BIR World Mirror on Non-Ferrous Metals

In this issue of our Mirror, the Chairman of BIR’s International Trade Council - Robert Voss CBE - will address the unfortunate but continuing problem with fraud in our business and the importance of knowing your supplier. It is a message of great importance, and a hard-learned lesson when things go wrong.

There are enough difficult dynamics in our business without having to worry about suppliers who are nothing more than thieves. As Robert points out, they represent a small minority of our business, and for that reason they attract more attention than those of our members who behave honestly and with good intentions.

I urge you to heed his words. Ours can be a strange business in that we often pay for goods before we ever see them, a time-honored methodology that seems to work in our trade for the very reason that we spend time visiting suppliers, attending meetings such as those offered by this organization, and relying on reputable dealings going back many years.

I can confirm that three of our very capable board members - Past President Marc Natan, Volker Pawlitzki and Mogens Christensen - are already planning our divisional meeting in Paris, which will focus on Europe. We are very happy to report that Professor Philippe Chalmin, the noted economist from Université Paris-Dauphine, has agreed to lead the panel-style meeting.

by Robert Stein
Alter Trading (USA)
President of the Non-Ferrous Metals Division

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