T&L Specialty Builds Legacy of Innovation in Tupelo
When Cecil Overton launched T&L Specialty in 1983, his goal was to offer industrial customers something different. Thirteen years of chemical sales experience had shown him that a "one size fits all" approach to manufacturing processes was often ineffective. Customers needed products and services that would address their unique processing concerns.
Through the years, the company has realized success by remaining true to that core principle. One of the company's best-selling products was developed when a customer approached T&L searching for a cyanide-free copper brightener.
“There are clients out there who can benefit from our service, innovation, and problem-solving skills. We are here to help.”
The client had spent the previous years searching for a replacement but could not find anything that worked as well.
"The dangers of cyanide were extremely high and of course, the client wanted it out of any chemicals they were using," said Overton. "Their leadership met with our team to explain their processing need, and we created a new chemical agent to replace the cyanide product. It worked great, and that customer has been purchasing the product from us for over 20 years."
Overton wanted to build longstanding relationships with clients founded on quality and service when most companies purchased chemicals based on price alone. He decided to implement a Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) process using Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory techniques. T&L was one of the first companies in the region to institute VMI, building value for clients by taking work and stress off customers' staff.
"We became an extension of our customers' businesses," said Overton. "T&L personnel would arrive, complete their inventory, calculate a week's worth of product and deliver it the following week. This process helped us build trust with our clients and ensure we stayed in touch with our customers and their needs."
These ideas have paid off.
"Many of the clients that partnered with us in the beginning are still with us today, including our very first customer," he said.
Another way T&L has risen to meet customer needs is through its in-house custom job shop.
"We enable customers to reclaim otherwise unusable manufacturing rejects by removing paint, rust, and additional residue in an environmentally safe manner," said Overton.
T&L also realized the same services could apply to production aids used in automotive processes.
"Production aids are removed by automotive process personnel," Overton explained. "T&L picks up these production aids for paint removal at T&L's site. The clean production aids are sent back to the automotive plant for reintroduction into their process lines. T&L's production aid cleaning process reduces the customer's frustration and increases paint quality."
A number of automotive manufacturing companies in the area take advantage of these services.
As industry continues to change, T&L Specialty remains dedicated to staying ahead of customer needs. The company has recently debuted a rebranded look that will help expand its reach and reputation with a new website focused on improving customer relationships.
"The goal is to enable new relationships not just in the Southeast but across the globe. There are clients out there who can benefit from our service, innovation, and problem-solving skills. We are here to help," promises Overton.