In Video 2 of our series on epoxy-anhydride cure systems, our panel of experts discuss the advantages of using DGEBA epoxy resins with anhydride cure systems as a creative alternative to more complex and expensive multifunctional epoxies.

If you need to formulate an epoxy system that maintains its physical, mechanical, and electrical properties when exposed to high-temperature environments for sustainable periods, epoxy-anhydride cure systems provide an elegant, cost-effective solution. Formulators use epoxy-anhydride cure systems in the manufacture of adhesives, wire enamels, potting compounds, and various other components for smart phones, electric motors, protective coatings and more.

Investigating Epoxy-Anhydride Cure Systems

Utilizing epoxy-anhydride cure systems allow you to meet the highest specifications at an improved price point. Over the course of this video series, our experts discuss the practical application of epoxy-anhydride cure systems and provide data and tips to help with formulations. The data are based on a recent study into various epoxy-anhydride cure systems, with a focus on accelerator selection. This video series will provide valuable insights to formulators at any experience level.

If you missed our last video, see Formulating Tips for Epoxy-Anhydride Cure Systems: Benefits and Successes. The next video will discuss Processing Considerations when formulating epoxy-anhydride cure systems. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel using the link below to get notifications with each new release. You can also contact the Jayhawk team directly if you have any general queries.

This video is part of a joint initiative by Jayhawk Fine Chemicals, Crosslink Technologies, Evonik and Dixie Chemicals to support the advancement of epoxy-anhydride cure system technology.

Modern technology demands specialized materials that function in extreme environments. Even as performance requirements increase, there is pressure to achieve results at the best possible price point. But balancing processing/property requirements such as curing temperature, curing cycle, heat resistance and toughness is no easy task. Specialized, multifunctional epoxy resins offer one path. But what if you can achieve the results you seek at a lower cost by using traditional DGEBA epoxy resins?

With a history of use dating back to the 1960s, anhydrides are time-tested and versatile thermal curatives for epoxy resins. While they represent legacy technology, epoxy-anhydride cure systems produce modern components for products including smartphones and electric vehicles.

Investigation into Epoxy Systems from Fine Chemical & Formulating Experts

Jayhawk Fine Chemicals, Crosslink Technologies, Evonik, and Dixie Chemicals collaborated on a robust investigation of various epoxy-anhydride cure systems, with a focus on accelerator selection. The results of this study will provide you with applied data and helpful tips to help formulate epoxy cure systems.

Thought leaders from these companies sat down to discuss the results and share their combined industry experience. We are excited to release this discussion as a series of videos to provide you with valuable insights into epoxy resin cure systems and key formulating tips.

The first video provides a review of the benefits and successes of epoxy-anhydride systems. Future editions will expand on a variety of related topics and provide you with further guidance. If you have experience using epoxy-anhydride cure systems or are considering them for the first time, these short videos will offer valuable and insightful information. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel using the link below to get notifications of each new release. If you have any general queries, feel free to contact the Jayhawk team directly.

Fine chemical custom manufacturers occupy a complex global landscape characterized by various pressures: increasing make-or-buy decisions; more stringent environmental guidelines; novel methods of securing sales channels and partnerships. Each of these challenges comes silver-lined by opportunity, with significant levels of investment presenting chances for cooperation and successful business growth.

Jayhawk recently entered a strategic partnership with the leading European chemicals company CABB. This transatlantic partnership has fostered significant business growth for both entities and is expected to continue paying dividends in the coming business years as the companies draw closer together. With a secure foothold in the US and Europe, the CABB-Jayhawk partnership is uniquely poised to provide extensive fine chemical custom manufacturing services worldwide, with core competencies in fields as varied as the synthesis of active ingredients (AIs) and intermediates for agrochemicals, as well as chemical building blocks for specialties.

Now, the team would like to invite you to learn more about our unique arrangement at Chemspec Europe 2019.

Outlining Chemspec Europe 2019

In 2019, Chemspec Europe enters into its 34^th edition. The exhibition has developed an outstanding international reputation as a platform for industry experts, professionals, and thought leaders to share their insights from the mutable fine chemicals market. Exhibitors from across the world will join CABB and Jayhawk to discuss business opportunities, market trends, regulatory issues, and technical innovations in specialty and fine chemicals manufacturing and supply.

The Jayhawk team will be exhibiting alongside a host of professionals, sharing our expertise in overcoming industry challenges for a variety of agrochemical and specialty customers.

Meet the Fine Chemicals Team at Chemspec Europe

Jayhawk Fine Chemicals Corporation entered the CABB network in late 2018. This will be the team’s first Chemspec Europe as part of the global enterprise of specialty and fine chemicals manufacturers that continues to defy expectations in terms of cooperative performance in the complex global fine chemicals marketplace.

