True Tales

Maybe it’s our entrepreneurial culture. Or the fact that we’re part of a private company that detests bureaucracy. But while other resin providers may claim to provide exceptional service, Muehlstein actually delivers. Not just for clients, but as you’ll see below, for prospective clients. For us, going the extra mile is simply what we do.

Performance, Yes. Drama, No.

“For me as a Product Coordinator, success is when everything goes so smoothly, nobody notices what I do. In other words, doing my job well means preventing drama and avoiding panic mode. How do I do it? By being proactive and thinking ahead, often way ahead. I make sure we’re on top of inventories and have the material for orders when they come in.

Of course, there are a million things that can go wrong. So it’s important to have a good working relationship with suppliers, business partners, and people inside and outside the organization. Our supply chain has lots of links and there will be times when I need to chase people, call in favors, and follow up until I get answers and resolutions. I can be pretty persistent.

I believe all jobs are sales jobs and work hard to make sure our customers get the best service possible. If we work as a team and keep the lines of communication open, we can meet our customers’ needs and avoid crises.

The way I see it, if our customers want drama, they can get it on TV. I do my best to make sure they don’t get it working with Muehlstein.”

Eva Probst
Product Coordinator

When Speed Is of the Essence

“Sometimes, coming through for a customer is crucial because it helps them come through for their customer. One day I got a frantic call from someone who had the chance to nail down a big sale to Home Depot. It was a deal that would make their number for the quarter, but the timing was extremely tight.

I’ve been at Muehlstein a bunch of years (more than 14) and, as a Sales Coordinator, am usually the first person to get an emergency order. My job is to act like a quarterback and pull the team together–sales, product, inventory, transportation, warehousing–whatever it takes. There are times when we need to deliver a shipment door-to-door within one business day. This was one of them.

We have a wide variety of inventory in warehouses around the country, which is important because it allows us to meet tight shipping deadlines. Through the power of our relationships with trucking companies, third-party warehouses, and internally with one another, people drop everything to help and we’re able to turn things around with lightning speed.

Our customers count on us for service like that. And since it’s important to them, it’s important to us.”

Matt Bova
Sales Coordinator

No Lunch, No Problem

“I remember the day well. We had a railcar full of resin that had gone from Canada to Massachusetts. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be off-loaded as scheduled–the silos were full and there was no place to put the material. So there we were with one bulk truck tanker loaded with resin.

As a Muehlstein Inventory Coordinator, one of my main responsibilities is to watch the bottom line by closely monitoring railcars, especially for railcar detention, which can get very costly, very fast. Keeping a lid on costs is very important to us at Muehlstein. After all, if our costs are low, our customers’ costs are low and we can more easily attract new business.

Sending the resin back to Canada was not an option. The fine would’ve been about $50,000–way too much money to sneeze at. People were starting to worry. I had to get creative and figure out a solution–something we’re taught and encouraged to do at Muehlstein.

I skipped lunch, worked the phone, and called a warehouse in Massachusetts where I was owed a favor. It worked. The resin was stored there and delivered within a week–helping us avoid the large fine that otherwise would’ve been incurred.”

Dan Newton
Inventory Coordinator