Marlieke Visser joined us in 2020 when she started working at our Dutch subsidiary FN Steel. The company, which is based in Alblasserdam, manufactures as-rolled wire rod as well as drawn and processed wire. With a wide range of customer-focused experience behind her, Marlieke's now working at FN Steel as an Inside Sales Representative.
What was your previous experience before joining FN Steel?
After spending half a decade abroad – mostly in the UK and Australia – I moved back to the Netherlands with a good understanding of international communications. I used these skills to build a career in international markets. I've worked in logistics, commodity trade, sub-sea services, shipbuilding and now steel production. My role within all these sectors has always been customer orientated.
What knowledge do you bring to the business?
I've worked in a relatively diverse set of businesses, all with their own ways of working. This has helped me to not only swiftly step into new organisations, but also to analyse and improve existing procedures. My diverse career background has given me a great insight into customer needs and expectations, and this in turn enables me to anticipate customer requirements ensuring we deliver a responsive service.
What are you enjoying about working with us so far?
The FN Steel offices are on the same site as our rolling mill and Wire Processing Centre. Our production colleagues are always open to a walk-around on the production floor and will proudly show you what we do. Booking orders and seeing them move through the system can be a little abstract, so having the option to ‘touch base’ in such a way is a real motivator for me.
Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years’ time within FN Steel?
The coming years will be filled with changes and challenges, which will result in better ways of working. For instance, we're moving our admin to an online platform and will be working with a new booking system from September 2021. After implementing the new booking system, we have ongoing Lean projects, all organised by our Continuous Improvement Manager Eline Rietberg, that will help increase our efficiencies.
I'm looking forward to working with my team to implement these exciting initiatives and improve our ways of working, with benefits expected throughout our supply chain.
Why did you choose to apply to FN Steel?
FN Steel offers a lot of opportunities for personal growth because they themselves are changing - not only because of the sudden move to working from home, but also because there is a drive for improvement. There's a real momentum behind raising awareness of our business, our processes and the high-quality products we offer.
What does your day-to-day role involve?
As Inside Sales Representative, I liaise between different departments within FN Steel and the customer to ensure the best possible service, from order booking right through to delivery.
What advice would you give to other people considering a career at FN Steel or British Steel?
Whether you're a new or recent graduate or have decades of work experience, there will be a place for you. We have a lot of internal knowledge, which is passionately shared. There is also the appreciation for insight from an external perspective and a drive to keep improving.
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