ITP is a local manufacturer of technical textiles including scaffold sheeting, debris netting and roofing membranes with ever-increasing sales in both the UK and overseas. Further details are available on www.itpltd.com
Peter Winter, Export Manager of Industrial Textile & Plastics, contacted the RLN for help in finding a Danish speaker. “I am hoping for a Danish speaker to make initial calls for me and undertake research. Written Danish is very easy for a Swedish speaker to understand but my attempts to understand Danish on the phone have been mixed, to put it charitably.
“Having now gained experience in direct sales and warehousing in Sweden, we are now looking at the German market where there is much more potential, but where we will require a full-time German speaker , preferably a German national. In an ideal world, that German would also speak a Scandinavian language but I am not holding my breath.”
RLN admitted that this was not an easy assignment. However, not to be deterred, they pursued their contacts relentlessly and after contact with thirteen different organizations, two potential candidates were sourced via the University of Hull. Following interviews, Christian was recruited to an initial temporary role. ITP is very pleased with the outcome as Christian is Swiss and also speaks fluent Danish so he can cover both Danish and German.
Peter reported that ITP has seen its export sales grow significantly due to language skills. Peter, himself a Swedish speaker, initiated sales in the Scandinavian market using his language skills and sales have now increased from zero to a significant level and rising. “Not only are customers spoken to in their own language, but order confirmations, sales literature etc are all translated into Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. ITP have also established a warehouse in Sweden to enable next-day deliveries throughout Sweden, which has proved to be crucial.”
There is a Scandinavian section to the website www.powerclad.com where you can switch from English to Swedish, Norwegian and Danish.
“Although a small company, we have speakers of Dutch, French (x2), German (x2) Italian and Swedish here, which I think is quite exceptional.”
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