The Dynamic and Passion-filled Work Lives of Hanwha Advance Materials’ Sales Managers

The Dynamic and Passion-filled Work Life of Sales

Hanwha Advanced Materials held a ‘Global Marketing Conference’ in Seoul in March, 2016. Marketing and sales managers from global offices of Hanwha Advanced Materials took part in the week-long event, visiting the company’s R&D center, sharing the latest marketing information from their respective countries, and discussing further opportunities to boost global sales and marketing cooperation. The conference allowed Hanwha Advanced Materials to strengthen the close links between headquarters and regional subsidiaries, and reaffirm the foundations of the Hanwha’s commitment to management based on its core values.

For this interview, Frank Vöge of Hanwha Advanced Material Europe, based in the Czech Republic, and Sean Kim of Hanwha Advanced Materials America sat down to share the stories of the dynamic and motivated Hanwha personnel that have inspired the company’s outstanding results.

My first challenge after starting my career at Hanwha was to build up a partnership with Volkswagen. I concentrated all of my energies on the Volkswagen initiative, which allowed them to see that Hanwha Advanced Materials was the ideal potential partner, in part because of its global footprint. Partnership contracts are complex and usually take one to three years to finalize, but we were able to build up a partnership with one of the world’s leading automakers in a much shorter period of time.

I believe the biggest advantage we have, and the source of our competitiveness, derives from the vertical integration we have at Hanwha Advanced Materials. Vertical integration is a system in which the entire process, from raw material procurement to production to sales, is integrated in a single enterprise, and I can confidently say that I've yet to see a company that is more vertically integrated than ours. Our close understanding and ownership of the entire process has enabled us to establish a reputation as "a trustworthy company” by the industry and achieve a remarkable level of growth in a very short time.

An innovative and challenge-accepting global strategy is indispensable for a company such as ours with global corporations as clients. I think investing in "technological capacity,” the fundamental factor that strengthens a company's foundation, is also key. During my visit to the R&D center as part of the global marketing conference, I was almost overwhelmed by the incredible growth in technology achieved for the past several years and felt pride in being a part of Hanwha. Continuing our efforts will put us on track to truly solidifying the position of Hanwha Advanced Materials in the European OEM business.”

“Cost competitiveness, light weight, performance” are the key factors behind Hanwha Advanced Materials’ products”

“My name is Sean Kim, sales manager for Hanwha Advanced Materials America. I have worked for Hanwha since 2013, and I can definitely relate my personal values with Hanwha's core values and the spirit of "challenge, dedication, integrity, trust and loyalty.” On top of that, there are always exciting opportunities to work together with Hanwha colleagues across the globe, which is another factor that makes my work immensely enjoyable here at Hanwha Advanced Materials.

All of the aspects that make working at Hanwha such a pleasurable experience were also present at the global marketing conference. I was able to meet face to face with colleagues from other regions to learn about business projects in other global subsidiaries and share stories about the recent successes of Hanwha Advanced Materials divisions around the world. Being able to share not just personal experiences but future goals, plans, and strategies of Hanwha Advanced Materials America in addition to seeing those goals being achieved made the event especially meaningful and productive.

Sharing our experiences and insights about our customers enabled us to see the bigger global picture from a sales perspective.

Hanwha Advanced Materials continues to leap forward. In addition to its StrongLite, SuperLite, and other light-weight automotive materials, Hanwha Advanced Materials remains focused on developing new materials as well as new manufacturing methods. These advancements will enable us to provide greater value to our customers in terms of price, weight and performance.

Considering the current state of the market, we plan to diversify our sales portfolio in order to establish ourselves as the world's leading supplier. Our goal is to work with more global carmakers, and I’m convinced that this goal is achievable. We work together with people from all over the world, and we will achieve all we have set out to do by working together as one Hanwha family, sharing our values and focusing on the same goals.”

"Taking HAEU's challenges head-on and prevailing!"

“My name is Frank Vöge, I am the sales manager for Hanwha Advanced Materials Europe, located in the Czech Republic. I've been working for Hanwha for about two years, and I'm currently responsible for sales activities for the company’s European automotive OEM business.

If I were to describe my work life in one word, it would be "challenge"; one of the core values of Hanwha. The nature of sales, which in essence is about providing the best and most optimal solution based on the needs of our customers, means we constantly face new and diverse challenges.