09.23.22
Univar Solutions has released its latest white paper, “The Future of Chemical and Ingredient Distribution: Creating Value Through Expertise, Innovation, and Reliability.”
According to the global chemical and ingredients distributor and provider of value-added services, it is imperative that industry leads with a clear vision and a consistent approach to deliver optimum results, especially given the uncertainties around the economic, geopolitical and environmental landscape.
The white paper offers the six key business drivers that define how technical accelerators and supply chain connectors are shaping the future of distribution. These six drivers are the backbone of Univar Solutions and include industry focus, sustainability, technical acumen, digitalization, marketing and reliability.
According to the company, the past several years have tested the grit of chemicals and ingredients like never before, so it is paramount to add value beyond distribution to help position global industries for long-term success. This includes support diverse markets and partner with its customers and suppliers in the throes of supply chain disruptions, changing regulations, and shifting consumer preferences.
“In our continuous journey to better serve our suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders, we’re always looking deeper, keeping a close eye on market trends, and examining all of our products, processes, and operations to find ways to do things better,” said President & CEO David Jukes. “As we gear up to meet tomorrow’s challenges, we have never been more excited about the future.”
Strong Growth Expected for Specialty Chemicals Sector
By focusing on the needs of the individual end markets, leading specialty chemical and ingredient distributors bring together a best-in-class product portfolio with a technical and commercial framework to deliver differentiated solutions, services, and products. Looking ahead, the specialty chemicals sector is expected to see strong growth in the next few years,
driven by surging demand in several industries, including pharmaceuticals, plastics, automotive, and food ingredients. An aging population, digitalization, and a focus on sustainability and decarbonization are among the biggest global trends fueling growth, according to the company. To serve these key markets with specialty products and ingredients that meet shifting market demands, it is imperative for future distribution leaders to pursue several initiatives. These include investing in expertise, creating customized experiences and planning.
In regards to investing in expertise, Univar Solutions created the Ingredients and Specialties channel that has built industry teams focused on eight global markets: beauty and personal care; food ingredients; pharmaceutical ingredients; nutraceutical ingredients; CASE (coating, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers), rubber and plastics additives; home and industrial cleaning; lubricants and metalworking fluids; and custom packaging and aerospace.
Each of these markets has a dedicated team of sales and customer support and product and technical management. For example, the global food ingredients group, known as Foodology by Univar Solutions, includes more than 135 formulation, application, and ingredient experts—many of them with technical food science backgrounds, who collaborate with suppliers and brands to help shape the future of food, often in our own test kitchens.
In terms of creating customized experiences, Univar Solutions customizes formulations to help customers solve challenges across its Ingredients and Specialties teams. In the home cleaning space, for instance, it created commercially-ready formulations and multiple supplier ingredient solutions that comply with New York’s new restrictions on 1,4 dioxane that take effect at the end of 2022. The “Conscientiously Clean” kit includes formulations for an all-purpose cleaner, dish soap, shower-tile and tub cleaner, and liquid laundry detergent.
In terms of planning, innovation is at the forefront. Univar Solutions believes continuous innovation provides a framework to stay ahead of industry-specific trends and regulatory changes. It leads to products and services that anticipate the needs of customers.
Case Study – Formulation
A Gulf Coast entrepreneur making a line of commercial cleaning products sought formulation help with a heavy-duty degreaser, hoping to appeal not only as a highly effective commercial “clean-all” product, but also expand into potentially more profitable oil and gas markets. With the right formula, the product would effectively clean engine oils and grease associated with vehicles and heavy machinery, as well as the heavy tar and sludge related to oil and gas production, storage, and maintenance. With no in-house development and testing resources, the customer first sought help from a local formulation laboratory, but after several weeks without success, they turned to Univar Solutions to help fix and improve the blend.
