Month: July 2021

Robit ProTALK – Steve Landreth, VP Australasia

Posted on by Jari Silver

POSITION AND MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AT ROBIT

As Vice President Australasia, I see it as my duty to ensure that the Perth Canning Vale & Kalgoorlie Teams work in a safe and healthy environment and return home each day healthy and well. I am responsible for Key Account Management and for leading the team in meeting sales targets, while assuming accountability for Canning Vale manufacturing and for the region’s Profit & Loss statement. Further responsibilities include forecasting and inventory management, following the financial health of the business through monitoring accounts receivables, and, last but not least, vendor management.

EXPERIENCE ON THE FIELD

I have been involved in the drilling and blasting segment of the mining industry for 26 years, of which 15 years have been dedicated to drilling consumables. Furthermore, I have acquired plenty of country management experience in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

KEY MARKET TRENDS ON THE FIELD FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS

With the expectation that prices of commodities such as iron ore, gold, nickel, and copper will remain at high levels for the next 3-5 years, focus will certainly be on the mining industry. Exploration levels will also remain high, providing good opportunities in Reverse Circulation drilling consumables. Additionally, there are growing opportunities in the Geotechnical field, mainly due to stimulus packages released thanks to Covid-19 recovery plans.

HOW DO ROBIT’S ONGOING ACTIONS SUPPORT THE CUSTOMERS AND THEIR CURRENT CHALLENGES?

Through accurate forecasting, Robit needs to ensure that the required inventory levels can be guaranteed for fast-moving products. The market is constantly moving at a rapid pace, and Robit needs to keep up with the new product innovation, based on the customer needs.

HOW DO YOU SEE ROBIT IN 2021 – WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN EXPECTATIONS ON YOUR FIELD?

We need to be smart in how we play our strengths, targeted use of limited resources is essential.

For more information: Steve Landreth, firstname.lastname@robitgroup.com

 

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Robit ProTALK – José Cisneros, MD Robit S.A.C.

Posted on by Jari Silver

POSITION AND MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AT ROBIT

I work as the Managing Director of Robit S.A.C., which is Robit’s South American direct sales company based in Peru. I have the main responsibility for sales and sales development in an agreed part of Central and South America, particularly in Peru, which is one of our target markets. I develop the company’s competitiveness, our local markets, the market position, and market share in the designated sales area, while further developing and managing the dealer network in the area. Additionally, I have the responsibility for the customers, customer service, and customer care in the entire region. Finally, to top it off, I also act as the General Manager for our Lima office in Peru.

EXPERIENCE ON THE FIELD

I have nearly 25 years of experience from the sales of industrial products, of which 16 years have been related to mining supplies. I worked as Sales Manager for OTR tyres, drill rigs, and other products relevant for mining for 1,5 years at Sandvik. Before Robit, my latest experience was one year spent as Marketing Service Manager at Epiroc.

KEY MARKET TRENDS ON THE FIELD FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS

Mining will continue to be the most attractive segment to participate in in the region, particularly in Peru and Chile, both of which are countries with important copper mines. This is significant, as copper should only increase in demand in the world, due to the recent developments in the markets. On the other hand, construction industry will depend on the political stability of the countries, which is very uncertain at this moment.

HOW DO ROBIT’S ONGOING ACTIONS SUPPORT THE CUSTOMERS AND THEIR CURRENT CHALLENGES?

The expansion of the capacity at our factories, as well as the continuous development of new products, are actions that are vital in achieving first-in-class availability and creating products that make it possible for our customers to reduce drilling costs. Furthermore, the constant training gives our sales and field support teams the knowledge necessary to gain the trust of our customers in both our products and our people, or in general terms, in our organization.

HOW DO YOU SEE ROBIT IN 2021 – WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN EXPECTATIONS ON YOUR FIELD?

We will continue to grow in the mining sector, thanks to our improved brand recognition. We will focus on improving local availability and ensure improved service levels. We continue to show the value of our offering to customers with product trials and field support. Our aim is to always be the supplier with the lowest sustainable cost per meter.

