An industry leader in specialized chemical supply chain management for over half a century, Rinchem is expanding its geographic footprint. We catch up with Senior Vice President of Global Warehousing Matt Jensen, and newly appointed Chief Strategy Officer Brian Nowak, who outline the company’s steadfast focus on hazardous materials handling, increased investment in new technologies, and development of its people and processes.
SAFEGUARDING CHEMICAL AND GAS CONTINUITY
With a growing focus on hazardous materials (hazmat) handling and management, Rinchem continues to make strides in streamlining the chemical supply chain.
The third-party and fourth-party logistics provider oversees best-in-class warehousing, trucking, and logistics solutions for the specialty chemical, pharmaceutical, and semiconductor sectors, differentiating itself through its long-standing expertise in chemicals handling.
Since we spoke last year, Rinchem has witnessed the demand for cold chain solutions and hazmat handling across North America rise significantly due to stricter industry regulations.
“This is part of a broader trend that we expect to continue as tighter temperature control measures strengthen compliance and safeguard material quality across the supply chain,” introduces Matt Jensen, Senior Vice President of Global Warehousing.
To meet growing demand, the company is actively evaluating new facilities across North America.
Rinchem also recently added Chief Strategy Officer, Brian Nowak, to its ranks. His 35+ years in hazmat logistics and ability to drive growth both organically and through mergers and acquisitions is noteworthy.
“I came on board to grow the business on behalf of our customers and stakeholders. With Stonepeak, we’ve got a committed global parent behind us to support this growth,” Nowak opens.
Elsewhere, Rinchem has also accelerated its adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) beyond AI-enabled safety systems and material-handling equipment within its fleet of trucks.
“We are now leveraging AI to streamline administrative processes, such as order management and documentation,” Jensen insights.
These initiatives have reduced friction in Rinchem’s supply chain, improving accuracy and creating safer and more productive environments for employees and customers.
NATIONAL EXPANSION
As demand for cold storage and hazmat capacity continues to outpace supply in key markets – particularly in the Northeastern US – Rinchem is actively pursuing new expansion projects to meet these needs and extend its capabilities.
“Our approach emphasizes adding square footage while enhancing infrastructure with state-of-the-art temperature-controlled zones, segregated hazard-class storage, and real-time monitoring systems,” Jensen tells us.
These investments ensure materials remain in strict compliance with regulatory and customer-specific requirements, while maintaining the highest standards of safety and quality control.
Two initiatives stand out in this instance – Rinchem’s Northeast Expansion and Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) certification.
The former will provide much-needed capacity for cold chain and hazmat in one of the busiest logistics corridors in North America.
“Expanding in this area allows us to better support customers with complex distribution needs on the East Coast,” he adds.
Adopting cGDP-aligned practices, meanwhile, has enhanced storage, handling, and distribution capabilities across select facilities.
This has elevated Rinchem’s ability to serve life sciences and pharmaceuticals clients who require the highest levels of compliance, traceability, and quality assurance.
THE NEXT GENERATION
Among Rinchem’s next-generation facility investments, the largest is its warehouse in Surprise, Arizona. The Phoenix-area facility opened for business in 2023 sporting high-density automation, advanced safety systems, and expanded hazmat temperature-controlled capacity.
The facility is a fifth generation, 123,000 square foot hazmat site built for high-spec, temperature-controlled storage and distribution.
It pairs high-density racking with multi-ranged temperature control, alongside segregated storage across hazard classes with a 300+ International Organization for Standardization (ISO) container yard and a 48-bay specialty gas pad.
“Our specialty gas pad and ISO container yards are both strategic growth points – they’ve contributed to our ability to not only arrange transportation but also manage inventory,” Nowak asserts.
A modular layout and well-thought-out utilities network at the warehouse, meanwhile, make capacity additions straightforward so the company can scale with customer demand.
“The site anchors our Southwest footprint and supports the semiconductor cluster in greater Phoenix while also serving the life sciences and specialty chemicals sectors,” Jensen adds.
Anticipating and planning for a prosperous future builds off the back of the Arizona facility’s success is equally as important, as Rinchem looks to replicate this model within new markets going forward.
Investing in safety, temperature control, and data integration technologies have also been key in supporting the project’s success.
“These investments enhance decision-making, improve efficiency, and strengthen resilience,” Jensen points out.
DIGITALLY ENABLED
As it anticipates a digitally enabled future for the industry, Rinchem continues to invest in digital platforms and business intelligence tools across the company.
For example, it is enhancing Chem-Star® to deliver end-to-end visibility and provide customers with a truly transparent pipeline of their materials.
“Internally, we are deploying new business intelligence tools to our Chem-Star® applications to improve accuracy, safety, and efficiency,” Jensen shares.
Externally, customers will benefit from actionable insights that make inventory management effortless while supporting critical decision-making with real-time intelligence.
From a programming standpoint, meanwhile, Rinchem is not just revamping old systems, but swapping them in for new ones in line with the latest market developments.
“We’re making some significant investments in this area, and it is hoped that by doing so, we’ll be able to optimize our operational efficiency,” Nowak reveals.
LOOKING AHEAD
Going forward, Rinchem will continue to actively explore new facility expansions in Allentown, Pennsylvania; Los Angeles, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; and Houston, Texas to meet growing customer demand and position itself closer to critical manufacturing and distribution hubs.
“Each expansion is guided by the same principles: safety-first design, temperature-controlled infrastructure, and digital integration to provide customers with maximum visibility and control,” Jensen furthers.
The company is currently focusing on the Houston market as a priority, where it seeks to expand warehousing, trucking, and logistics.
“Ultimately, we’re expecting a strong slate of acquisitions going forward to bring into the Rinchem family,” Nowak states.
Safety has always been a top priority for the company, who continually seeks to strengthen its safety culture and leadership compliance.
“Our safety culture is foundational – it’s all about people and processes,” Nowak prides.
Having recently conducted its second annual employee survey, which accrued an impressive response rate of 95 percent, safety emerged as the theme staff were particularly engaged with.
“It’s apparent our staff want to follow safety practices. When you’ve got good procedures in place, it’s important to couple that with people willing and able to carry them out,” he adds.
In short, Rinchem’s core priorities for the coming year include expanding its capacity in high-demand regions, while continuing to digitize and automate its supply chain solutions and maintain its safety outlook.
“These efforts will allow us to scale alongside our customers’ growth while maintaining the highest levels of service, reliability, and safety,” Jensen confidently concludes.
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