Karen Drahuskah, Foreign Trade Customer Service Manager for Air Products, is responsible for the day-to-day service activities of the company's Gases, Equipment and the Chemicals divisions. "Since my first day on the international side of the business at Air Products, I can distinctly recall exchanging ideas with BDP people about the meaning of a partnership," states Karen. "From the beginning we communicated and acted as a team. And while BDP was our vendor, it would be important for them to be able to come to me and say, 'Karen, if you take action-step Y rather than step Z, you will save time eliminate duplicate work, and your process will run more smoothly.'"
That proactive approach is precisely what a company like Air Products, with its extensive global manufacturing operations, not only needs but also demands. "BDP books our products, provides the necessary paperwork (such as dock receipts and bills of lading), handles document distribution, and ensures that Air Products customers throughout the world receive their shipments," says Karen.
"BDP treats our business as if it is their business. The on-site staff participates in all of our team meetings," adds Karen. "If we discuss a business priority or a time-sensitive issue, BDP staff is part of that discussion. By communicating up front, they truly understand our products and objectives, and are more effective in the logistics role."
Karen also appreciates BDP's diverse experience, especially their expertise with hazmat shipments which have stringent loading and transport requirements.
On one occasion, during the preparation of a hazmat shipment destined for a customer in South America, it was learned the contract carriers would not be able to handle the shipment. As the clock ticked on and our customer's shipment fell deeper into jeopardy, BDP quickly identified a carrier that met the criteria, and in less than 24 hours, the customer's product was safely loaded onto a ship for South America.
"If ever one of our carriers is unable to handle a particular shipment because they determine it is outside their handling capacity," adds Karen, "I turn to our BDP people, pick their brains, and quickly get the input I need to resolve the issue, in the best way. They have handled so many of these situations for Air Products."
"When supplying a tightly specified gas or chemical, in which impurities are measured in ratios of parts per billion, the stakes of accountability are high," explains Karen. "The customer tracks everything, and rightfully so. We need those resources to practice quality and customer service standards as high as your own."
Both BDP and Air Products use Key Performance Indicators (KPI). At Air Products, Karen uses performance measurement wall charts, to readily review BDP's KPI status. "BDP also performs self-measurement," states Karen. "Both companies understand the importance of such measurements, not because the data looks pretty on a graph, but because the performance metric serves as a tool that enables us to work together to identify collective opportunities for improvement. BDP really takes this part of the relationship to heart."
"Through their technology expertise, BDP has helped us stay as current as possible," Karen says. "But working side-by-side with BDP people everyday defines the true success of our relationship."