If you would like to book an appointment to talk with a member of the Jayhawk team at Chemspec Europe, please do not hesitate to contact us here.

In recent years, a flurry of merger and acquisition activity re-established and strengthened the first tier of agrochemical companies with pack leaders emerging, including: Syngenta, Bayer, BASF, and Corteva. Business models have shifted from vertically-integrated product companies in favor of innovators and marketers of agrochemicals and seed technologies. Asset ownership and product manufacturing is now heavily sub-contracted to a wide contingent of fine chemical custom manufacturing partners, where the CABB-JAYHAWK alliance features prominently.

Changes to the Second Tier of Agrochemicals

The assortment of companies in the second tier has responded to the significant realignments of those above them. Second-tier agrochemicals companies have found success in their own right with a slew of mergers, acquisitions and collaborations,  changing both strata of the agrochemicals market.

Here are just a few examples that highlight how the second tier of agrochemicals has emulated the shift characteristic of the new first tier:

• Adama Agricultural Solutions: Born from the ChemChina acquisition of Makhteshim Agan in 2017, ADAMA has grown into a full-portfolio provider of agrochemicals and seed treatment products. Operating on multiple continents and serving the world market, ADAMA leads the new second tier.
• FMC Corporation: FMC has evolved into an agrochemical sciences company, having acquired parts of the former DuPont Crop Protection after a business swap in 2017, and having divested its Lithium and machinery businesses as FMC Technologies and Livent Corporation, respectively. FMC is solely focused on crop protection, plant health, and professional pest and turf management.
• Sumitomo Chemical: After a reorganization in 2011, Sumitomo’s Health & Crop Sciences Sector built their Total Solution Provider (TSP) business into a portfolio of agriculture-related products and services. These included crop protection chemicals, fertilizers, and agricultural materials. Collaborations with then-Monsanto, then-DuPont, and a merger with Excel Crop Care in 2018, provided additional assets for Sumitomo’s continued growth.
• UPL: A traditional Indian manufacturer, UPL’s acquisition of Arysta Life Science in 2018 resulted in another consolidated provider of crop protection products and seed and soil applied technologies. UPL’s strategic partnership with Evonik enables further opportunities for UPL in adjuvants and formulated systems.
• Nufarm: Australia’s contribution to the second tier, Nufarm is active on multiple continents. Recent partnerships with Sumitomo Chemical, and an acquisition of BASF’s Trunemco seed treatment business have expanded Nufarm’s offerings. A preference for toll-manufacturers has kept Nufarm focused on the marketing of formulated products and solutions.

This is consistent with the overarching global realignment of top agrochemical players worldwide, with increasing numbers of agricultural companies looking to optimize their products, services, or supply chains with external partners.

Agrochemical Services from CABB and JAYHAWK

The CABB-JAYHAWK partnership provides transatlantic custom fine chemical manufacturing services with extensive experience in the synthesis of chemical building blocks, active ingredients (AIs), and intermediates for a range of environmentally responsible agrochemical products.

If you would like detailed information about external manufacturing arrangements with our team, please do not hesitate to contact us.

When it comes to finding the right outsourcing partner for a fine chemical custom manufacturing project, many factors must be considered. The primary objective is to correctly match the needs of the customer with the core competencies and track record of the prospective service provider. Getting the right fit is critical to success and long-term security of supply in every project, including Suzuki coupling for agrochemical active intermediates, complex chemical synthesis for pharmaceutical intermediates, or hazardous materials handling for chemical custom manufacturing.

Beyond technical competencies, the ability of a custom chemical manufacturer to offer solutions for managing assets and reducing costs can make the difference between a marginal project and an extremely successful one. Cost-sharing programs have emerged as a powerful tool for achieving these goals, and are an ideal opportunity for both customer and service provider to reap benefits.

Low-Cost Asset Additions for Chemical Custom Manufacturing

Imagine successfully hitting all targets on an introductory product launch. Initial volume requirements were small, but yield, quality, and costs met specification and confidence is suddenly high. Growing demand for the product means scaling up and production expansion is imminent. Continuing with the same custom manufacturer requires more assets on site. A simple solution may be to add a holding vessel, or a storage tank to maintain bulk inventory.

Unfortunately, costs may exceed budget, but the assets could be equally valuable to the chemical custom manufacturing partner. Sharing the cost of this asset addition, or any similar investments, would benefit both parties and minimize their individual contributions.

Fine Chemical Custom Manufacturing of Co-Products

A superior custom chemical manufacturing partner will always be looking for ways to improve efficiency in the manufacturing and disposal process. One avenue for this is co-product streams. These could be either for current customers or those in totally unrelated markets. However, developing these streams could take significant investment.

The easy solution would focus on the narrow needs of the project, which would mean lost cost recovery. A better approach is to collaborate with the chemical custom manufacturer to examine how to share costs and lower the barriers to tapping this new opportunity.

