Beyond Price: Building Competitive Advantage with Bob Tauchen of Coim - Ep. 275

Navigating growth, leadership, and innovation in polyurethanes, Robert (Bob) Tauchen, VP of Polyurethanes at the Coim Group, joins Victoria Meyer for an expert look at how the industry is adapting to shifting markets and new technologies. Bob explains Coim’s global strategy as a family-owned Italian company investing deeply in the US, first in New Jersey, and now expanding to Texas to address the evolving needs of North American customers. Victoria and Bob discuss the realities of growth expectations post-COVID, why long-term vision is essential in the chemical industry, and how relationships, trust, and reliability drive success in the US market. They also explore how leadership styles are changing with new generations, the stressors facing today’s teams, and why building context and motivation is more important than ever.  Key topics this week include: Global Expansion: How Coim’s strategy balances investment, logistics, and customer proximity in the US Industry Recovery: The impact of COVID-era growth spikes and how to reset realistic performance goals US Market Dynamics: Why trust, reliability, and local presence matter more than price Leadership Today: Managing across generations, keeping teams engaged, and adapting to new expectations AI in Chemicals: Where AI brings value, why implementation is complex, and the need for thoughtful investment Killer Quote: “The short-term growth addiction that I see, people make bad decisions..... we got addicted to this COVID profit margin return to significant growth.” — Bob Tauken Other links: Polyurethanes Technical Conference (CPI): Learn more and register for the upcoming event in Orlando here.