi-
ness in France, it’s best not to stray too far from one of the capital’s lifelines – so as to be connected to the country as a whole. “France is huge, and
its industry is spread over various regionsin this vast country." But virtually all the management and decision-making happens in Paris,” says Dirk Weyrather. As Managing Director, he heads up the Paris agency of the Trade Business Unit.
It's a tough job in a difficult market which Wey- rather took on in February 2018, having originally trained as a multilingual administrative assistant and export specialist. The very structure of the country poses numerous challenges – as does the traffic situation. “One problem in France is the in- frastructure. Distances are long and shipping costs to many parts of the country are high,” says Dirk Weyrather. “Getting materials to France by rail or
truck has become costly. There’s a lack of trucks and drivers, and waterways were also a problem in 2018 when low water levels resulted in a doubling of freight rates.
In addition, French steel customers are known to be very sensitive in terms of both price and quality. “The French are very technically minded and similar to the Germans in terms of their quality requirements. But prices are below German levels,” says Dirk Weyrather, describing this twofold chal- lenge he faces.
In addition to selling Salzgitter Group products, his team also endeavors to import steel from third countries to France. But this line of business has almost come to a standstill as a result of EU quota regulations. “It’s difficult to keep up with the com- petition from France, Belgium and Italy – and also from Saarland, which is close to the French border. They have shorter distances and in some cases they’re very fast and good at adjusting their prices,” explains Dirk Weyrather.