It is strange how the iron ore trade is constructed in relation to other trade in natural resources. I must say that I am a highly surprised by the strict line that mining companies have had for a commercial structure to maintain the established market for many successful years. It is almost a unique business model with relationships that are deeply incorporated in the trade structure right through every stage. It is thus one of the most enriching knowledge that I have gained from my work in the development of trade relations in the world, and it is thus relatively easy to understand the inner meaning of the long-term trade relations and close cooperation when one understands the enormous capital investment that is behind a mining development project. In fact, so is the iron ore trade as everything else about demand and supply. With that is that when I have a working production then I have also that trust which is essentially needed to smelters to invest in what I can offer, at the right quality (for example, 67% magnetite), quantity, and price quotation. To a large extent, so is the iron ore trade on negotiations and agreements to contracts for the mine's production capacity. In the process of quality rate establishment for an iron ore concentrate, so there is several steps of tests of the iron ore grade and quality and the concentrate must undergo accredited tests before the iron ore samples can be sent to contractual smelters or steel mills for the manufacturing of steel for testing and quality of the produced steel. Upon that the established trade organization has its mission to both negotiate agreements with smelters and steel mills in strategically selected geographical structures and models for the entirety of the marketing chain. These sellers have also their mission to create the conditions for the steel industry to channel out produced steel where required. With that is that a seller should always carry a responsiveness to demand for quantities of steel, and that where it is possible to advocate for an overall positive development for the steel industry. The main consumer of steel is today the industry and the governments with the funds allocated for public infrastructure investments. Accordingly, a public infrastructure projects such as railway projects with related industry is always to us considered as important in our work. There is a variety of iron products that we get out of iron ore raw material.
To mention some fundamental industrial products such as, railway tracks, locomotives, ship, steel beams, steel profiles, steel, machinery, tools, vehicles, wires, etc.. These constitute an increasingly more important role in today's society and developments in the world economy. Despite the history so has the postwar period just after the end of World War II constituted the largest economic development. The industrialization and development of industrial society was at that time quite different from what the world is facing today and it is a naturally induced degree else today. As the world market face different challenges today than it did at the end of WWII, we have a constant renewal and development of industry and infrastructure today and that's where we set the degree of development. It is where demand for iron ore and steel production are available for new mining establishments. In practice, the upcoming mining development in Norway means a frequent work and a firm performance for businesses to jointly establish the new level of the national production capacity. A national coordination should consequently be initiated to secure the national key exports and trade relations with the world to meet the emerging demand. The uniform coordination should lead to a positive function with responsibility for mining communication in the country and abroad. If one thus coordination should be designed through a government mandate or a national mission by industry, I can not answer today! In case it should be noted that the relevant government departments in an initial stage should review the information for a public report. At present, our mission in preparing the storage of iron ore concentrates for test orders to smelters and steel mills and to convey our message of production capacity to partners and an investment-prone capital. This will essentially be continuing in that we systematically seek responsibility in this area. You are also welcome to contact us directly at the following division.
Sales Organization
In practice it means to be traveling in trade business today a diverse employment in many areas of commerce. Described from a perspective of a lifestyle, you can most easily understand the faschination which is the basis for many people's choices with trade businesses. Then when business relationships have been built up in such a stage where one can say that a seller has achieved a harmony in their lifestyle as a seller. Then you have come long and has already established a network of business relationships for a number of years. The advantage is then that as an individual seller can work very individual and based on one's own initiative, and that he or she never operate to plunge into some strange situations in the form of informational meetings with big businesses and thus leaders. At such a stage, negotiations are relatively relaxed discussed with great precision and efficiency. This example is taken from an early spring day in Trondheim a couple of years back in time. I had a period since midwinter worked to get reserved a cargo ship with iron ore concentrates for sale and delivery to a smelter. Just then, I had received response to a campaign where a German smelter had a need for that particular quality and quantity that I could deliver from an already produced iron ore supply. It took me about three days to process a prospectus for my client and after I immediately set up a meeting and prepared for to travel down to him for a presentation of the prospectus. My first action was to take me to the airport in Trondheim and from there I made my way to Oslo, for a slightly later flight to Berlin. After a night in Berlin so I rented a car and took me in the morning and the day to Hamburg to spend the evening at a hotel with a careful review of the prospectus. During the evening I confirmed the meeting time and location with the customer then for a few late-night hours, I could relax and watch satellite channels from the German television before it was time to sleep a revitalizing sleep for the night. Early in the morning, before seven o'clock at the breakfast at the hotel, it had begun to teem with life and