For more information: José Cisneros, firstname.lastname@robitgroup.com

 

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Robit ProTALK – Franco van Deventer, MD Southern Africa

Posted on by Jari Silver

POSITION AND MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AT ROBIT

My position at Robit is as the Managing Director of the Southern African region, where I am responsible for leading the sales team and meeting the sales targets to reach our growth goals. This means that I make sure that Robit’s global processes are followed in the region and the regional pricing is based on the global guidelines. On top of this, I am responsible not only for our inventory management program, including forecasting accuracy, receivables (collections), and distribution, but also for the Profit and Loss statement, to ensure that we remain profitable.

EXPERIENCE ON THE FIELD

To this day, I have spent 26 years in the hard rock drilling industry, with extensive focus on cost-per-meter contracts. The past 7 years I have been with Robit sales and marketing.

KEY MARKET TRENDS ON THE FIELD FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS

Mining is and will remain the main focus for Robit SA. As we are selling mainly to the direct market, we need to maintain a high quality and acceptable lead times. As mentioned previously, the demand for cost-per-ton and cost-per-meter contracts remains high on our customers’ agenda, with the reasoning being that this ensures a high level of involvement on the supplier’s side.

HOW DO ROBIT’S ONGOING ACTIONS SUPPORT THE CUSTOMERS AND THEIR CURRENT CHALLENGES?

Years and years of selling face-to-face with a firm product knowledge, not letting our customers down, and never overcommitting availabilities (after all, nothing sells like stock!) have helped us build close and strong relationships. Mining is all about cost effectiveness and, therefore, Robit Rocktools will always be a part of a measured commodity in both efficiency factors of provided products, cost per ton and cost per meter. The implementation of new, game changing products is essential as it will set us apart from our competition.

HOW DO YOU SEE ROBIT IN 2021 – WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN EXPECTATIONS ON YOUR FIELD?

There have been big improvements over the past few years. That being said, we continue to focus on improving our on-shelf availability levels and product performance.

For more information: Franco Deventer, firstname.lastname@robitgroup.com

 

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Robit ProTALK – Mikko Vuojolainen, VP North America

Posted on by Jari Silver

POSITION AND MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AT ROBIT

I am heading Robit’s North American sales division as Vice President, North America. In my position, I am responsible for ensuring that we meet our sales targets in the region. I am also responsible for the company’s net working capital (NWC) in the region, managing the region’s inventories, receivables, and forecast accuracy. It is my task to ensure that Robit’s global processes are followed in the region, for example distribution management process including distribution development road maps. Furthermore, I manage the company’s regional pricing based on the global guidelines and am responsible for the region’s cost effectiveness.

EXPERIENCE ON THE FIELD

While my experience in this particular industry is just under 4 years, all of it at Robit, I have managed to accumulate nearly 30 years’ worth of experience in international sales and distribution management.

KEY MARKET TRENDS ON THE FIELD FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS

Mining is expected to continue at a high level; not only staying the same, but actually increasing slightly from year to year. This should help us gain a steadier income from the market and potentially even increase our foothold. 

Construction business, on the other hand, will be more cyclical, responding heavily to the political situations and investing cycles, thus being a little more difficult to predict.

HOW DO ROBIT’S ONGOING ACTIONS SUPPORT THE CUSTOMERS AND THEIR CURRENT CHALLENGES?

New and existing products often offer a possibility to improve operational drilling efficiency; in this regard, Robit is in a very good position. Since mining companies currently face tremendous pressure for cutting operating costs, we should be able to benefit from this with our offering. Product availability is critical for companies like Robit, which have their factories far away from local customers. Our current efforts to boost the availability will hopefully allow us to gain an edge in this regard.

HOW DO YOU SEE ROBIT IN 2021 – WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN EXPECTATIONS ON YOUR FIELD?

Overall Robit continues improving the performance. Top Hammer sales have developed well and Robit is investing into increased production capacity. Robit globally, and we in North America, see year 2021 positively.

For more information: Mikko Vuojolainen, firstname.lastname@robitgroup.com

 

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