Congratulations to…the BASF THF Team

Cross-functional collaboration, patience, and persistence all play a part in a huge commercial win.

The Challenge:

For years, the Monument Houston team had been working to secure a THF tolling contract with BASF, but struggled with getting a trial due to pricing and logistical constraints.

“We knew there was an excellent opportunity with this potential partnership with BASF, so we kept the lines of communication open,” said Amanda Muilenburg, Commercial Development Manager. “As a team, we always have a broad range of commercial opportunities to consider, and the trick is making smart decisions about where to place your ‘bets’ and to put forth your best efforts. We knew the THF campaign with BASF was a smart ‘bet’; it was just a matter of persistence and timing.”

The Game Plan and Results:

That persistence paid off when BASF decided to pursue high-value applications for THF – making the superior quality Monument provides more valuable and now well worth a premium price. In the past, another hurdle to overcome was the fact that BASF needs to ship their raw materials from Ohio to Texas – which can be costly via truck. But given the quality benefits the Monument team can offer, BASF was willing to evaluate shipping the material via rail – which is more cost effective.

“We were ecstatic to win the trial, which took place in November – and thanks to the hard work of the Houston team, particularly Rainer Potthast and the R&D organization, we exceeded the BASF specifications!” said Amanda.

Just as getting the business required much collaboration, so too did the commercialization planning and implementation. For example, the team knew the new THF campaign would generate a high amount of caustic waste – the disposal of which can be very expensive. Fortunately, the Houston HSE team, led by Narayan Dave and Jeff Jacks, was able to figure out a way to dispose of the waste essentially for free – only needing to pay shipping to a waste handler who will make good use of it.

The Learnings:

Amanda and Maria Kraemer Gutierrez, Site Leader, Houston, recently organized a team lunch to celebrate this fantastic win.

“Our THF success with BASF was built over many years, and that very fact is one of our biggest takeaways from this project,” said Amanda. “Commercial successes – particularly tolling projects – are rarely overnight successes – with many of them taking 18 months or more to move from the initial inquiry to commercialization. Smart decision-making, patience, and calculated persistence are critical for growth.”

“Collaboration is also playing a larger role than ever in our commercial successes,” said Amanda. “We’re getting better at working together across teams, functions, and even sites – and this will continue to position us for growth as we make the smartest ‘bets’ and pursue to the top commercial opportunities on our horizon.”