TPI November 2020

What is the worst crisis you and your company have faced and what is your proudest moment? The current pandemic has challenged all of us in many ways. It has impacted our operations globally, including APAC, influencing the way we conduct our business. This situation has led to an unprecedented global demand drop in our industry segments, an increasingly inward approach and a health crisis, where the depth and duration remains uncertain. So far, we have used this situation to redefine the reasons for us being a leading innovation company in the materials technology area and I am proud of how we have navigated this situation. From a safety perspective, we were at the forefront in ensuring all precautions and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were followed and, in full co-operation with the local authorities, have managed to seamlessly start up and bring our operations back to normal and have taken numerous measures to keep our environment safe for our employees during this phase. Sharath Satish Sharath is currently the Head for Business Unit Tube in APAC, Sandvik Materials Technology. He is responsible for the strategic and operational growths of the following sales offices in the region – India, China, Korea & Japan and South East Asia. Having been with Sandvik since 2005, Sharath started as a Senior Sales and Territory Engineer where he oversaw sales and business development in the West India region. Between 2007 and 2017, Sharath held various roles within the tube unit on a national and regional scale. In 2008, he was the National Sales and Marketing Manager for Tube, Complementary and Primary Products in India and Bangladesh. He assumed the role of a Regional Sales Manager in 2012, followed by the appointment as Vice President of Tube Sales in India in 2015 and APAC Business Development Manager the following year. In 2017, Sharath was appointed as the Head of Business Unit Tube in APAC, with the key role of driving sustainable growth for tubular operations in the region and ensuring operational excellence across the countries. Sharath also ensures his team delivers management objectives, establishes and maintains synergies between markets and opens new markets in the region. Sharath completed his Masters in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from University of Illinois in Chicago, USA in 2003.

28 days, but might be a bit longer during this period due to COVID-19 pandemic) – from order to supply from anywhere in the APAC region will, overall, boost the productivity and safety of our customer operations. What are the future plans for your company? Do you see a lot of potential for growth? The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed various industries to digitalise their operations in order to stay afloat and continuously deliver their services while keeping staff by enabling them to practice social distancing. Sandvik started digitalising our tube site in Werther, Germany to cope with the lockdown back in March 2020, and from this experience, several advantages have already been defined. For instance, communicating directly with operators on their own digital device. This meant that we could cut down on regular meetings as everybody gets the same information straight from the source, hence improving efficiency and reducing hierarchy. Undoubtedly, digitalising our operations will be at the forefront of our business pipeline and surely the path to go in the future. Beyond digitalising our operations across the globe, and the region, we are also looking to strengthen our position in China and India, where we have laid out clear strategic growth plans. The Covid-19 situation has made the macro-environment more challenging and has intensified the conversations around climate and environment. This situation will accelerate the shift related to Green Energy transition and reducing CO 2 footprint, which we believe can give us unique opportunities to respond with our innovation in materials development and solutions. We have always been a part of this transition whether in our own operations or with the impact of our products and solutions. We will continue to strengthen our focus towards areas where we can make this shift and increase our customer’s productivity in a sustainable way.

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November 2020 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL