08.12.15
Coast Southwest, Inc. is a leading full-service, chemical distribution company. From six locations, the company serves manufacturers and formulators of personal care and household products throughout the US with functional ingredients. Happi recently conducted a Q&A with Joseph C. Cimo, president of the company.
Happi: What is Coast Southwest's specialty when it comes to the household and personal products industry?
Cimo: Coast Southwest provides a virtually complete portfolio of ingredients, from highly specialized actives to basic commodities across many product segments, for the household and personal products industry. We can be the one-stop shop for our customers to get the raw materials they need for their formulations.
We are particularly strong in the surfactants, preservatives, and oleochemicals. We are well known in the markets that we serve as we now celebrate our thirtieth year in business.
Happi: What characteristics make for a good supplier-distributor relationship?
Cimo: A good supplier-distributor relationship is based on reciprocity; one in which there is a tangible and mutual benefit for both parties. Some may call it a partnership, but by any description, it is based upon a long-term commitment to the relationship, a commitment to quality and open communication.
For our part, we serve our customers with a wide range of products, a significant investment in inventory, and a world class sourcing capability. Naturally, we provide competitive pricing and terms too, but we add much more value to the supply chain for the manufacturers we serve than just delivering product at a low price. At Coast Southwest, our reliability, responsiveness, and dedication to quality aren’t only slogans. These practices and beliefs are a deeply rooted part of our company culture too.
Happi: What benefits does a finished product manufacturer get by working with Coast Southwest rather than through the chemical producer directly?
Cimo: As a full-service chemical distributor, we have a myriad of goods and services that one customer cannot find in one place. Finished product manufacturers benefit from working with Coast Southwest because our collective capabilities provide tremendous supply chain value.
First and foremost, we are a one-stop shop; a veritable ingredient supermarket for formulators of consumer and industrial products. Our customers can place one order with us for multiple ingredients and expect to receive most of the chemicals needed in a single delivery. Our buying power allows the finished product manufacturer to get volume pricing for just the quantity they need. Our logistical infrastructure allows us typically to deliver these high quality goods within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the customer’s order because we stock product and have our own trucks in the local markets we serve. We have a significant technical capability and competence, facilitated by our 2,000 square foot laboratory. Five staff chemists help our customers with their applications and to solve their problems. Similarly, our technical sales representatives also are available to help with formulations and offer solutions at the point of sale.
Happi: What are finished product manufacturers looking for from distributors these days? Formulation help? Regulatory help? How have the requirements changed in recent years and how does your company stay on top of these trends?
Cimo: Finished product manufacturers are looking for high quality products. Coast Southwest carries these high-quality functional ingredients from many of the most recognized, and recognizable names in the chemical industry—companies such as Lubrizol, Petro-Canada, and ADM. This means we have long-standing, dedicated relationships with these suppliers and our customers know exactly whose product they will be receiving when they purchase from Coast Southwest.
Second, customers want the chemical ingredients they want, when they want them. They find it difficult to deal with long lead times. So they expect that we will stock the products that we say we will. We have a significant commitment to inventory, maintain our own warehouses and operate our own delivery vehicles in the geographies we serve. All so we can meet our customers’ just-in-time expectations
Third, customers need regulatory support. The industry is changing, and increasingly customers are requiring signed documents backing the products they purchase. Customers need the correct responses to questions the first time. Our customers can be assured that we take these requests as seriously as they do and will provide accurate information so that they can determine how to use our products within the demanding requirements of today’s global regulations.
Lastly, many of our customers are challenged to create their products with smaller research and development teams than in the past; this means they look to us for formulation help. We have a significant application laboratory in Arlington, TX that supports the entire company’s efforts. They publish four to five formulations per month to give prospective customers ideas about how they might use the products we sell. Our formulas are available in various trade magazines, on www.coastsouthwest.com, and on UL Prospector. We also work with our closest clients on demand.
Happi: What is Coast Southwest's specialty when it comes to the household and personal products industry?
Cimo: Coast Southwest provides a virtually complete portfolio of ingredients, from highly specialized actives to basic commodities across many product segments, for the household and personal products industry. We can be the one-stop shop for our customers to get the raw materials they need for their formulations.
We are particularly strong in the surfactants, preservatives, and oleochemicals. We are well known in the markets that we serve as we now celebrate our thirtieth year in business.
Happi: What characteristics make for a good supplier-distributor relationship?
Cimo: A good supplier-distributor relationship is based on reciprocity; one in which there is a tangible and mutual benefit for both parties. Some may call it a partnership, but by any description, it is based upon a long-term commitment to the relationship, a commitment to quality and open communication.
For our part, we serve our customers with a wide range of products, a significant investment in inventory, and a world class sourcing capability. Naturally, we provide competitive pricing and terms too, but we add much more value to the supply chain for the manufacturers we serve than just delivering product at a low price. At Coast Southwest, our reliability, responsiveness, and dedication to quality aren’t only slogans. These practices and beliefs are a deeply rooted part of our company culture too.
Happi: What benefits does a finished product manufacturer get by working with Coast Southwest rather than through the chemical producer directly?
Cimo: As a full-service chemical distributor, we have a myriad of goods and services that one customer cannot find in one place. Finished product manufacturers benefit from working with Coast Southwest because our collective capabilities provide tremendous supply chain value.
First and foremost, we are a one-stop shop; a veritable ingredient supermarket for formulators of consumer and industrial products. Our customers can place one order with us for multiple ingredients and expect to receive most of the chemicals needed in a single delivery. Our buying power allows the finished product manufacturer to get volume pricing for just the quantity they need. Our logistical infrastructure allows us typically to deliver these high quality goods within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the customer’s order because we stock product and have our own trucks in the local markets we serve. We have a significant technical capability and competence, facilitated by our 2,000 square foot laboratory. Five staff chemists help our customers with their applications and to solve their problems. Similarly, our technical sales representatives also are available to help with formulations and offer solutions at the point of sale.
Happi: What are finished product manufacturers looking for from distributors these days? Formulation help? Regulatory help? How have the requirements changed in recent years and how does your company stay on top of these trends?
Cimo: Finished product manufacturers are looking for high quality products. Coast Southwest carries these high-quality functional ingredients from many of the most recognized, and recognizable names in the chemical industry—companies such as Lubrizol, Petro-Canada, and ADM. This means we have long-standing, dedicated relationships with these suppliers and our customers know exactly whose product they will be receiving when they purchase from Coast Southwest.
Second, customers want the chemical ingredients they want, when they want them. They find it difficult to deal with long lead times. So they expect that we will stock the products that we say we will. We have a significant commitment to inventory, maintain our own warehouses and operate our own delivery vehicles in the geographies we serve. All so we can meet our customers’ just-in-time expectations
Third, customers need regulatory support. The industry is changing, and increasingly customers are requiring signed documents backing the products they purchase. Customers need the correct responses to questions the first time. Our customers can be assured that we take these requests as seriously as they do and will provide accurate information so that they can determine how to use our products within the demanding requirements of today’s global regulations.
Lastly, many of our customers are challenged to create their products with smaller research and development teams than in the past; this means they look to us for formulation help. We have a significant application laboratory in Arlington, TX that supports the entire company’s efforts. They publish four to five formulations per month to give prospective customers ideas about how they might use the products we sell. Our formulas are available in various trade magazines, on www.coastsouthwest.com, and on UL Prospector. We also work with our closest clients on demand.