Sharing the Cost of Waste Streams

Creative outlets for waste streams add value and reduce environmental impacts. Consider the customer who could utilize repurposed waste streams as products in their own manufacturing process at a lower cost than their own sourcing of virgin materials. This could be a huge benefit as it opens a new income stream while reducing waste disposal costs. The easy answer is to do nothing and continue the project as originally negotiated. But creative thinking and collaboration always produce the best results.

Fine Chemical Custom Manufacturing with Jayhawk

Being resourceful and having a partner who is willing to think beyond the basics will enable maximum leverage from custom chemical manufacturing projects and provide a competitive advantage.

The Jayhawk-CABB partnership is one of the world leaders in fine chemical custom manufacturing. We are intuitively aware of the benefits of cost-sharing programs. If you have specific sourcing needs or are facing challenges in the chemical custom manufacturing or specialty chemicals marketplace, we would be interested to hear your thoughts. Feel free to contact a member of our team today.

Fine chemical synthesis encompasses a broad variety of active ingredients and advanced intermediates used in downstream chemical manufacturing or formulation into end-products. Examples include glufosinate, an active ingredient in agrochemical herbicides for crop protection; and oxydiphthalic anhydride, a co-monomer for polyimides used in consumer electronics and aerospace.

While large, multinational producers focus on commodity chemicals, smaller, custom manufacturers specialize in niche fine chemical synthesis at deliberately lower volumes. When customers look to source and purchase these high-value goods on a regular, sustainable basis, which of these sales channels is best?

Fine Chemical Synthesis and Volume Requirements

Depending on volume requirements, exclusivity of the molecule, and perhaps certain contractual arrangements, customers may source fine chemicals (a) directly from the manufacturer or (b) via sales channel partners.

Local channel partners comprise virtual and physical distributors, as well as sales agents. These serve a vital role in the fine chemicals supply chain, providing the manufacturer with a host of competitive advantages.

The obvious benefit of local companies is that they speak the native language. They are integrated into the local culture which can put customers at ease. Response to quality, delivery, regulatory, and basic technical issues is simplified, with familiar contacts in the customer’s time zone often working the same daily hours. If customers have not planned their forecasts accurately, products are often available from local safety stocks. Sales channel partners provide market intelligence and can help shape the manufacturer’s regional strategy.

Customers appreciative of the value provided by local sales channel partners accept a higher price point for goods and services. In cases where larger volumes dictate direct business with the manufacturer, cost position can certainly be improved. Oftentimes, however, local service and support are the priority – particularly for high-value fine chemicals.

Occasionally, sales channel partners are mismatched with the customer base they intend to serve. Some customers may prefer the one-stop shop approach of large, multi-national distribution companies, almost rivaling the scale of the manufacturers they represent. However, others may seek out smaller, often family-owned-and-operated businesses that offer more personalized service and support, like a peer company relatable to the customer’s own business.  The right fit is critical to both parties.

Jayhawk Fine Chemicals products and services are available from these smaller, specialized sales channel partners to “channel” our business culture directly into local regions and markets.

Jayhawk: Empowering Customers with Fine Chemical Solutions

Jayhawk is a member of the global CABB network of fine chemical custom manufacturing partners, blending our global reach with a local mindset. Learn more about specialty chemical manufacturing at Jayhawk, or contact a member of the team directly if you have any questions.

Pyromellitic Dianhydride (PMDA) is ideally-suited as a low-cost thermal curative for epoxy resins and as a co-monomer for polyimide synthesis. It was originally synthesized by a handful of Japanese and Western manufacturers including Daicel, DuPont, Du-Pont Toray, Jayhawk, Lonza, and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical. However, Pyromellitic Dianhydride has undergone a major shift in the manufacturing base and market dynamics over the past 5 years. China is now the major player, but volatility in raw material prices and other costs has led to a parade of suppliers challenging the security of supply decisions for customers.

Changes in the State of the PMDA Supply Chain

The traditional synthesis route uses Durene as the base raw material. Durene is tied to both petroleum and coal tar feedstocks.  It remains in demand for other downstream products, but pricing has ebbed and flowed over the years. The volatility of Durene and other essential materials has forced many of these familiar suppliers to exit Pyromellitic Dianhydride manufacturing. They have relinquished their positions to an influx of Chinese manufacturers eager to gain a foothold in the fine chemical space. Process safety, alternative synthesis routes, and product quality have created a bumpy road for these new entrants.

Today’s landscape for Pyromellitic Dianhydride manufacturing consists of approximately a dozen Chinese companies. These manufacturers supply tens of thousands of tons of high-quality Pyromellitic Dianhydride to the marketplace every year. However, Durene volatility remains an issue. Over the last 18-24 months, Pyromellitic Dianhydride pricing increased two- to three-fold. In some cases, supply was on allocation. Pricing has slowly but steadily declined in recent months, as more capacity has either been announced or already added by existing and startup suppliers.

