In today's market, which is always changing, problems with the supply chain (from arguments between countries to slow delivery times) can stop steel production. At ZhenAn International Co., Limited, we've spent 30 years creating a plan with many parts to make sure we always have enough ferro vanadium (FeV), even during crises. Here's how we keep your operations safe:
1. Using a variety of raw materials
ZhenAn works with over 20 vanadium ore suppliers in stable regions like Australia, South Africa, and Scandinavia. Our dual-source procurement model stops us relying too much on a single mine. During the 2022 shipping crisis, this approach allowed us to reroute materials within 72 hours, avoiding production delays.
2. Strategic Inventory Buffers
We have storage space for 6–8 weeks' worth of FeV inventory (grades FeV50-FeV80) in bonded warehouses across Asia, Europe, and North America. This buffer helps to deal with sudden surges in demand or shortfalls in certain regions. For example, when a European client's port was struck in 2023, we used our stock in Rotterdam to deliver 500 tons within 10 days.
3. Agile Production & Dual Facilities
Our two ISO-certified plants (30,000m² in total) operate independently. If one facility has problems, the other can make more products straight away. Our advanced smelting technology means we can quickly change the grade of metal, for example from FeV80 to FeV60 in less than 48 hours, to meet the needs of our customers.
4. Logistics Redundancy & Real-Time Tracking
We check and choose over 15 global shipping partners for transport by air, sea and rail. During the Suez Canal blockage, ZhenAn started using air-rail hybrid routes, which cut typical delivery times by 30%. Clients can track their shipments at any time of day or night using GPS. They can also receive automatic updates about customs clearance via our digital platform.
5. Keeping an eye on risk
ZhenAn's AI-powered analytics system checks real-time data on weather, politics and market trends. In the first three months of 2024, it warned us about possible restrictions on vanadium ore exports in one area. Because of this, we made sure we had other stocks weeks before the restrictions were put in place.
6. Clear communication for our clients
We give each client their own account manager. They check the risks of supply every month and make plans for if there are any problems. During the 2021 energy crisis, ZhenAn told its customers about temporary extra charges early on and gave them the chance to lock in prices if they made their decisions quickly.
Why choose ZhenAn?
- We have over 30 years of experience dealing with crises.
- Since 2020, we have delivered 98% of orders on time.
- There are different types of Incoterms, which are contracts used to define the terms of an international trade transaction. Some of these are flexible, such as FOB (Free On Board), CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) and DDP (Delivered Duty Paid).
- There have been no zero-force majeure claims for the last ten years.
Make sure you have enough FeV today.
Don't let problems stop you from working on your steel projects. Contact ZhenAn at sale@zanewmetal.com to discuss custom contingency plans or request our supply chain resilience whitepaper. We have over 300 experts and can handle 150,000 tons every year. We can help you to deal with any problems in your supply chain so that you can beat your competitors.
