Big builds, big wins in 2023 (and a lot of fun, too)

When Diane Chamberlain looks back at all that the Baystar team accomplished in 2023, she attributes it to a combination of determination, innovation, team mentality and fun.

“I bet you don’t see a lot of companies listing ‘fun’ as one of their core values, but it is very much one of our ours – and we believe it and live it each day,” Diane said as she addressed employees recently at a year-end celebration event.

The achievement of starting up the company’s newest production unit – Bay 3 – was at the heart of the celebration. The unit features Borealis Borstar technology and more than doubles Baystar production capacity. The build was a monumental task that required integrating new technologies, maintaining a relentless focus on safety, and almost every variety of problem-solving along the way. 

“We have five core values – caring, focused, innovative, trustworthy, and fun – and they truly are our cultural cornerstones. They are the deeply ingrained operating principles that guide all our actions. We must continually evolve our thinking and embrace change, to meet the increasing demands of our ever-evolving environment, while staying true to who we are,” she said. “Our priorities may change, our values can never be compromised.”

 

The company places the highest value on collaboration and group problem solving, which leads to all sorts of innovative solutions and ‘outside the box’ thinking. All of this comes in handy when you’re building and starting up a first-of-its-kind unit.

Baystar became a fully integrated polyethene manufacturer in 2022 with the start-up of its 1 million ton-per-year ethane cracker unit in Port Arthur, which supplies ethylene feedstock to the company’s three PE production units. Diane says the team gained invaluable experience seeing that project to completion – especially through the middle of a pandemic.

“I’m so proud of what our people and our partners created together,” she said. “I’ve worked in this industry for a long time, but the past couple of years mean something special to me. We’re proving it’s possible to be a leader in both the technology and the human sides of the business. We don’t have to compromise one for the other.”

2023 was a big year for Baystar as it stepped out fully embracing its new brand promise as a nimble and uber-responsive partner, offering a unique take on customer service.

“In addition to the infrastructure we’ve put on the map, this group of people has also designed an entirely new approach to delivering solutions to our customers, from sales to technical support, logistics to optimization on the plant floor.”

After such a momentous year, one might ask ‘where do you go from here’? Diane smiled and said, “Keep an eye on us. We’re just getting started.”    

 

 

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