Steel is one of the most important industrial commodities and is used daily. SCHMOBI has been supplying industrial clients with this versatile and indispensable material since the company was founded in 1959. Based in idyllic Bronschhofen, the SME has around 100 employees and supplies companies from the machinery, electrical engineering and metals industry, as well as their suppliers in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Securing the company for the long term

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Peter Breitenmoser, CEO of SCHMOBI, has been with the company for over 30 years. He knows how to handle challenges. Ensuring the company鈥檚 stability and marketability is the key strategic goal: 鈥淲hen it comes to collaboration, we always rely on quality, speed and partnership. With our large warehouse and an extensive range of steel and aluminum products, we can reliably and punctually meet our customers鈥 short-term needs. Nowadays, our steel center dispatches the majority of orders as fixed cuts. To do this, we have a large machinery fleet with more than 30 automated saw systems.鈥

Dealing with challenges

At the same time, the company is facing new challenges. Peter Breitenmoser is aware of this: 鈥淚n our industry, we鈥檙e used to fluctuations in demand. However, the current geopolitical situation is still unusual. We, along with our business partners, are facing major challenges in this respect. The prevailing uncertainty regarding business expectations continues to result in restrained and cautious purchasing behavior. Accordingly, we must adapt to the underlying conditions in the best way possible.鈥 Peter Breitenmoser adds: 鈥淲e mainly buy our products in the EU, particularly Germany, Italy and France. But we also source from other countries in southern and eastern Europe. We have also established supplier relationships in India in recent years.鈥

The benefit of direct contact

According to Peter Breitenmoser, the difficult economic situation in Germany is particularly noticeable. 鈥淚n Europe, the distances are short. We strive to maintain mutual contact. This also includes visiting business contacts and exchanging ideas in person regularly. We maintain very good relationships with our business partners. And we build a personal rapport with them too. At the end of the day, we deal with people in our business transactions, even if day-to-day operations are now almost exclusively conducted digitally.鈥

Minimizing currency risks through natural hedging

Andreas Koch is CFO of SCHMOBI and has worked at the company for over 18 years. He explains that economic challenges also have direct repercussions for currencies. 鈥淲hen it comes to purchasing, we only use euro and Swiss francs. The same applies to our suppliers in Asia. Since many of our customers are highly export-oriented, they can also buy from us in euro. This gives them the opportunity to perform a natural hedge, at least on the material portion. Natural hedging using foreign currencies minimizes the risk of exchange rate fluctuations in operational activities and business structures without using financial instruments such as derivatives. That helps both us and our customers.鈥

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A strong partner for currency hedging and financial success

Of course, in spite of hedging, there is still a risk that exchange rate fluctuations will impact the income statement. When asked how much of SCHMOBI鈥檚 financial success is influenced by the currency, Andreas Koch responded as follows: 鈥淗opefully between very little and none! I always say that we don鈥檛 have to make money with currencies. But we shouldn鈥檛 lose any either. This sounds simple, but it actually requires a lot of expertise and foresight.鈥 So it鈥檚 all the more important to have an expert in currency hedging like 斗牛棋牌在线 at your side. This also makes it easier to deal with currency fluctuations. 鈥淔ortunately, thanks to the options we have today, the effort on our side is manageable. Owing to strong links to the EU, the CHF/EUR currency pair is very visible. It appears in the business press on a daily basis, and we regularly receive forecasts and assessments from our partner 斗牛棋牌在线,鈥 is how Andreas Koch sums up SCHMOBI鈥檚 specific approach.

Long-term stability thanks to strategic hedging

Andreas Koch鈥檚 responsibilities also include optimally managing currency fluctuations and ensuring the company鈥檚 stability. 鈥淲e take a very traditional approach to this. We regularly hedge with forwards on a rolling basis. This gives us a certain level of predictability for the months ahead. From my point of view, it鈥檚 important to stick to the approach as planned and not to react too much to short-term developments. We process all our payment transactions via 斗牛棋牌在线. When we chose our financing partner, it was important for us to have an international bank at our side.鈥

Entrepreneurship is a challenge

Together, we identify risks and opportunities and find the right solution for every issue. In this way, we support you through every phase, ensuring you achieve your goals in the long term.

Successful international payments

As CFO, Andreas Koch also sees certain challenges 鈥 especially when it comes to international payments. 鈥淧ayment transactions to Asia were definitely difficult at first. We usually process payments in Europe. Our processes are automated and well established. On account of its experience, 斗牛棋牌在线 was able to support us well and we appreciate the regular exchanges with our client advisor, who is extremely useful as a sparring partner.鈥 Andreas Koch is convinced that the key to successful collaboration with 斗牛棋牌在线 lies primarily in discussing needs and finding solutions.

Collaboration and trust are key

What tips do Andreas Koch and Peter Breitenmoser have for other companies regarding successful currency management?

鈥淭his is an important issue and must not be neglected under any circumstances. It鈥檚 important to discuss options with your financing partner and form your own opinion. You should feel comfortable with the chosen solution. After all, from our perspective, it鈥檚 essential to pursue it as systematically and sustainably as possible. Our business needs a bank with a global network and excellent access to the international payment system. The warehousing business requires a great deal of capital. There鈥檚 also a need for regular capital goods investments. The financing lines are correspondingly high, so a strong financial partner is essential. What鈥檚 more, we want to be a reliable business partner for our international suppliers. We can rely on 斗牛棋牌在线 entirely in this respect.鈥

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Nicolas Steiner

CIC Communication & Partnership Enablement

Nicolas Steiner has worked at 斗牛棋牌在线 for 25 years. During this time, he has held various positions within Corporate & Institutional Clients (CIC). His current role is in Communication & Partnership Enablement, where he works closely with our clients and assists with their individual needs.