H.C. Starck Saves Money And Improves Service With A Blended Transportation Management Solution

Forbes, June 2017 by Steve Banker

H.C. Starck, headquartered in Munich, is a global manufacturer of metals including tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, niobium, and rhenium, high-performance ceramics, and thermal spray powders. Many of their make-to-order products conduct electricity but, unlike copper, are impervious to many chemicals. Not surprisingly, many of their biggest customers are electronics manufacturers.

In the U.S., they operate three plants: in Newton Massachusetts, Euclid Ohio, and Cold Water Michigan. The company’s products tend to be very heavy, and they usually ship less-than-truckload (LTL) in either dry van or flatbed. The lead times on their products are 14 to 20 weeks. As they near their order promise dates, they find they often must expedite shipments to keep big customers happy.

Mark Smolinsky, a Sr. Logistics Manager in the US operations, explained to me their journey to reduce costs without impacting service.  “Seven years ago, when we were owned by Bayer. Yellow Freight was our carrier for all three plants. We got quotes from leading 3PLs and were convinced we had great rates. One day this brash kid came in and said he could save us 10 to 14 percent.”

Read the original article from Forbes here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebanker/2017/06/27/h-c-starck-saves-money-and-improves-service-with-a-blended-transportation-management-solution/#3a6dfeaf7c72