Interview with Export Manager Stefan Sletting Nielsen

Former member of the Support Team at Carl F. International and now d line Export Manager, Stefan Sletting Nielsen, has been instrumental in landing and keeping an interesting project in Saudi Arabia, called the Desert Roses Project, where a local sheikh made an order for three enormous private residences in the capital of Riyadh to the contractor AMIAS.  

Three years ago, d line Architectural Adviser, Poul Richard, heard whispers of the project through the grapevine; in February 2009, Stefan Sletting Nielsen was contacted by the then d line office (now decommissioned) in Dubai – they had been invited to submit a tender for the entire project. In collaboration with d line Dubai, Stefan Sletting Nielsen completed the first tender draft in July 2009. It was a complicated process because the tender would not only comprise d line merchandise but merchandise from sub-contractors and various suppliers – this involves descriptions of products that d line purchases and re-sells to the customer – this is not standard procedure and only included when volume of a project dictates it. The project was comprehensive as was the so-called “door-description,” which amounted to an offer approximating DKK 1 million. From July until December 2009 the project was on standby; despite vigorous follow-up attempts, Stefan Sletting Nielsen strangely enough received no news or feedback. The Sales Department decided to write the project off, which was unfortunate; a lot of time and resources had been put towards landing the project; however by the end of December 2009 Stefan Sletting Nielsen was once again approached by d line Dubai that explained that the project was ongoing but had been stalled due to different undisclosed reasons.

In January 2010, Stefan Sletting Nielsen is contacted by the Danish architect on the project, Simon Ingvartsen of XYZ Architects in Copenhagen, who explains that unforeseen challenges and disagreements have caused the delay – the right solutions have not been found – following an internal debate, it is agreed that d line Denmark and the architect will take over the project in unison. An agreement between the two is reached in February 2010 and they start from scratch – a new description is submitted to AMIAS in Riyadh in May 2010 – the contractor approves the tender two weeks later.

“The risk we run is time spent on creating the tender, which becomes the customer’s property, who is then entitled to take our tender and use another supplier, based on the specifications and descriptions, we have made,” says Stefan Sletting Nielsen. 

Luckily that did not happen in this case! The handling from Denmark, the assistance, and the project counseling, and the fact that d line presented as one supplier, convinced the customer of the merit of using d line despite the initial snags. The consignment ended up being 50/50 components from d line and other suppliers. This facilitates the process for the customer. The shipment of products to Riyadh is twofold – the first was made in late August and the second and last consignment will be made the first week of November. 

Stefan Sletting Nielsen continues, ”It is a good image of how to proceed, if you want these kinds of projects, the time frame can be extensive. We worked on Desert Roses for close to 1½ years before it became final, and for us it is not over until the project has been completed. We are in daily contact with the contractor and the architect to make sure everything is running smoothly and to the customer’s satisfaction. The Danish architect follows up onsite.”

When asked if this has been a typical assignment, Stefan Sletting Nielsen replies, “No! Typically we don’t handle the entire enterprise; usually we are contacted by sub-contractors who have project advisers. But it is definitely something we will be offering our customers in future. In the new d line we will focus on all aspects of the value-chain from raw material to production to post-installment follow-up.”

For Stefan Sletting Nielsen this has been a huge challenge and a great experience; he has cursed the project at times, but overall it has been a very rewarding project. It has survived many changes – Stefan Sletting Nielsen has been appointed to two new positions, Carl F. International was sold to Sanistål A/S, and d line became d line as, and the Dubai office has been decommissioned – during the process. And still it was possible to keep the customer. That is quite impressive and testament to the rewards of tenacity, communication, and excellent planning.

“In the end the project yielded roughly DKK 900,000, so less than estimated – but it is still a very big order, and equally important in this scenario is establishing a good rapport with the architect, the contractor, and the customer; one that will be mutually beneficial in future,” says Stefan Sletting Nielsen.

In conclusion, Stefan Sletting Nielsen remarks, “I would be amiss, if I did not commend my colleague Poul Richard, who did extensive and invaluable work on Desert Roses Project.”