Southern's Creative Selling Serves the Clay Industry

For Myron R. Way, his world is made of clay.

This is fine with Myron; in fact, he wouldn't have it any other way. As Southern's sales manager-Clay, it's Myron's job to meet the specialized shipping needs of the clay industry through utilizing the equipment and know-how of Southern's modern service railroading.

Myron's attention is principally focused on one type of clay, kaolin, a white (or nearly white) clay produced almost exclusively in the southeastern United States. Georgia alone accounts for approximately 75 per cent of the U.S. total production of kaolin, with South Carolina adding another 18 per cent. Other types of clay shipped in lesser amounts include fullers earth, bentonite, ball clay and pyrophyllite.

Industry knowledge requires knowing the latest processing procedures and Myron Way spends many hours in the field keeping up with the technical side of his product. Here, Mr. Way (center) goes over the production techniques of Minerals & Chemicals Division recently-constructed calcined kaolin plant at Mclntyre, Georgia. M. E. Benoit, assistant plants superintendent, Minerals & Chemicals (left) explains the operation to Mr. Way and Talmadge Deason, Southern sales representative.

Kaolin deposits are generally found along a "fall line," a nearly straight line that runs from Columbus, Ga., through Macon, McIntyre and Augusta and up into Aiken, S. C. (see map). Some 52 million years ago the entire southeastern U .S. lay submerged under the Atlantic Ocean and sharks and other forms of sea life swam freely over what is now central Georgia. It was during this time that the slow processes of nature were constructing the unique mineral formations that resulted in the present "fall line" (shark's teeth and other marine fossils are today found in the kaolin deposits).

American Industrial Clay Company's Sandersville, Ga., plant ships some 450 cars a month of paper-grade kaolin. Equipment scheduling and car supply are vital to the smooth operation of the plant. While covered hopper cars are loaded in the rear, Mr. H. E. Ray, plant manager, American Industrial Clay (left); Talmadge Deason, Southern sales representative (center); and Myron R. Way, Southern sales manager-Clay, discuss shipping schedules.

Largest users of kaolin clay are paper manufacturers (51 per cent of the total mined) who employ the clay as a filler in making paper and as a coating to give it a glossy finish ( Georgia supplies most of the paper-grade kaolin) ; rubber and plastics manufacturers ( 19 per cent) for use in such products as heels, hose, bicycle tires and many household products ( South Carolina supplies most of the rubber-grade kaolin) ; and refractories ( 12 per cent) .Various other uses for kaolin clay ( 18 per cent) include paint, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides and chemicals.

J. M. Huber Corporation's recently- constructed Wrens, Georgia, plant has just begun shipments of a new line of clays for the paper and other industries. One of the largest producers of kaolin clay in the U.S., Huber Corp. ships to its customers in a variety of ways: bulk in covered hopper and boxcars, in 50-pound bags in boxcars, and slurried in tank cars. Describing the operation of the Wrens facility is E. R. Cockey, Wrens operation manager (left), to (from left): Frank C. Atherlon, traffic manager- Railroad Equipment & Operations, Huber Corp.; Myron R. Way, Southern sales manager-Clay; Sam B. Harris, Southern sales representative; and Charles H. Marvin, Jr., assistant vice president, Clay Division, Huber Corp.

Knowledge of the clay industry and the needs of shippers goes hand-in-hand Myron contends, consequently he spends a great deal of his time away from his Macon, Ga., office. "My time is roughly divided among three segments of the industry," Myron said, "at the mine owners' administrative headquarters, at the mines, and at the receiving, or customer's, end. All three have a vital interest in types and availability of equipment, rates and, most importantly, service."

A lack of large storage facilities and a desire to reduce inventory costs cause many clay receivers to place orders for shipment on certain specific days. They depend upon precision schedules of rail shipments to assure them of supplying their daily needs. Keeping his eye on the daily flow of clay shipments to anticipate needs and forestall problems is part of Myron's job. He maintains close contact with Southern's Control Center in Atlanta to ensure that cars are moving over prescribed routes on schedule and also keeps track of empties that can be used for clay shipping.