At issue were the high pH, which triggered hazard warnings especially in oil and gas applications, and the formula’s performance with yellow metals like copper and brass— essential to allow the product to degrease motors where copper windings might be compromised with a harsher cleaner. The customer needed the formula improvements without losing the product’s original stability and cleaning performance, and wanted a single-source US supplier of raw materials. The Univar Solutions’ lab services team analyzed two parts of the blend thought to contribute to the high pH and accurately identified the second part as the pH issue. The offending raw materials were replaced with more eco-friendly options to bring the pH level down to a less caustic level, acceptable for the regulation-heavy energy producers. Univar Solutions then tested both the original product and the revised product for copper leaching. When both samples were found to be inadequate, a yellow-metal corrosion inhibitor was added to the new formulation to achieve the desired level of performance. Lastly, our team provided compatibility and stability testing for the customer, as well as environmental analysis to document the product’s environmental suitability, further solidifying the product as an effective and improved cleaner of tars and sludge.
Partnering with Univar Solutions gave the customer the R&D services and quick turnaround needed to reformulate a degreasing cleaner, improving pH levels, as well as efficacy on brass and copper. The reformulation and testing work was completed in a matter of days, improving product quality and allowing the customer to fulfill a 20-tote order from a tank-cleaning customer, paving the way for success with other oil and gas end users. The improved formula was stronger, less expensive to manufacture, and more environmentally friendly, providing end users a more effective cleaner that saves time and money while minimizing waste. The diluted solution also proved to be reusable, so end users can reapply the product for several wash cycles without losing effectiveness, further reducing expenses and optimizing efficiency.
Sustainability Drives Innovation and Growth
In another case study, the company innovated vegan solutions for personal care formulators using beeswax. Beeswax has long been used in beauty and personal care products from face creams, body lotions, and sunscreens to cosmetics such as lipstick, eye shadow, and mascara. This ingredient is valued for its natural origin and ability to provide emulsion, moisture, texture, and other attractive attributes. But a combination of market trends – from the broadening appeal of the vegan ethos to cost and purity fluctuations inherent in beeswax – has companies and brands seeking alternatives that are seen as safer and healthier for the bees, consumers, and the environment.
With beeswax no longer the first choice for a growing number of industrial markets, formulators needed a viable vegan wax solution, one that could stand up to sustainability claims without sacrificing efficacy or versatility. To address the need, a leading wax supplier was bringing to market a carefully curated blend of three plant-based waxes ¬– sunflower seed wax, rice bran wax, and sumac wax – but needed assistance in the lab with performance testing and analysis to confirm essential attributes for personal care formulators. At the heart of the technical challenge were the nuanced attributes of different plant waxes, making blending and testing time consuming and daunting for many formulators. Univar Solutions’ beauty and personal care industry experts and chemists went to work at its Essen Solution Center analyzing and testing blend characteristics such as melting point, congeal point, acid values and ratios, and more, producing extensive data to support and confirm performance attributes important to formulators.
The results showed this 100% natural alternative, chosen for its all-around performance and versatility not only with emulsions but also water-free formulations, can replace beeswax across beauty and personal care applications, with proven performance in pH, viscosity, sensory, stability, crystallization, and other physical attributes. Beyond performance and processing quality, the material delivers on sustainability claims because the blend is made from naturally sustainable and renewable sources, thanks to upcycled processes of the plant- based waxes. The ingredient is ECOCERT and COSMOS certified, palm and GMO free, biodegradable, and meets halal and kosher claims, allowing adjustments based on customer drivers and needs.
Backed by performance testing and data provided by its scientists and industry experts, Natural Vegan Beeswax Substitute (PHC9677) can deliver on vegan, natural, clean, cruelty-free, and additional sustainability claims without sacrificing product quality in wide-ranging beauty and personal care applications. Easy to use and economically viable, this all-natural wax blend offers excellent skin conditioning, structure, and firmness, as well as uniform and stable pigment distribution, making it a versatile choice across commercial beauty and personal care applications.