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Volume 1 - May 2005 EDITOR Sarah Thompson [email protected] EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sjef Roymans MA [email protected] PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Donald Wiedemeyer [email protected] Advertising Simone Vermoolen [email protected] Judith Wanjala [email protected] Subscriptions Erica Riethorst [email protected] Production Mailing & Printing (Hastings) Ltd. Hastings, UK Publishing House KCI Publishing B.V. Telephone: +31 575 585 270 Fax: +31 575 511 099 Mailing address P.O. Box 396 NL-7200 AJ Zutphen The Netherlands Office address Jacob Damsingel 17 NL-7201 AN Zutphen The Netherlands Subscriptions will be renewed in accordance with Dutch legislation. Stainless Steel World News is published ten times per year. ISSN 1383-7184 The publisher and authors state that this newspaper has been compiled meticulously and to the best of their knowledge, however, the publisher and authors can in no way guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information. The publisher and authors therefore do not accept any liability for any damage resulting from actions or decisions based on the information in question. Users of this newspaper are strongly advised not to use this information solely, but to rely on their professional knowledge and experience, and to check the information to be used. KCI Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of information provided by participating companies and authorities. The publisher reserves the right to combine, delete and change sections. The publisher reserves the right to edit and re-use (parts of) the articles and to distribute the information by any means. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. (c) 2005 KCI Publishing B.V. Page 2 www.stainless-steel-world.net Stainless Steel World News In The Spotlight E stablished in 1990 and located in Helmond, the Netherlands, Noxon Stainless BV is one of Europe’s leading stockists and distributors of stainless steel materials for the process industries. The company has its head office, warehouse and two sales offices in the Netherlands as well as affiliated companies in Germany (Asadin), Belgium (Cotubel), France (TRD) and Switzerland (Trinox). Furthermore, plans are in motion to move the company’s warehouse to bigger, fully-automated facilities (23,000 m 2 ) later this year. Currently overflowing with tubes, pipes, fittings, flanges, valves, bars, profiles and sheets, Noxon’s warehouse stocks a very extensive product range. By keeping a well- stocked inventory, Noxon is able to guarantee its customers with quick delivery and short lead times. “I could talk about the skills we have at Noxon for hours and hours.” Ms van Grinsven begun. “However, here is an example of one of our most recent international projects that best illustrates these skills. The customer contacted us two weeks after the tender deadline had passed and asked us if we would be able to supply 120 tonnes of 316 stainless steel tubes and fittings at the plant in Russia by 31 January. Conform to our normal company policy, we issued our offer that very same day and awaited their reply. After only a matter of hours we received a telephone call that our offer had been accepted and that they wanted to see us in person to close the deal at the end of the same week. We were pleasantly surprised and set to work immediately, but it didn’t take long before reality sank in. The magnitude of the project and especially the timescale were to be a challenge.” By the next week, Noxon had received the orders for a complete product package. Delivery time was the most important factor and knowing that timing would be crucial, Noxon agreed to a project duration of only 6 working weeks. Mr Stefan Zwickardt continued: “We are always very aware of how important delivery times and deadlines are to our customers. We strive to do everything in our power to ensure that our products get to the customer on time, and this case was no different. We know our own capacity, which is why we still dared to take on such a project even with a very tight schedule. We did not hesitate to pull out all the stops.” Instead of a one-man project team working two days, fulltime on a ‘normal’ project, Noxon needed to allocate four fulltime members of staff to work on this project for almost 6 working weeks. Due to the project location, additional paperwork included seven additional certificates and ensuring that all the paperwork was in Russian. Ms van Grinsven commented: “Once we had done all of our homework, it was just a case of getting the goods to the plant in time. We received the letter of intent at the end of November and the deadline was the end of January. The official contract negotiations were not complete until the middle of January, meaning that all in all, we were really pushed for time. It was a challenge, but we enjoyed every minute of it.” In addition to Noxon’s standard product certification (DIN, EN, AFNOR, ANSI, PED and ISO), Noxon’s products are now also certified for GOST-R and Hygiene. “A perquisite of having done a thorough job.” Commented Ms van Grinsven. When asked for the secrets to Noxon’s success in this and many other of Noxon’s long list of projects, Ms van Grinsven replied: “Each project has its own particular demands, our secret weapon is in-house experience, expertise, knowledge and above all, teamwork. It’s as simple as that.” Over the years, Noxon’s has developed a team of experienced staff, each with his or her own specific area of expertise. Now having reached 45, each member of Noxon’s sales staff has at least six years, up to as many as thirty- five years experience in stainless steel for the oil and gas, shipbuilding, food, chemical and petrochemical industries. “This is what enables us to fulfil the requirements of even the most demanding end-user projects,” Mr Zwickardt commented. “We like to build partnerships with our customers based on efficient, reliable and consistent service. The icing on the cake in this case has been receiving the follow up order. The most important thing for our customer was being able to trust us one hundred per cent to ensure that the materials would be high- quality, supplied on time and accompanied by impeccable service. We obviously take this follow-up order as a big compliment.” Ms van Grinsven concluded: “Over the past fifteen years Noxon has been a partner to many successful projects and this particular project was completed five whole days before the deadline. This would have been impossible without such an experienced, professional and hardworking team. However challenging, we hope to be able to handle many more projects like this in the future.” Where service is key Facts & Figures Company name: Noxon Stainless BV Established in: 1990 Head office: Helmond, The Netherlands Sales offices: Soest, Doetinchem, The Netherlands Affiliated Companies: Asadin, Germany Cotubel, Belgium TRD, France Trinox, Switzerland Products lines: stainless steel tubes and pipes, fittings, flanges, valves, bars, profiles and sheets Key markets: chemical and petrochemical industry, shipbuilding industry, pulp and paper industry, offshore industry, food and dairy industries Stock capacity: 23.000 m 2 At Noxon Stainless BV, impeccable service is a must. Once a project has been accepted, no matter where in the world, how short the lead times or how large, Noxon Stainless BV can provide high-quality materials, expert product and sales support and reliable, efficient service. In an interview with Ms Helma van Grinsven, Commercial Director, and Mr Stefan Zwickardt, Marketing Manager at Noxon Stainless BV, Stainless Steel World News was given an insight into the skills needed to provide such customer service. Ms Helma van Grinsven, Commercal Director (left) standing with Mr Stefan Zwickardt, Marketing Manager (right). Ms van Grinsven: “We are always on the look out for new projects, new challenges and new opportunities.” New additions Noxon has an extensive stainless steel product range that is continually being expanded. Customers need not contact numerous companies if they need a large variety of products. Noxon’s has an extensive range, in stock, from a number of handpicked reputable producers. This product range includes welded and seamless tubes, bars, profiles, fittings and flanges and valves, available in a wide range of grades. 904L and 310 were recently added and are now available in stock, whereas the materials Monel, Hastelloy and Inconel are available on request. InoxPres The InoxPres press fittings system is suitable for a number of industrial applications. By using special fittings and a pressing tool, water- and airtight connections can be made resulting in lightweight installation for water installations, air conditioning systems and sanitary installations as well as applications involving industrial and other gases and pressurised air. The pressing tool is easy to use and avoids welding altogether. Sarah Thompson Noxon Stainless BV Tube on coil/reel Tubes on reel are also suitable for numerous applications including oil & gas and marine industries. Lengths can be cut from the various tube diameters (from 6mm up to 1 /2”) of seamless tube, and can be ordered in lengths of 50, 100, 200 and 400m. Important advantages are applications in flammable environments where welding cannot take place and leaks are unwanted, as well as for metering.
