Automotive and Industry portfolio to become more valuable
A decisive prerequisite for thyssenkrupp Steel to achieve its ambitious goals is the integrated, value-optimized management of all sales divisions within the Steel Europe Group. “The aim is to develop a customer and product portfolio centered on the core areas of automotive, packaging, and the energy transition that is more valuable overall than before,” said Giovanakis. “This includes developing guidelines and control parameters for the divisions and subsidiaries so that we can work more efficiently and autonomously with a view to achieving our desired results. I want to promote entrepreneurial thinking even more strongly so that we can measure both our improvements and our cost reductions as quickly as possible.”
Greater digitalization of processes will also help to further improve thyssenkrupp Steel's sales performance. Giovanakis is thinking, for example, of data-driven customer interactions or optimizations in the supply chain (SCM). “We will never bring our cost position down to Chinese levels. That's why digitalization and SCM optimization are incredibly important to us and will play a decisive role under my leadership.”
Automotive and industrial customers want to understand green transformation
In addition to his broad management experience and many years of market expertise, Georgios Giovanakis relies above all on his human qualities as a manager in his new job. “We work with people for people – we must never forget that. I want to help ensure that we all approach our tasks with pride, courage, and joy. True to the motto: ‘Make every day a golden day.’”
The Head of Sales also brings this breath of fresh air to his customer meetings, which are currently dominated by concerns due to structural changes, volatile markets, and the uncertain global situation. Giovanakis: “On the one hand, our clients are naturally aware of the transformation taking place in the steel industry and want to understand exactly what is happening at our company. On the other hand, customers demand optimized delivery performance from us. For thyssenkrupp Steel, this also means that we have to consolidate and form new, strong partnerships. Like us, most of our customers manufacture in Europe. So we're all in the same boat – now we have to row together, preferably in the same direction."
Modernization of thyssenkrupp Steel is also a commitment to the European market
According to Georgios Giovanakis, thyssenkrupp Steel has already laid the foundation for long-term supply reliability with high-quality steel for automotive and industrial applications in Europe with its diverse investments in its production sites. "A modern continuous casting plant with a downstream hot strip mill is being built in Duisburg. This will increase casting and rolling capacities, improve utilization of the upstream steel mill, and enable us to expand our portfolio of high-strength steels and premium surfaces. Our customers can therefore expect significant quality improvements, more flexible slab production and a lasting positive impact on their delivery reliability and security of supply. In Bochum, our investments in our double reversing mill and annealing line have also secured our entry into the e-mobility market. Now it's up to us to become our customers' preferred partner in this area.“ Giovanakis also has high hopes for the marketing of CO2-reduced steel: ”Unfortunately, the momentum of the green transformation has slowed down somewhat, putting the brakes on the marketing of low-emission steel. But the momentum will return – and then we will be ready for #nextgenerationsteel."
