Expanding markets: DKSH partner for over 20 years

Our extensive vertical industry know-how helps us better understand the needs of our customers. DKSH's proactive thinking and customized solutions are the recipe to assure success.

Challenge

A leading manufacturer of steel and technology, and DKSH partner of over 20 years, wanted to expand their markets and win new customers for their titanium, with the main focus on the medical industry. Medical companies need to fulfill high quality and safety standards on materials applied. This means they vastly prefer to work with their traditional suppliers based on established relationships and trust and are reluctant to accept any new supplier. Under those conditions it is a big challenge to acquire new customers and their business.

Approach

Our approach is to find and define new customers through our own market information and activity because we are working in the front of the market. After an initial introduction of our products and service capabilities, we supplied a prospective customer with a trial batch of biocompatible titanium alloy from our partner. The results of the tests were more than satisfactory, since our partner’s high-quality microstructure met and exceeded the customer’s demanding specifications. We followed this up by organizing a visit to the prospect‘s head office, together with a delegation from our partner. After a trial order of 200 kilograms and satisfying production results, our partner was named by the customer as its third official supplier of the titanium alloy, alongside two US competitors. This was followed by an audit of our partner and DKSH – including distribution, warehousing, and buffer stocking capabilities – that also produced excellent results, thanks to our ability to master both production and distribution processes. We possess the best market expertise and technical knowledge about titanium biomaterials, so that we can help and support our customers and suppliers with added value.

Result

In less than one year, we have sold our partner titanium and its alloys from zero to more than 28,000 kg and our volume in the medical market has been increased by 10%. Helping to identify this customer and show our partner’s ability to satisfy its specific needs created an opening with other Japanese manufacturers.

Market Expansion Services at work: building trust

Intimate market knowledge and the DKSH network means that we can offer sourcing alternatives to customers while opening up markets for our suppliers. Becoming a trusted link for long-term success is part of the way we do business.