[CemExec] Jouni Salo, KHD Wedag CEO: Company in transition looks ahead (Part 1 of 2)

 

CW: As the CEO, what are your priorities now post-reorganization?

JS: My main priorities are ensuring that KHD continues to improve its global competitiveness and that we maintain the momentum that is beginning to gather within our organization. KHD has a good reputation and a long history and we need to ensure that we are really providing our clients with the best possible service and really serving their needs.

I want to make KHD into a focused, competitive and hungry organization that consistently exceeds the expectations of our customers.

I believe KHD is clearly recognized in the industry as a leader for its technical capabilities and, in particular, our knowledge of pyro-processing and grinding. This is really at the heart of our value proposition. The area that we are perhaps not recognized for is our competencies in our customer service offering ÔÇô from spare parts, plant audits, made to order parts, services with tools, technical assistance and consultancy, and training. This is an integral part of our strategy and we believe that we have a lot to offer in this area.

 

CW: While KHD has been successful in many parts of the world, the particular success in Asia strikes us as notable. To what factors would your attribute the success in Asia relative to other regions?

JS: Our success in Asia is very much due to the quality and dedication of our people there. At the moment, when we think of Asia, our biggest area of activity is India and I particularly enjoy visiting our office in Delhi and witnessing the enthusiasm and drive of KHD's staff there. We have been in the Indian market for a long time ÔÇô over 40 years ÔÇô and having a local presence is very important to serving our customers successfully.

As regards for regions where we are less strong, I would have to highlight China as a market where we have, to date, only had limited success. It is probably fair to say that we are not the only company in the cement business who would say this. The reasons for this are many and are a mixture of internal and external factors.