Mustafa Abdullahi

At Arcus, we strongly believe in the power of personal contact. This is the only way to build long-term relationships. We regularly share the story of one of our colleagues. This month, we would like to introduce Mustafa Abdullahi, Purchaser Europe.

Mustafa has now been working at Arcus for 17 years. Previously, he worked in the hospitality industry. He came to us through a client of Arcus. Meanwhile, he held several positions. Developing and growing is what makes Arcus an attractive employer for him.

 From sales to purchasing
“17 years ago, I started on the sales team of my colleague Arnold. I was there for about eight years. During that time, I gained a lot of product knowledge and specialised in high-quality grades and technical specifications of stainless steel. At one point, we even set up a project team for this. Especially for customers with specific project requests. After that, I also worked for another region. And from 2016, I have been in the Purchasing Department.”

Logical step
“Actually, this was a very logical step. In the sales department, you are also responsible for part of the purchasing. Very quickly I realised that you have to build good relationships with your suppliers, especially for special requests. I still enjoy building relationships with suppliers. And incredibly valuable for our customers, of course.”

“I am responsible for the procurement of all European materials. This means I have a lot of contact with sales and especially with our suppliers. I also purchase the materials for our branch in Brielle.”

What do you enjoy most about your work at Arcus?
“Absolutely the bonding. The bonding with colleagues, but also the bonding with our suppliers. I am a real people person. I like good and pleasant contacts. People always know where to find me. I also think Arcus is a great employer. If they see opportunities, they really go for them. Decisions here don’t involve many layers. Just short and flexible, I like that”.

“And what I also like is making the impossible possible. For example, I once managed to bind a supplier to Arcus. That took three years, but it worked out. I really get a kick out of that”.

How do you become good at your job?
“By opening up, being innovative and thinking out of the box. But it is also important to know who you are. At Arcus, we find it important to build a long-term relationship with a supplier. We don’t have very many either, because we really want to focus on the relationship. And you have to really feel that. We really noticed that during corona crisis. Then you find out who your partners are”.

How do you see the future?
“I see things looking bright. I am happy with the expansion plans that are in place. I hope we grow further but with the right balance. I see the same for myself. I hope I can grow with it. If there are opportunities for another position, that would be nice, but it has to be really nice. And with a nice team. Position, money and status are not important. I mainly want to grow on a human level. So really personal development. Fortunately, that is possible at Arcus’’.