TEXCEL: Ahead of the Curve to Make a Difference

TEXCEL: Ahead of the Curve to Make a Difference Founded over 36 years ago in Houston, Texas, USA, Texcel’s philosophy from day one has been to focus on delivering the best service in the industry, bar none. In the beginning, Texcel offered industrial rubber hoses, particularly large diameter hoses that were challenging for their customers to find. Throughout the years, however, Texcel has added to its offering making their industrial hose offering one of the most robust in the industry. Texcel’s products can be found in the oil & gas, food & beverage, chemical, construction, steam service, liquid & bulk transportation, agriculture, mining & aggregates sectors and more. Hose & Coupling World had the pleasure of speaking with Lawson Massey, Vice President - Sales & Marketing and Zeke Metzler, Director of Distributor Development at Texcel, to discuss the company’s ongoing commitment to building strong distributor-partner relationships and their high-performance range of quality products and best-in-class services. By Melanie Gogan, Editor A founding member of NAHAD, The Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution, and a member of GFA, the Gasket Fabricators Association, Texcel is an active contributor to the fluid transfer industry in North America. In fact, the very first NAHAD meeting was held at Texcel’s first location in Hou- ston, Texas, 33 years ago. In the company’s first few years of operation, Texcel earned a spot in INC. Magazine’s list of the ‘Fastest Growing Companies in America.’ It is a legacy that Massey and his colleagues hold in high regard. “We look back on our humble beginnings with tremendous pride because it has served as a great foundation for where we are today,” Massey says. COVER STORY From left to right: Michael Dallas, CFO; Ed Nasta, CEO; Helen Delgau, Inside Sales Manager; Lawson Massey, VP Sales & Marketing; Carl Dyer, VP Operations; and Zeke Metzler, Director of Distributor Development New constant pressure Tera-Glide Isobaric hydraulic hoses 8 Hose & Coupling World, August 2017 The TEAM Texcel offers a premium line of products and services that differentiate them from their competitors. At the core of this, Massey explains, is the dedication of Texcel’s hard- working team, who offer leading customer service within each of their three distinct divisions: Texcel Industrial, Texcel Hydraulics and Texcel Fluid Sealing. Massey says, “Texcel is a very flat organization that is quick and nimble to ensure that we can adapt to serve our custom- ers’ ever-demanding needs. Our people are by far and away our biggest strength – from the front-line warehouse em- ployees that make sure our customers’ orders are processed correctly and in a timely manner, to our highly-experienced Customer Service Specialists. Our Regional Sales Managers, Marketing personnel and Technical Support team members all throughout the company round out this top-notch team.” Promoting an environment of increased involvement in the decision-making process, Texcel’s Chief Executive Officer, Ed Nasta, is supported by a strong Executive Management Team, made up of Lawson Massey (Vice President of Sales & Mar- keting), Carl Dyer (Vice President of Operations) and Michael Dallas (Chief Financial Officer). Together, they run the overall business, addressing all the important strategic decisions in collaboration with the rest of Texcel’s team of leaders. Distributor partnerships Collaborating with their distributor-partners helps to keep Texcel on top of industry trends and innovations. Massey explains, “We believe that our distributor-partners have their fingers on the pulse of the market and, when coupled with our deep technical bench, allows for great advancements in the research and development of new or improved prod- ucts.” In fact, this collaboration has led to the development of Texcel’s leading-edge Hydraulic Hose and Fitting line, which has proven to be a compelling solution to its customers. Striving to foster an environment of open communication with their distributors, Texcel is able to uncover the needs and challenges they face in their roles and, from there, impact positive change. ”From the start, there has always been an intense focus on serving the needs of distributors across the country, especially those in the fluid conveyance and fluid sealing industries,” Massey remarks. In fact, Texcel’s focus on ways to meet these distributor needs is at the core of everything the company does. He continues, “Texcel has grown a lot over the last 15 years and we owe that growth to the support of our distributor- partners who see us as an integral part of their business as they strive to differentiate themselves in their particular markets and serve their customers’ needs better.” The conversations that have resulted from this style of open communication with distributors are the reason Texcel opened its facilities in California, Colorado, Illinois, Alabama and Delaware. In each of Texcel’s six distribution facilities, which includes its central location in Houston, Texas, the company carries tens of millions of dollars in inventory. Deep inventory levels at each location allow Texcel to service their customers’ needs in the fastest way possible. The PRODUCTS Additionally, these conversations with distributors have led to the constant evolution of Texcel’s product line. Their experienced technical team is consistently looking into de- veloping new products and using new materials to improve the quality of existing products, as well as to develop new and innovative solutions. The company is currently introducing a comprehensive Hydraulic Hose and Fittings Program that highlights a matched system of SAE (global standards association) and COVER STORY “Texcel goes to market by partnering with select distributors nationwide.” - Lawson Massey, Vice President - Sales & Marketing at Texcel New Food & Beverage hoses Hose Fabrication, Hose Testing and Certification services available up to 12" ID www.hose-coupling-world.com 9 Isobaric hoses – capable of maintaining constant pressures – to be sold through limited and select distribution. Texcel has also added a comprehensive line of premium Food & Beverage hoses that, just like their hydraulic line, are made to the highest quality standards. Texcel Industrial offers a wide range of industrial rubber, poly- vinyl chloride (PVC) and polyurethane (PU) hoses – hoses used in the Oilfield, Food & Beverage Industries, Chemical plants, Mining & Aggregate