Stepan Europe

Generally you can differentiate the supply chain or supply network of Stepan Europe by two perspectives:

• The supplier side (a so-called Tier-1-supplier is a direct supplier, Tier-2 is a supplier of the Tier-1 supplier, Tier-n is a supplier at any level in the Stepan Europe supply network).
• The buyer side (a so-called Tier-1 buyer is a direct buyer, Tier-2 is a buyer of the Tier-1 buyer, Tier-n is a buyer at any level in the Stepan Europe distribution network).

To ensure business stability and continuity, a supply chain or supply network must be constructed in such a way that external influences can cause as little damage as possible to Stepan Europe. This applies both in the area of procurement (the loss of a supplier must be covered by an alternative supplier) as in the area of sales (the loss of a buyer must be covered by an alternative buyer).

Risks can generally be considered as the non-availability of goods, through cutback or complete halt of production, or the potential loss of business partners, violating compliance rules (e.g. protection of the environment, labor legislation) and thus drop out of the supply network.

This risk should not necessarily be limited to the direct business partner (Tier 1), it involves the entire supply chain, unless sufficient alternative suppliers and buyers have been put in place.

Get an overview of the international supply chain of Stepan Europe (upstream/procurement and downstream/sales) from Tier-1 to Tier-n

E.G.: Tier-1 Buyer Stepan Distribution Center

ABRAMS world trade wiki not only shows direct suppliers and customers of the first tier (Tier-1). With just one click in our tool Supply Chain Intelligence you get a comprehensive insight into the supply network with multiple tiers (Tier-n) beyond the first tier.

Each tier in the supply chain or supply network on the supplier side of Stepan Europe involves a single risk. The more tiers, the more difficult it is to analyze and monitor the business partners. Suppliers of suppliers are generally unknown, so there is already an increasing risk at the second (Tier 2) level.

If e.g. a first Tier supplier is not adding any value, the supply chain can be shortened and the risk of failure can be minimized by skipping this supplier. A previous Tier-2 supplier now turns into a Tier-1 supplier, which we call "go-direct". In our tool Supply Chain Intelligence as far as international suppliers are concerned, this analysis can be done with one click:

Analyze the potential of shortening and therefore stabilizing the supply chain of Stepan Europe

Based on the analysis of international bills of lading (bill of lading/ bills of lading/ BOL), a total of 3 different product categories that have been purchased by Stepan Europe, can be identified.

These are classified by means of HS codes (HTS codes or customs tariff numbers).

For example, HS code 340290 classifies the following products:

„Surface-active preparations, washing preparations, incl. auxiliary washing preparations and cleaning preparations (excl. those put up for retail sale, organic surface-active agents, soap and organic surface-active preparations in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and products and preparations for washing the skin in the form of liquid or cream)". This HS code was sighted 2 times in total.

Get an overview of internationally purchased products by Stepan Europe with Company Transparency

The performance of a company depends fundamentally on its buyers. Therefore, a largest possible base of stable buyers is crucial. A total of 30 international buyers of Stepan Europe could be identified in bills of lading. For example, one of the buyers is the company Stepan Distribution Center, which has received 6 shipments.

Among 6 identified buying countries, an important target country to sell products to is: Russian Federation. 50 shipments of goods were shipped to this country in the period covered.

Get an overview of the international sales and its 30 buyers of Stepan Europe with Company Transparency.

Based on the analysis of international bills of lading (bill of lading/ bills of lading/ BOL), a total of 13 different product categories sold by Stepan Europe, can be identified.

These are classified by means of HS codes (HTS codes or customs tariff numbers).

For example, HS code 340290 classifies the following products:

„Surface-active preparations, washing preparations, incl. auxiliary washing preparations and cleaning preparations (excl. those put up for retail sale, organic surface-active agents, soap and organic surface-active preparations in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and products and preparations for washing the skin in the form of liquid or cream)". This HS code was sighted 36 times in total.

From the product descriptions of the analyzed bills of lading (bill of lading/ bills of lading/ BOL), the following products sold to various buyers can be identified as an example:

Get an overview of internationally sold products by Stepan Europe with Company Transparency

Each tier in the buyer side of the supply chain or supply network of Stepan Europe is adding value and therefore costs. The more tiers, the more expensive the product gets. Supply chains are normally not very transparent, trade secrets are part of the survival tactics in each stage of the value chain, especially for trading companies.

If e.g. a Tier-1 buyer from Stepan Europe that primarily trades products and doesn’t add any value (only fulfills the distributor function) it is possible to shorten the supply chain downstream giving a potential to optimize profit margins for Stepan Europe. A previous Tier-2 buyer now turns into a Tier-1 buyer, which we call "go-direct". In our tool Supply chain Intelligence as far as international buyers are concerned, this analysis can be done with one click:

Analyze the potential to shorten the supply chain and optimize the profit margins on the sales side of Stepan Europe

Each company contributes significantly minimizing risks for its buyers, through its own stability. Internal risks (endogenous factors) can be e.g. financially (financial ratios, free cash flow, balance sheets) or operationally (production, lead times). Since 2021, external risks have increased due to worldwide shortages and are an important factor as to whether a supplier such as Stepan Europe can itself reliably deliver due to external dependencies (exogenous factors).

To assess this, data analysis should be conducted to get practical answers:

Which buyers does Stepan Europe consistently sell to over a long period of time that can be identified as a good reference?

The more constant outgoing shipments of a company’s, the easier it is to assess potential problems for a supplier like Stepan Europe

Operational aspects like a stable supply chain, an in-house production and reliable logistics define sustainable performance.

Since 2021, global supply shortages have increasingly added external factors as to whether a supplier like Stepan Europe can deliver reliably itself through dependencies.

Based on the statistical trend of shipments (in terms of the number of shipments and respectively the quantity of goods) the current supply and performance capacity can be indirectly analyzed.

Here you can see an analysis of shipments by Stepan Europe to international buyers in the last few months with Company Transparency

Sourcing products as regionally as possible with short shipping routes and the use of sustainable materials define the CO₂ footprint and sustainability of the products of any company, including Stepan Europe

After many companies, predominantly due to cost savings, have been building their networks increasingly internationally for years, there is now an increasing trend of so-called “on-shoring” or “near-shoring”. Attempting to include suppliers who are the closest to the supply chain because of financial, risk, environmental and image aspects:

• Saving international freight costs, which have risen extremely since 2021.
• Minimizing risks caused by logistics problems (e.g. the Suez Canal obstruction in 2021)
• Attempting to reduce the carbon footprint when purchasing products.
• Setting and meeting sustainability goals for own products of Stepan Europe

Based on the development of current shipments (in terms of number of shipments and quantity of goods) and changes in international suppliers and routes, it is possible to analyze the extent to which Stepan Europe has already made efforts in recent months and years, to focus on environmentally relevant aspects, like carbon footprint and sustainability in its business activities.

Get an overview of the international shipments that have an impact on the CO₂ footprint, as well as the sustainability of Stepan Europe

Generally you can differentiate the competition of Stepan Europe by the purchase and sales perspective.

• Start the competitive analysis on the purchase side.
• Start the competitive analysis on the sales side.

Competitors of Stepan Europe on the purchase side (procurement of raw materials and components for production or distribution) are exposed on ABRAMs wiki under Competitive Intelligence, purchased products, classified by HS-Codes (e.g. 340290, 292690) or by top product terms.

Competitors on the sales side of Stepan Europe (selling raw materials or components for production or distribution) are exposed on ABRAMS wiki under Competitive Intelligence, sold products classified by HS-Codes (e.g. 340290, 380991) or by top product terms.