movement, and I had plenty of time to browse through the morning news with my morning coffee. I step out into a delightful Central European spring for the season and I felt a great calm before meeting with some key figures circulating around the thought process for any kind of repetition between the memory functions in the brain. My cab arrived right on time, and it wore off to an industrial area where the client is based with their headquarter. I had declared for my client that I was alone without the mission and we had prearranged that it would not be necessary to set up any extra formal with a delegation in this stage without that we would not for the purpose of having more than to go through the present facts that I myself compiled and soon were going to present to the management team within the steel group in question and also for us a brand new potential customer. I arrived a magnificent head office in one of Hamburg's suburbs and at the entrance so it was in addition to a group of people a proper businessman. After a pretentious analysis of the events for incoming visitors so he had figured out it was me who just arrived in the cab which he immediately meet me up and asks if I had a business meeting booked with the management at the time of about twenty minutes. I confirmed cheerfully and would be shown up to the meeting. As we walked to the elevator, I thought frequently of the two options I had for my expenses in the prospectus of which one was a short speech by grounding in basic graphic treaty and the other which represented more a factual explanation. Up in the long hallway on the fourth floor, it had begun to gather people with portfolios discussing in small groups along the corridor to an open double door. My host to the meeting room went away and soon he came back to me, soon after him came the CEO of the company. We introduced each other and we discussed the time allocated for the meeting and I confirmed that the timeframe was in line with what I appreciated for my performance. The director gathered all the participants to the meeting room and we sat for a long while before the introductory lecture and spontaneous talked about the nice weather. A purchasing manager for the company commencing his lecture with a warm welcome and then a detailed presentation about the present why we now sat here assembled for the eventuality of collaboration. It was obvious to me that this company was in a very strong growth in the coming years and that they were facing a demand from a range of major established operations in turn. So when I went up to begin with a short talk about my personal strengths and positive impression of the company, the management and this opportunity so it was short after time to present all the facts as correctly so that it always could be confirmed by an expertise in the field among audience. After an hour or so remains no more to me than structured information about the conditions that rested on us at home in Norway and how we in the best possible way could come to a good cooperation. I also submitted on behalf of the company a formal invitation to for that a customer selected delegation was warmly welcome to visit the mine production where iron ore was produced. Then took the CEO for the smelter word and announced the company's attitude and benevolence to a long term partnership for the areas that would require an upgrade of the purchase of iron ore concentrates. The CEO also made a careful statement based on the new perspective with directly relevant facts from my information and performance. In a number of short supplementary statements for confirmation in the measurement of quality and quantity was argued on the basis of a collective expertise a number of new approaches in process and soon after a short coffee break we were then entered into a new phase of negotiations. This second part of the meeting involved that it previously had encountered failure in the quality level and that it could occur and it had been found on several occasions that even before our time, there were serious quality defects in raw material after purchasing and production obstacles had arisen at the company. How are we going to manage these problems in quality so thus are anticipated and prevented from happening and affect production? It is not least for our production with a great accuracy to obtain what we promise! - One of the best solutions which obviously been a problem, we have already taken into account in the various reloading moments before shipment takes place with great confidence for the system so that quality requirement of iron ore purity levels can be maintained through the processes until the steel mill's furnace. The meeting makes a break for lunch and when we then resumes the meeting and again touched price pictures and process management solutions that comprise much of a focus on efficient and flexible solutions that are proven and work long-term and relatively flawlessly for long periods and even during strenuous wintertime. Infrastructure requirement is on the paper met after many revisions during the meeting and during a late evening hour so we decide based on the management's proposal to adjourn the meeting until the next day for meet the protocol's all points completed. The evening ends with a dinner and a long walk for a summary of the day. The second conference day begins early in the morning and expected to be completed untill lunch. Before the meeting ends so we have to made the decision for a delegation to visit the mine and possibly after a physically sight of iron ore supply and its quality decide on an order of iron ore from Norway. Also a preliminary delivery date is determined and an agreement on the next order is made after the first delivery is completed in its entirety. It is estimated that this meeting will lead to a delivery every third month for just this specific facility for steel production and processing. After a very hospitable welcome and a decisive meeting so have a brand new business relationship been created and I can contentedly same evening after the meeting concludes begin my journey back to Berlin. I now have three days to get here in Berlin to connect me interactively against our own database and then to establish a basis for the second mission on my journey here in Germany for now. I shall namely for a few days too travel around to a few companies for a quick introduction and a non formal information regarding the situation in the development of some of the future potential customers. At the end of the week I can then return home to Trondheim and Norway.
Roger K. Olsson
