SHS Group, the holding for Saarland mills Dillinger Hüttenwerke and Saarstahl, has entered into a long-term cooperation with e-commerce platform Metalshub. Since the beginning of the year, SHS has concluded a large number of contracts for the raw materials procurement of the two mills via the digital platform.
Düsseldorf-based start-up Metalshub trebled the volume of transactions last year for metals and ferroalloys on its B2B online platform versus 2019 to around €300 million ($364m). It claims it now has 1,000 active customers, and that it responded to this increase by introducing a live chat function. Among other things, the function means to facilitate a “much easier exchange between buyers and sellers of metals and ferroalloys”.
For the negotiation process itself, Metalshub has developed two new functions: supplier management data and an auction mode.
Last autumn it also launched the first fully transaction-based price indices for ferroalloys (see Kallanish 5 November). With this tool, suppliers and buyers are able to use transaction-based indices for their annual and quarterly contracts, while spot market participants can have access to reliable price information, Metalshub states.
The beginning of the coronavirus crisis last year initially created insecurity in the market environment, says co-founder Sebastian Kreft. However, “in the course of the months that followed, more and more companies realised how they can benefit from a platform like Metalshub, particularly in difficult times like these,” he says. “That’s why we are very optimistic with our outlook for the current year.”
