Polymer Profile: Jordan Eddings, Logistics Coordinator

Jordan Eddings

Logistics Coordinator

As the construction of its new polyethylene plant in Monaca, Pennsylvania continues, Shell Polymers has been hiring a team of industry experts, aka Polymer Pioneers and Polymer Pros, with proven track records in polymers. In this Polymer Profile, we talked to Jordan Eddings, Logistics Coordinator, to learn more about his career and what he’s doing to ensure reliable shipping on the first day of operations -- and before.

Enabling Transparency Through Tech

Jordan’s primary day-to-day responsibility in preparing for the plant’s opening is managing the installation of Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices onto our entire fleet of 3,300 hopper cars. Those cars are the same ones that will depart from our Storage in Transit (SIT) Yard loaded with resin and bound for converter facilities. Shell Polymers is the first in the polyethylene industry to make this investment.

Once Shell Polymers’ finishes equipping each car with the necessary devices, accurate and real-time tracking information will be available for all of our resin customers’ rail shipments. Jordan will also be managing a sub-fleet of railcars that will be delivering co-products to and from our plant in Monaca.

Parsing Big Data for Best Outcomes

The main tools Jordan uses are Microsoft Power BI (an interactive data visualization software product focused on providing business intelligence) and the Nexxiot Connect platform. Nexxiot, a company specializing in leveraging Big Data to unlock fleet management efficiencies, is Shell Polymers’ GPS systems service provider. Both of these tools help Jordan to manage and leverage data effectively.

The Nexxiot Connect system, in particular, will provide real-time location data for every railcar within our fleet. That will help Shell Polymers make accurate and effective decisions on how we manage our fleet at all times.

You Have Questions; We Have Solutions

With anticipation over the Monaca plant’s opening continuing to build, Jordan gets his share of questions from customers. Those queries include, how will customers be able to track their shipments? (Customers can track their rail shipments in real-time through the Customer Hub. Shell’s team will also be keeping tabs so that we can notify converters as quickly as possible about any delays that might arise.)

And, how flexible will your shipment options be? (We will have dual-modality, which means we can leverage either trains or trucks to move product. Dual-modality saves time and cost. While trucks can act as a Plan B transport option in the event of rail delays, they aren’t always the backup option. In fact, for converters within a certain proximity to our plant, trucked resin shipments may be the fastest and most efficient delivery method.)

Shell Polymers knows that unexpected logistical delays and an inability to get timely updates about batches of resin in transit are common challenges that can harm the bottom line and customer relationships. That’s why we’re setting up our entire supply chain

 to keep customers alert, aware, and able to make intelligent decisions based on accurate, real-time information and the best options.

Four Ways Our Plant Will Help Jordan Keep Customer Shipments Moving