Baseball player Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.” Ask anyone who retains a leadership position and chances are, they’ll tell you the same thing. Setting and following goals are important factors to the overall success of a company, and Rohm and Haas Texas Plant Manager Larry Schmid is well aware of how important goals are to remain competitive in an industry that is constantly evolving.

“We operate in a very competitive environment, and it is all about taking our overall performance to the next level to ensure the long-term viability of the plant and the downstream businesses we serve,” Schmid said. “We continuously assess our performance against defined goals and against that of the best-in-class industry performers.

“As a plant there are two major areas we must focus on in 2008 — we must continue to drive improvements in our overall injury rates, and we must drive improvements in the areas of reliability and overall plant productivity.”

According to Schmid, goal setting ensures that Rohm and Haas Texas’ deliverables are consistent with what the business expects.

“Our plant goals are fully aligned with that of the business and the corporation as a whole,” he said. “Once our annual goals are defined, we continuously measure our performance against those goals and make performance adjustments as needed.”

Rohm and Haas Texas
In operation since 1948, the Rohm and Haas Texas facility is the largest of all the Rohm and Haas facilities. Located in Deer Park, just outside of Houston, the facility manufactures acetylene, acrylates, methacrylates and Primene®. These products are used in a wide variety of applications including paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants, and disposable diapers.

Schmid is no stranger to the Rohm and Haas Texas facility. After graduating from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering, Schmid joined the Rohm and Haas Texas facility in January 1985 as a chemical engineer in the acetylene and Triton areas. During his 23 years with Rohm and Haas, he has worked in six different businesses within the company in roles such as technical management, technical sales, regional operations, plant management, and global manufacturing and supply chain management.

In 2007, Schmid was named plant manager and is now responsible for the overall performance of the Rohm and Haas Texas facility and for the Rohm and Haas Bayport, Texas, facility. In addition, Schmid represents the company’s Primary Materials business in a global manufacturing capacity.

“My typical day involves participating or leading various meetings, visiting areas within the plant to speak informally with our employees, and participating in environmental, health and safety audits and outreach type activities,” Schmid said. “Although I have a lot of meetings, I spend a good deal of time away from the office. I like to get out in the plant and meet with people to see our operations firsthand.

“I believe there is no greater value than talking directly to the folks who do the work and getting their ideas and suggestions on what we need to do to improve. I’ve found that we have great people here who take tremendous pride and ownership in their work, and they’re always open to raising concerns and offering suggestions.”

Safety and environment
To remain safe and to protect the environment, Rohm and Haas Texas follows several environmental, health, safety, security and sustainable development values that were developed by Rohm and Haas Co. Each Rohm and Haas employee is expected to perform every task using these principles as a guide.

Rohm and Haas ended 2007 with an occupational injury and illness rate (OII) of 1.7. The OII rate represents the number of injuries and illnesses per every 200,000 man hours worked. Committed to driving down the OII rate in 2008 and future years, Schmid laid out a strategic safety plan for 2008 that identifies several programs and initiatives that will help drive the facility to an injury-free state.

“Our strategy and focus going forward in 2008 focuses on maintaining heightened safety awareness levels, safety training for our first line leaders, employee engagement programs and greater management visibility,” he said.

Demonstrating the facility’s commitment to safety, Rohm and Haas Texas was designated as an OSHA VPP Star work site in 2000. In 2007, Rohm and Haas Texas underwent a second recertification. Promoting effective worksite-based safety and health, OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) helps management, labor and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system. Approval in VPP is OSHA’s official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health.

“I’m very proud of our OSHA VPP Star status,” Schmid said. “We have strong participation in the program at every level of our plant organization. Being part of this voluntary program underscores our commitment to the health and safety of our employees while keeping us focused on continuous improvement.”

Schmid also sets out to improve the facility’s environmental performance each year.

“The people who work here care very much about implementing processes and programs that drive ongoing environmental improvements,” Schmid said. “We also have invested in more sophisticated pollution control equipment and better monitoring systems. We are also implementing an environmental management system, which we believe will be a primary resource to help us meet the environmental challenges of the future.”

Additionally, in 2007, the facility established its P3 team (Pollution Prevention Planning team), whose mission is to encourage, educate, measure and track performance of pollution prevention and waste minimization efforts in the operating areas, maintenance areas and within the facility’s capital planning process.
   
Being a good neighbor
In the tradition of working in harmony with the broader community, the Rohm and Haas Responsible Neighbor program functions to advance the economic, social and environmental quality of life in the Deer Park community through company giving, employee volunteerism and other outreach activities, and community dialogue.

At the core of the Responsible Neighbor program are activities and contributions that promote science, technology and mathematics education; structured after-school programs; environmental and safety concerns; and employee volunteerism.

“Rohm and Haas is a terrific partner to Deer Park,” Schmid said. “We generously support a number of organizations that enhance the quality of life for the people who live and work in the area.

“We contribute to the local school district, and we are proud that our dollars further enrich an already outstanding school system. For 20 years, we have hosted an annual art contest for students in five area school districts with the winning pieces of art featured in our yearly calendar.”

Rohm and Haas Texas’ partnership with the community also includes its support of educational outreach programs, conservationism and a wide array of health, human services and cultural organizations.

“I am on the board of directors of the East Harris County Manufacturers’ Association, and I actively participate in the Deer Park Community Advisory Council,” Schmid said. “Both are strong, supportive organizations that encourage discussion and interaction with plant and community neighbors.”

In addition, Rohm and Haas Texas employees donate their own time and money to local organizations that help improve everyday life.

Keeping an eye on the future
With his 2008 goals clearly defined, Schmid is looking forward to what the future holds for his facility.

“We have excellent teams working on a number of initiatives to drive improvements throughout the plant,” Schmid said. “A zero-injury workplace is our top priority. Likewise, we need to maintain our focus on being good neighbors. Our environmental performance has steadily improved over the past few years, and we expect to show continued, sustainable improvement going forward.

“We must also demonstrate consistent and reliable operations while driving productivity improvements in order to maintain our status as a world-class supplier.”

For Schmid, improving his facility’s reliability and productivity throughout 2008 and beyond is very important for the plant to maintain its competitive advantage. To do that, Rohm and Haas Texas has incorporated a highly integrated management system that utilizes short internal controls in conjunction with key performance indicators that enables the facility to further leverage and strengthen its manufacturing and reliability best practices.

Schmid is also looking forward to the future of the chemical industry, and sees it continuing to improve the quality of life for people all over the world.

“Some of the best and brightest minds work in this industry, and they are identifying new solutions for the world’s most complicated problems,” Schmid said.