Photo provided by Solvay.

Solvay was recognized with the Supply Chain Visibility Award at the 2022 Supplier of the Year event. The award is given to a supplier who demonstrates commitment through its performance in implementing digital tools that enable Boeing to have real-time visibility of its operations and shares its expertise within the Boeing supply chain.

Q: How did your company get started?

A: In 1863, our founder, Ernest Solvay, discovered a process that changed the chemical industry: a method of producing soda ash, the building block of glass production, on an industrial scale (the Solvay Process). Ernest wanted to sell his chemical process, but his original patent was invalid. So, he started his own company which became the modern day Solvay.

Q: What Boeing products are associated with your company?

A: Solvay supplies a portfolio of advanced composites prepregs, adhesives, surfacing films, primers, and polymers. Solvay is qualified to more than 100 Boeing material specifications for use in primary structure, secondary structure, interiors, engines, ducting, and radome applications.

Q: What should people know about your company?

A: Our innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems.

Q: What does it mean to be recognized as a Supplier of the Year?

A: We’ve been told that we won this award because of our transparency, collaboration and responsiveness. This is some of the highest praise we can receive from a customer, and encourages us to strive to do even better. Knowing that Boeing is appreciative of our work makes us all very proud.

Q: What characteristics about your team do you most credit for your company’s achievement? 

A: We strive to create a true partnership with our customers based on open, honest, transparent and timely communication. We listen to our customers to really understand their needs, which helps us create win-win solutions. During these difficult times, our team has been open with Boeing about our challenges, so that we could work through things collaboratively. We weren’t afraid to ask for help. These are complex problems. By collaborating, we’re more likely to find creative solutions.

Q: How do you inspire your employees?

A: We want all employees to find a sense of meaning and purpose in their work, and to know they are all contributing to our success. We put a lot of effort into building a purpose-led culture focused on our three core beliefs: purposeful responsibility, unity not uniformity, and a passion for performance 

Q: What‘s an interesting fact about your company?

A: In 1911, our founder, Ernest Solvay, began holding the now-famous Solvay Conferences, which convened the brightest scientific minds, including Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Henri Poincaré and Martin Knudsen. The first Solvay conference led to a major scientific breakthrough on “Radiation and the Quanta,” which reinvented the way we look at physics.