we provide access to new customers
and markets, engineering/formulation
expertise, and sales resources to help
them achieve their long-term growth
objectives.
For our customers we aim to
position ourselves as a strategic part-
ner, understanding their D.O.S. and
working with them on initiatives to
help them reach their annual growth
objectives, including S&OP (Sales and
Operations Planning), 12-month fore-
casting, joint marketing programs, and
new product developments. We fully
appreciate our customer’s growth is
critical to our own success.
CM:
We look to establish long-
term, mutually beneficial relationships
for all of our stakeholders. We have a
select network of customers and Ap-
proved Suppliers™ to ensure we are
aligned with their needs, so we can
then work to meet their requirements
time after time, no matter the size of
business.
Many of our products are com-
modities, where price can be the main
driver. To differentiate, we’re constant-
ly evolving our business to enhance
our product offering, brand awareness,
and marketplace knowledge, as well
as improving the service we provide to
our stakeholders.
Although we know we have to
deliver a product that works for our
customers, we feel it’s our relation-
ships, service standards, and non-
product offerings that set us apart.
How do you deal with customer
issues, so that you can keep your stel-
lar reputation in tact?
GM:
We have a unique approach
to handling issues in the company. We
use the phrase ‘systemize the predict-
able and humanize the exceptional,’
which means if the circumstances are
known to be repeatable (or predict-
able), then we look to find a system
and/or process to handle the situation
so it becomes automatic. The second
part is to provide face-to-face contact
for situations that can be made excep-
tional.
We also use an ERP system called
Netsuite to help us process orders and
track opportunities. But when it comes
to quality incidents, these are handled
personally using forms, emails, phone
calls, and, on occasion, customer visits
to record the needed information. We
strive to personalize the relationships
with our customers and suppliers as
much as possible, and in some cases
our customers have visited our suppli-
ers, which extends the relationship of
our stakeholders.
GCP
