Christy Catalytics’s longevity is a testament to its significance in the business community.
At 100 years old, the company continues to maintain its reputation as a long-time ceramics and refractory manufacturer, and supplier to petroleum refineries, petrochemical, LNG, natural gas and other facilities. Christy’s VP of Operations, Kevin Dustmann, shared with BIC Magazine about the many supply chain issues that have plagued the industry since the COVID-19 pandemic, and how Christy has stood its ground — continuing to meet customer needs while operating with excellence.
BIC: How have you been able to maintain your supply chain?
Dustmann: Many companies in our line of business rely on an international supply chain. Over the past two years, supply shortages and the increase in ocean freight costs have made an already complicated supply chain even more complicated. The best way to maintain a supply chain is to have local production. We purchased our Ohio facility in 2014 for many reasons, chief among them is to have a local source for our products, but having local manufacturing doesn’t guarantee a smooth supply chain. We at Christy believe in long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with our business partners. We are able to fix our costs and supplies by leveraging these relationships.
BIC: What changes have you seen in the international supply chain?
Dustmann: Costs are up all over the world, everything from wages to raw materials to natural gas. Freight costs are up and transit times are longer than they used to be. Although there has been some recent relief on shipping costs, I think we can plan on higher freight charges in the future.
BIC: What are some advantages that Christy can offer its customers?
Dustmann: We carry a large stock of material in Houston for our Gulf Coast customers. We also keep stock at our manufacturing facility in Crooksville, Ohio, which serves the Midwest and East Coast. Christy offers its products in just about any kind of packaging whether it be bulk bags, small bags, steel drums, etc. We also offer after-hours shipping, including weekends, to meet our customers’ emergency needs. All of this is part of our Operational Excellence program.
BIC: What do operations mean at Christy?
Dustmann: Every day brings new and exciting challenges. With operations all over the world, Christy’s supply chain works 24 hours per day. Even though Christy has been in business for over 100 years, we still experience situations in operations we have never encountered before. We ship our products to over 75 different countries, so there are always opportunities to grow and learn something new every day.
BIC: What was the catalyst for naming your program Operational Excellence?
Dustmann: Operational Excellence is defining what aspects would make our operations group excellent from an internal and from a customer perspective. From that list of aspects, annual and quarterly goals are established with the focus on continual improvement.
For more information, visit christycatalytics.com or call (314) 773-7500.