The Sandersville (Ga.) Railroad Is an important cog in the clay industry as it serves the heart of the kaolin belt in central Georgia. The 10-mile short-line railroad connects with the Central of Georgia (a Southern System line) at Tennille. Inspecting one of Sandersvllle's 4,000 cu. ft. covered hopper cars are (from left): Talmadge Deason, Southern sales representative; Hugh M. Tarbutlon, Sandersville vice president; Myron Way, sales manager-Clay; and Ben J. Tarbutlon, Jr., Sandersville president. Mr. Ben J. Tarbutlon, Sr. served as Central of Georgia president from 1951 to 1954.

Shipments are normally made in dry bulk form in covered hopper cars, roof -hatch boxcars, or in slurry form in tank cars. Some clay is also bagged for boxcar shipment. "When a customer needs equipment, what- ever the type, I work very closely with our car distribution section in Atlanta," Myron said, "and using the center's computer capabilities, they can provide a quick answer to the shipper's problems."

Kaolin clay is easily contaminated by rust, oil, grease and other agents and this means that clean, watertight cars are necessary .An important innovation in clay shipping introduced by Southern was the use of roof- hatch boxcars. These are standard boxcars modified by the addition of roof hatches for fast bulk loading; liners OIl the car interior prevent contamination and permit quick unloading by tractor-mounted scoops. Roof-hatch boxcars were first introduced by Southern in 1963 and went into regular service in 1964. Customers whose facilities do not permit bulk unloading from hopper cars find that roof-hatch boxcars allow them to take advantage of bulk shipment rates.

"Our people have to be expert problem-solvers in the field of transportation, but there's more to it than that." said William V. Burke, Southern vice-president-Sales. "They also have to be alert for new ways to serve customers. A salesman who knows his customer's business but can look at it from a new angle can often see combinations of Southern freight service that will avoid problems in the making or open up unsuspected profit opportunities for the shipper. Here's where a real job of creative selling can be done,"

"I work closely with Southern's Marketing and Re- search Department," Myron says, "Through them I obtain extremely useful information, including market trends in the clay industry. Marketing and Research's customer service engineering section is also a valuable asset in my job. Through its efforts, new methods of loading and unloading cars to save time and money for our shippers are investigated, new types of cars are developed, and modifications to our present equipment, such as the roof-hatch boxcar, are worked out."

"Sales managers such as Myron Way are truly Market Managers," Mr. Burke points out, "with clearly defined responsibility to maintain a constant flow of usable information from customers to Southern's Marketing and Research and Operating Departments and from all sources of information to the field Sales force, which in turn has a direct line to Myron to keep him abreast of day-to-day conditions at the facilities of individual customers." Through this exchange, Southern has a better feel for customer needs and can adjust its service and sales to these needs. It is in this manner that marketable packages of service and price are offered to customers.

Kaolin clay is also used extensively in refractory materials as linings for high-temperature furnaces used in the steel, cement and glass industries. Refractory brick kilns at the Stevens (Ga.) Works, General Refractories Company plant provide a backdrop for a discussion of kaolin by Myron Way, Southern sales manager-Clay (left); A. C. Bridges, superintendent of the Stevens Works (center); Talmadge Deason, Southern sales representative.

Efficient Southern service also has its effect on other areas too. John C. Borg, general traffic manager, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, touched on it when he said, "We receive approximately 125,000 tons of clay each year, using our own leased covered hopper cars and we operate with inventory levels at our mills which do not tolerate major service breakdowns. When South- ern is able to save us a day in our shipping time by faster service between mine and mill, as they recently began doing through a change in routing we worked out with Southern, we've increased the utilization and capacity of our leased fleet without the expense of adding to our equipment. This is service we understand and appreciate."

For Myron, creative selling is taking the needs of his customers, matching them with Southern's capabilities, blending in his own specialized knowledge and experience, and supplying the kind of answers the clay industry has come to expect: efficient, low-cost dependable service provided by a forward-looking, forward-moving Southern. .