TPi November 2013

An interview with Angelo Martines Sales manager at Sandvik Brazil

■ What does your company specialise in and why is it the best at what it does? Sandvik is a leading seamless stainless steel tubes producer with mills or sales units in several countries. We can not be considered as a tubes producer as actually Sandvik is a provider of solutions. We have well trained technicians who are prepared to support our customers in matters related to corrosion resistance based on special materials that are resistant in several types of environment. Here in Brazil, our technicians support customers or end users, looking for solutions in terms of material specifications that can provide longer life to products and, of course, higher profit margins. It is important to mention that since the company was founded 151 years ago, our strategy has been the same, “provide materials and services that can add value to our customers, supported by strong investments in R&D, as well close relationship with end users and market, based on ethical and S andvik is a high-technology engineering group with advanced products and a world-leading position in several areas. Worldwide business activities are conducted through representation in more than 130 countries. In 2011 the group had 49,000 employees and sales of more than SEK 98bn. Sandvik’s operations are based on expertise in materials technology and extensive insight into customer processes. This combination has provided world-leading positions in three primary areas: • Tools for metal cutting in cemented carbide and high- speed steel as well as components in cemented carbide and other hard materials. • Equipment and tools for the mining and construction industries.

environment respect”. I would say that as a solution provider, we are prepared to support our customers in looking for competitive solutions that can generate profit to them. Of course, in order to achieve this condition, Sandvik has a solid and clear policy related to develop, train and retain talents. People are definitely our most important resource. ■ What is the main project you are working on at the moment? Nowadays, we have a young team in place in Brazil and our main project is related to training and retaining talent, aiming to secure a good position in the market for the coming years. Thanks to this strategy, we have been able to develop important projects with key players in the Brazilian industrial segment. For instance, we have several ongoing businesses linked with Petrobras, the giant Brazilian oil and gas company, which has important challenges in the coming years for extracting oil from Pre-Salt. Our future plan is based on our need to reassure our customers that they will have the best choice in terms of materials as well as to create value for them during material application. Concerning our region, South America is growing fast and lot of opportunities will come in the next years. Oil and gas, mining, pulp and paper and aerospace are the main segments that will demand special attention from Sandvik. Embraer (a Brazilian aircraft producer) is a good example. We have a long-term relationship with them, supplying hydraulic and instrumentation tubing to their modern aircraft. In short, I would say that our tubing is “flying” all over the world. Sandvik Materials Technology (SMT) is a global supplier of stainless steels and special alloy materials, and manufactures advanced stainless steel materials and industrial heating solutions with high added value. SMT can provide high added-valued solutions of advanced metals for the most demanding industries such as nuclear power, oil and gas, petrochemical and aerospace. In addition to many internationally advanced R&D centres, SMT sets up world-class production plants worldwide. ■ What are the future plans for your company? Do you see a lot of potential for growth in South America? • Products in advanced stainless materials, titanium, special alloys, metallic and ceramic resistance materials. Sandvik invests approximately SEK 3bn each year in research and development, and more than 2,700 employees are active in this area. The group has about 8,000 active patents.

Sandvik operates from 130 countries worldwide

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TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL November 2013

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