“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” - Arthur Golden

2020 has offered an unparalleled spotlight on the extraordinary things people across the world are doing – for their families, their work teams, and their communities.

Within the chemical industry, these challenging times have allowed companies to showcase their values in action – and how those values can help us quickly respond to changing market needs and adjust our way of doing business to keep employees and customers safe. At Monument, we’ve been amazed to see how our employees have brought our values to life in unique ways that will be remembered long after a return to normalcy.

We’ve also been inspired by many of the incredible actions of our customers and peers. In the spirit of that inspiration-sharing, we’d like to spotlight one of our favorite examples of Monument’s values in action from the past six months: our ramp-up of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and ethanol.

Some quick background… Even before the pandemic, Monument was already a well-known supplier of isopropyl alcohol (IPA), which is used in several cleaning products and pharmaceutical applications. As demand for these products – particularly hand sanitizer – began to spike significantly last spring, we immediately started efforts to increase capacity at our Houston site. Then, we took things a step further by investing in the equipment, processes, and procedures needed to produce a fully formulated, ethanol-based hand sanitizer product on behalf of a key customer.

One of the reasons behind our decision to pursue ethanol refinement and production is that IPA is widely used across a variety of industries. Adding ethanol (ethyl alcohol) to our product portfolio will allow us to meet the growing demand for cleaning and disinfecting supplies, while also ensuring enough critical volume is available to continue making other highly regulated products requiring IPA, such as diabetes medications and vaccines.

Our employees are extremely proud of this accomplishment, which is making a tangible difference to the end-use consumers who rely on a steady supply of these products to keep safe. A few of our leaders recently got together to reflect on how this team effort has showcased our values in action…

Safety and Quality

The health and safety of our employees has always been Monument’s top priority. To ensure that ethanol could be refined safely on-site while also increasing production of IPA, the company was very cautious in determining who would need to be in the plant to support manufacturing.

“Being in the chemical industry, we already had several safety protocols in place. But given the severity of COVID-19 and how easily it spreads, we’ve added to and enhanced these measures,” said Adam Pingel, Vice President of Manufacturing. “Equipment and high-traffic areas are cleaned frequently, and masks are now mandatory in addition to required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as safety glasses, steel-toed boots, and gloves. We also implemented staggered shifts to reduce the number of employees on site at any given time, which makes it easier to meet the recommended physical distancing guidelines.”

Despite the environment of constant uncertainty, distractions, and anxiety associated with the pandemic, there have been no injuries associated with Monument’s production of hand sanitizer. “We have a strong family-oriented culture, and our employees continue to do an excellent job of watching out for each other as members of their ‘work family,’” said Adam.

Flexibility

As a lean, flexible company, Monument prides itself on its ability to be agile in response to changing market trends and evolving customer needs. When demand for products sold into the coatings industry began to decline, the team took this opportunity to free up volume for cleaning and medical applications.

“With precautionary measures put in place during during COVID, we’ve remained safely open for business as a reliable supplier. We’re always learning, but our ‘can-do’ attitude and ability to adjust to changing demands by quickly making ingredient and process adjustments sets us apart,” said Amanda Muilenburg, Commercial Development Manager.

Cooperative, Collaborative Relationships

Despite not being able to connect in person, we’ve been able to continue meeting customers’ needs thanks to a willingness to explore and utilize the latest collaboration technologies and tools.

“The COVID-19 environment has definitely changed the way we do business, but we had already been shifting our approach to engage with customers in new ways – with more of an emphasis on virtual options. Having the right tools in place meant we didn’t lose any momentum,” said Andy Allen, Senior Account Manager. “Working in this new environment has also challenged us to identify new ways to connect our capabilities with evolving market needs and opportunities as they emerge.”

And the use of collaboration tools hasn’t been limited to interacting with customers. “The strength of our long-term success is a function of how well our plants are able to run around the world,” said Sibel Selcuk, Vice President of Global Research & Development. “Regular check-in calls with the entire manufacturing organization and the willingness of our employees to work together in different ways has enabled us to get to know each other on a more personal level. And this has led to a deeper sense of teamwork and a shared commitment to maintaining the agility customers have come to associate with Monument.”

Responsiveness

Once we decided to refine ethanol, things began to move very quickly throughout Monument. With less than six weeks between the time the order for hand sanitizer was first placed to the first batch produced, responsiveness was essential throughout the process.

“We had a meeting with a customer on a Friday, met with our internal leadership team over the weekend, and by Monday, we had a list of potential ethanol suppliers ready to contact,” said Sarves Peri, Vice President of Global Supply Chain. “The R&D team acted very swiftly to analyze several dozen alcohol streams to identify the best one to meet the needs for use in a regulated product.”

Technical Expertise

In discussing the sourcing of ethanol, Sarves was quick to recognize the R&D organization’s depth and reach in industry networks. “Our people are well known in the industry, and their expertise provided a great deal of credibility as we worked to source raw materials.”

The first production run of more than 400,000 gallons of hand sanitizer was completed ahead of schedule in early June. Monument has a contract to produce 420,000 gallons of product each month, which is equivalent to more than 20 rail cars. This success opens up new opportunities with USP grade ethanol, and our production could be expanded to other Monument sites in the future.

And ALWAYS…Integrity

While safety is our top priority, integrity is the cornerstone upon which our team was built. “From Manufacturing and R&D to Supply Chain and Commercial, every function has contributed to our agility and success. When there’s a need, our people start delivering, but they don’t just do it for the sake of doing things quickly. Our commitment is to do the right thing, the right way, every time,” Sibel said.

The stakes in doing what’s right have never been higher, especially considering that hand sanitizer is a product people buy with the expectation that it will help protect them from COVID-19 and other viruses and bacteria. Umair Virani, who spent several years in Quality Control before moving into his current account manager role said,“Hand sanitizer is regulated by the FDA, but we refined ethanol beyond what other suppliers would have done because we know that it will help protect the hands and health of consumers around the world, and we want it to be as safe and effective as possible.”

We hope this story of our values in action has inspired you to think about the many ways YOUR unique company values have guided your team’s ability to navigate today’s challenges. Again, these challenges will eventually pass, but our core commitments and values will ensure that in the meantime, we keep making a difference…that we keep the supply chain strong and of the highest quality…and most importantly, that we all keep safe.