Industries, Construction, Steam and more. Offering arguably the largest inventory of industrial hose in North America, Texcel provides its distributors with a Cut-to-Length Hose Program so that they don’t need to buy full lengths of hoses that they are not going to need; thus reducing unwanted inventory of slow-moving products. They also offer a comprehensive Hose Fabrication and Testing Program at five of their six distribution facilities. Their expert coupling specialists are trained and certified to NAHAD stand- ards, allowing Texcel distributors to better fulfill their end-user demands, especially when they are in a crunch for time. Texcel Hydraulics offers a full-line, matched system of both SAE and Isobaric hoses and fittings. All of their spiral hoses are rated at 1 million cycles. All of their hoses have a ½ minimum bend radius. Texcel also carries a full line of metric, British, Japanese, CAT and other fittings. All of these fittings are one-piece, no skive. These products have been tested and are a matched system with five type approvals received (ABS, MSHA, DBS, DOT and USCG). Not to mention, the company also offers a line of crimping and cutting equipment and prod- uct rebate programs for their most dedicated distributors. Texcel Fluid Sealing offers a full range of fluid sealing rubber and non-asbestos products. Items from commercial-grade neoprene, nitrile and cloth-inserted products to peroxide- cured EPDM, FKM and silicones. Texcel also offers highly specialized made-to-order gasket and fluid sealing alterna- tives. Additionally, Texcel offers a range of conveyor-related products such as commercial-grade skirtboard, premium high-abrasion skirtboard, chute lining and channel rubber. All three of Texcel’s divisions offer the services that are con- sistent with the Texcel Guarantee. Simply put, if the compa- ny receives an order by 5 p.m. Central Time, that order will be shipped to the customer that same day – guaranteed. Confidential drop shipments are also offered, as well as im- mediate order confirmations and emailed shipping notifica- tions with tracking numbers. Making a difference… Due to their presence throughout the country, coupled with their commitment to high inventory levels and same-day shipping, Texcel is commonly recognized as the “go to” supplier for large volume inquiries. Often time- sensitive in nature, Texcel’s service levels allow them the nimbleness that is required to fulfill and ship these inquir- ies quickly and efficiently. Texcel’s Technical and Innovation Center, located in their Houston, Texas, facility allows them to run frequent and extensive quality control testing. Their onsite Polymer Tech- nicians are capable of measuring multiple product features and specifications, such as the abrasion resistance, specific COVER STORY “We’re active in most sectors of the industrial space – any industry that has needs related to hose and couplings, hydraulic hose and fittings, and fluid sealing products.” - Lawson Massey, Vice President - Sales & Marketing at Texcel 10 Hose & Coupling World, August 2017 gravity and hardness of its products. Additionally, they are experts in conducting a wide range of hose performance tests, including length change, proof, leakage, burst, vacu- um collapse and force-to-bend testing. Further enhance- ments to their testing capabilities are underway. Further setting Texcel apart from the competition, Texcel’s Hydraulics Division is perhaps the only supplier that openly publishes safety factors on their hose products. Massey as- serts, “Being able to provide our distributors with products that give them peace of mind is paramount to us.” To this end, all of Texcel’s oil & gas industrial hose products have a 4:1 safety factor. Many others in the industry have only a 3:1 safety factor, which, Massey claims, “Can be dangerous and misleading and is against NAHAD and ARPM recommenda- tions for minimum design ratios for newly manufactured hoses.” Zeke Metzler, a 40-year veteran of the hydraulic industry heads up Texcel’s Hydraulics Division. “Texcel offers a complete range of Isobaric hoses in pressure ranges up to 6,000 psi with ½ minimum bend radius when compared to SAE or DIN hoses. Not to mention, most of Texcel’s braided hoses and all of Texcel’s spiral hoses are rated at 1 million cycles,” stated Metzler. In their Fluid Sealing Division, Texcel lists ASTM call-outs for each of their specialized products. A strong vision for the future Texcel’s Vision Statement is to “Make a difference!” Deeply rooted in the industry, the company strives to be the best supplier nationwide for their distributor-partners. Based on values of honesty, ethics and positivity, Texcel conducts business with the highest level of integrity, responsibility and reliability. “Our values and mission are guiding prin- ciples in our daily decision-making process. These are not just words on a wall – we live by our values,” Massey says. Offering his insight on future industry trends, he remarks, “We continue to be very optimistic. It’s no secret that the oil and gas shale revolution has increased the size of the mar- ket over the last 10 years or so. This presents great opportu- nities but also comes with significant challenges. All of this points to a positive outlook for most, if not all, industries over the next few years.” Massey concludes with a message regularly voiced by Tex- cel’s Chief Executive Officer, Ed Nasta: “At the end of the day, Texcel’s brand promise is very simple but hard to fulfill – it’s this: When you call, we will have it, we’ll ship it same day, GUARANTEED, error free – 100% of the time. We will provide the highest quality product with the best service in the industry from a location near you.” This promise stands at the root of Texcel’s commitment to making a difference in the lives of their distributor-partners and their customers. COVER STORY Years in business: 36 years Headquarters: 4444 Homestead Road Houston, Texas 77028, USA Product offering: industrial and hydraulic hose products, fittings and hose accessories, fluid sealing products Industries: oil & gas, food & beverage, chemical, construction, steam, liquid & bulk transport, agriculture, mining & aggregates, and more Website: www.texcelrubber.com TEXCEL AT A GLANCE “Our new Hydraulic Hose & Fittings Program has been in development for over three years with top industry veterans to insure a game-changing product line.” - Zeke Metzler, Director of Distributor Development at Texcel www.hose-coupling-world.com 11