Corus left shoulder or the foothills?

Sorry to muck up the colour scheme Ace, but this, after all, is the default corporate colour ;->

HIGH HOPES AFTER MAJOR ROD MEETING

12:30 - 27 December 2005

Corus colleagues from as far afield as Hong Kong and North America visited Scunthorpe for a commercial development seminar.

Since wire rod from the town is now sold into a whole range of markets from Sheffield to Shanghai, the annual seminar held by the wire rod business has become an important commercial and technical event. It provides an invaluable opportunity for the people who manage markets and supply chains across the globe to share their experiences.

This year, 17 colleagues from international offices as far afield as Hong Kong, Turkey, Finland and North America attended the three-day event in Scunthorpe.

Updates were given on the rods investment programme and product developments, and delegates gave presentations on the conditions in their own markets.

One of the central aims of this year's seminar was to get international colleagues talking directly to each other about how they are meeting demand in their markets and what is important to their customers.

This was a unique opportunity for them, since in their everyday work they usually speak only to Corus's Scunthorpe employees.

The prospects for premium and commercial sales around the world were discussed, and delegates debated how the wire rod business wanted to do business in future and the kind of customers it wanted to work with.

Discussions focused on targeting customers who share the business's supply chain philosophy, customers with whom Corus can build mutually beneficial working partnerships to strengthen its position in key European and global markets.

The event concluded with multinational group sessions, where each country set out its requirements for commercial, technical and marketing support, and priorities for action were agreed.

Everyone involved hailed the event a great success, and found the experience of sharing best practice among their counterparts from other countries extremely valuable.

The seminar also helped to ensure representatives of the rods business worldwide adopt a consistent approach to serving customers, wherever they are.

Corus international director Europe Martin Maley said: "This seminar was a great opportunity for old friends and new to meet and share knowledge and best practice.

"This is particularly important as Corus develops its 'one face to the market strategy' globally."

He added: "In recent years, the wire rod business has developed a strategically consistent approach to overseas sales, which has meant that together we have been able to exploit market opportunities for optimum returns in both the short and long term.

"Following the seminar, we look forward to improving performance and customer satisfaction levels even further.

"Given the warm welcome we received and the vibrant and constructive atmosphere of the conference, we do so with greatly renewed vigour."