BY MARK B. SOLOMON, EXECUTIVE EDITOR–NEWS
THE DC VELOCITY Q&A thoughtleaders
AMONG CANDACE HOLOWICKI’S RÉSUMÉ CHOPS—
along with 20-plus years of logistics experience and a
master’s degree in global supply chain management from
Indiana University—is a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan. The latter stood
Holowicki in good stead in August 2011, when she was
tapped for the newly created post of director of global logistics at Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based TriMas Corp.
As Holowicki toured the business units, she quickly
grasped that her people skills would be just as critical as
mastering the company’s operations, if not more so. The
business unit leaders owned their respective transport and
logistics functions, and Holowicki wasn’t sure how they
would react to a newcomer effectively riding herd over
them. “Was I there to make trouble for them by observing
what they were doing and then reporting back that it was
all wrong? Was I there to tell them what to do and how to
do it? And did they have to listen to me?” she remembered
asking herself. “I felt it was important to build rapport with
the business unit decision-makers and to learn about the
TriMas segments before I tried to change anything.”
Today, TriMas’s global supply chain is in sync and oper-
ating efficiently. Most important, there is trust and collab-
oration between Holowicki and the business unit leaders, a
far cry from what she might have expected six years ago. In
an interview with Mark B. Solomon, DC VELOCITY’s exec-
utive editor–news, Holowicki described her concerns, her
approach, and how a successful logistics strategy can be as
much of an art form as it is a science.
QCan you describe what TriMas does, what your current role is, and the company’s logistics footprint?
ATriMas is a diversified global manufacturer of engi- neered products, with businesses operating in four
segments: packaging, aerospace, energy, and engineered
components. My role is to develop and implement global
logistics programs that enable our businesses to provide
reliable, on-time, damage-free delivery to our customers
via the lowest-cost provider available within the optimal
mode at the time of shipping. Our logistics footprint is
primarily within and between the North America, Europe,
and Asia-Pacific regions.
QYou stepped into a newly created role at the corpo- rate level. How was TriMas managing its supply chain
before you joined?
Candace Holowicki was tasked with bringing TriMas Corp.’s global logistics
operations under corporate control. Her battles, and ultimately her success,
demonstrate how logistics can be two parts psychology and one part process.
INTERVIEW WITH CANDACE HOLOWICKI
The soft skills of logistics
