From the Far East to the Barents Sea

INGRID GULE has achieved both a Masters in Business and Economics and a Degree in Automation Engineering. Safe to say that she could have had her pick of employers, but she has stayed in Glamox for the last 24 years.
“I never thought I’d stay here for this long, but I haven’t had a boring day since I started,” Gule says.

In addition to leading the inside sales and technical department (the Project Department is now Inside Sales), she also handle daily inquiries and get involved in projects where there is a need. Last year she spent a lot of time testing and implementing Salesforce, as well as training, and she still spend a lot of time on this.

Supporting the Korean market

Back in 1996, when she entered the position as Project Manager, she was supporting the Korean, Japanese and Singaporean markets.
“What was it like to start working with sales and project management in countries on “the other side of the world”?”
"I’d never worked in the export industry before and the Asian cultures are very different to ours. In Korea, which is the market I’ve been most involved with, personal relations are very important. They’ve got to know that they can trust you. Status and hierarchy also play an important role and it’s vital to ensure that you speak to the right person. Koreans are open and friendly, but more formal than what we are used to. Numerous trips to Korea have made me appreciate the people, country and culture. I’ve learned that no matter which market you work in, it’s important to know, understand and respect the culture,” she says. Glamox has secured a good position in the Korean market over the years and is today a well-known brand represented by a separate entity, Glamox Korea Co. Ltd. “One of the reasons for our success, I think, is that we have a very flexible approach to our products. We’ve never been afraid to adapt a luminaire in order to give our customers exactly the technical solution that they need. We have also worked very closely with the owners and end-users through the years and have established good relationships with them,” she says.

 

From fax machines to web portals

“How has the business changed over the years?”
“Sales itself, hasn’t changed that much, I think, but the project specifications and requirements for documentation have become more comprehensive. We’ve also become more solutions oriented rather than just selling products,” Ingrid says.
According to Ingrid, developments in the communication technology field over the last 25 years have made a huge difference to her working day.

“When I started, all communication was carried out through fax machines, mail and express courier services. Tender documents were printed and faxed back and forth with more and more hand-written comments added in each round until the documents became almost unreadable. Imagine the stress andfrustration when we were getting close to the deadline for the tender and the fax wouldn’t go through!” Ingrid says, describing similar trials of patience in the documentation work.

“Drawings, certificates and data sheets had to be copied and numbered manually before they were placed in binders and shipped to the customers. Nowadays many of the companies we work with have web portals or databases where we upload documentation directly. We also have easy access to a lot of information and documentation on our website,” Ingrid says.

What are you working on these days?
"In addition to leading the inside sales and technical department (the Project Department is now Inside Sales), I also handle daily inquiries and get involved in projects where there is a need. Last year I spent a lot of time testing and implementing Salesforce, as well as training, and I still spend a lot of time on this." Ingrid says.