Better Off Working Together Than Apart

摘要

American Steamship Company (ASC) and Oglebay Norton Marine Services (ONMS) have now completed a full year of working together in a unique alliance. Together they function as one Great Lakes carrier, which features 22 vessels, the largest and most geographically dispersed transport service on the Lakes today. Skillings was intrigued and eager to get a first-hand report card on how the alliance worked in 2002. Understandably, neither company wanted to get specific about revenue numbers or profits, but both reported overall excellent results. This article is a result of several interviews with Mike Siragusa, vice president and general manager for Oglebay, and with Jerry Welsch, president of American Steamship. Skillings: What led your two companies to form this alliance in the first place? Siragusa: "Merging our operations was a mutual idea. All of the Great Lakes fleet operators knew that something had to be done. There was too much capacity, too many boats chasing too few clients. Also, our boats complement theirs very nicely: We have more boats all together (12) but ASC has more of the larger, thousand footers."