SNAPSHOT: Meet the Sales Directors
In our series introducing the Södra Cell sales team, this month we talk to Dag Benestad
Name: Dag Benestad
Responsible for: Södra’s sales of dissolving pulp and paper pulp, China & Indonesia
Born: 1958, Norway
Lives: Oslo
Likes: Physically-challenging hobbies, including cross-country and telemark skiing, running, mountain biking, hiking, golf, football and tennis
Reflections:
Södra began producing dissolving pulp at the end of 2011 so we are a relative newcomer to this market. But I’m proud to say we quickly established ourselves as one of the most respected players. This is an exciting sector: Cellulose still accounts for only 7 % of the textile market at more than 100 million tonnes per year and the potential for growth is huge. With leading designers such as McCartney actively looking for and promoting sustainable textiles, this is the time for the forest industry to seize the opportunity.
We have a major customer in Europe and our partnership with this leader in the business has really been an example of the progress companies can make when they work closely together. It’s a very demanding business where purity and quality are essential together with being a reliable supplier. We’re proud of the reputation we’ve built in a short space of time as a trustworthy producer focusing on our customers, quality and long-term relationships.
Most of our customers are in Asia, principally China, and that can sometimes be challenging. Our launch of Chinese-language platforms will help and our fantastic local agents are crucial. Recently we almost doubled our warehouse facilities at the port of Halmstad on the south-west coast of Sweden which has enabled us to reduce delivery times to Asia and improve our service.
We take nothing for granted in this highly competitive sector but look forward to increasing our share of this growing market in the years to come.
Show all content for topic.
Subjects: Pulp
