BASF is an acknowledged star in an industry void of standout performers. This multinational specialty chemical company’s name is synonymous with such qualities as innovation, product superiority and customer service.

      Specialty chemicals differ from commodity chemical products in that they comprise the value-added segment of the business — products sold based on their performance in-use characteristics. Specialty chemicals are typically premium ingredients, often requiring special handling.

      In the making of specialty chemicals, competitiveness has traditionally been defined by innovation, not by price. In recent years, though, the demands of the global marketplace have exerted pressure on manufacturers to lower prices on all products, specialty chemicals included.

Cutting costs Gulf Coast to West Coast

      As price pressure lowered profit margins, BASF needed a new strategy for moving its specialty product, urethane polyols, from plants on the Gulf Coast to customers on the West Coast. According to Michael Labadie, materials management-Urethanes of BASF, “We looked at several options, but found the one that made most sense at Ventura Transfer Company — if they could satisfy one critical condition, ensuring the high product quality controls that our customers demanded.”

      Tim Dodds, customer service and transloading manager of VTC, remembers that the BASF review process was an extensive and thorough one. “They carefully audited our facility, making sure that both nitrogen and steam were available at the rail siding. Our trucks also...

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