How is an epoxy or polyimide producer expected to manage their cost position in the face of such volatility? When Pyromellitic Dianhydride pricing perilously approached that of more exclusive dianhydrides, customers were tempted to change formulations. Now that current pricing has subsided, these concerns have diminished, but customers remain uncertain about the security of supply and reliability on a single Pyromellitic Dianhydride manufacturer.

The answer lies in the qualification of, and sourcing from, multiple suppliers to leverage both pricing and availability of the product. This represents the new paradigm for Pyromellitic Dianhydride customers. Additionally, trading companies have stepped in to serve as a buffer to these sourcing challenges, offering value-added services including importation, custom-packaging and safety stocks.

Pyromellitic Dianhydride from Jayhawk Chemicals

Jayhawk offers Pyromellitic Dianhydride on a trade sales basis. Product quality is assured for reliable performance in a range of epoxy and polyimide applications. Ready access to inventory and a host of packaging options are available every day. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

The interaction between buyer and seller has been explored extensively in academic and commercial literature. Fine chemical custom manufacturing, a niche within the specialty chemicals space, doubles-down on this dynamic with a unique serviced-based offering.

Customer – Manufacturer Relationships Today

For fine chemical custom manufacturers, the focus is placed squarely on the customer relationship. Clients typically have extremely tailored, individual requirements to produce complex chemical intermediates and active ingredients. In these instances, the manufacturer acts as an extension of the customer’s own operations. They perform a critical role in scaling-up for new product launches, providing swing capacity for growth products, or taking on complete outsourcing for a mature product.

However, these manufacturers almost always offer a side portfolio of catalog products based on core competencies in custom chemical synthesis and unit operations. These products, perhaps not exclusive to an individual specialty chemicals customer, meet critical requirements for quality and security of supply. They may also serve the needs of multiple customers with known volumes and delivery schedules. The result is a complementary, sustainable, made-to-demand business.

This is all well and good, as the customer has been heard, their needs have been determined, and product orders have been satisfactorily fulfilled. But can this be taken further?

Optimizing Relationships in Custom Fine Chemicals Sectors

When we talk about customer insights, we mean the “Voice of the Customer.” Since fine chemical custom manufacturing is, first and foremost, a service business, asking a few simple questions can result in valuable customer insights. These can be as broad as the following:

• What else can we do for you?
• What other fine or specialty chemicals do you need?
• Do you find it difficult to choose insourcing or outsourcing?
• Are you wary of sourcing from unknown, distant suppliers?
• Would you avoid suppliers that are limited to a website catalog offering?

This is the very essence of fine chemical custom manufacturing: relationships in which customers are listened to with intent. Sourcing challenges can be readily identified and customer insights gained, representing new opportunities to leverage and build stronger relationships that are rooted in mutual trust and respect.

So, the next time you expand your business at a customer, and a colleague asks how you did it, simply respond with “I asked.”

Custom Chemicals Solutions from Jayhawk

The Jayhawk-CABB partnership is one of the world leaders in fine chemical custom manufacturing. We are intuitively aware of the benefits of fostering mutually-beneficial customer relationships founded on dialog and transparency. If you have specific sourcing needs or are facing challenges in the specialty chemicals marketplace, we would be interested to hear your thoughts. Feel free to contact a member of our team today.

ChemCreations is a new service offering from the CABB network of fine chemical custom manufacturing partners. Envisaged as “Chemical Processes Delivered”, ChemCreations offers a modular approach to custom manufacturing services, well beyond that of traditional chemical suppliers. Now joined by Jayhawk Fine Chemicals Corporation, ChemCreations is poised to solve the expanding challenges of developing complex active ingredients and intermediates for the agrochemicals and specialty chemicals industries.

Overcoming Challenges

Fine chemical insourcing and outsourcing demands vary significantly. Customers in this sector may require unique levels of support for route scouting, process research, process development, pilot production and eventual scaling to commercial operations.

Adopting a modular approach can provide the best possible cost position for these chemistry and manufacturing challenges.

ChemCreations delivers contract research expertise to help explore and evaluate potentially viable routes, establishing a valuable starting point for the client.

Process development teams realize the most efficient, safe, and sustainable methods of production, validating processes to deliver the most complete technical package possible.

Proof-of-concept support is provided by pilot plant teams, demonstrating scalability by performing low-volume production runs.

Finally, commercial custom-manufacturing teams transfer the process to full-scale assets for campaigns tailored specifically to the client’s growing needs.

These services can be mixed and matched to provide the right fit for each customer, offering a fresh approach and a clear value over traditional chemical suppliers.

Partnerships and Solutions

ChemCreations was launched to enable speed-to-production and improve the efficiency of implementation for clients developing the latest complex active ingredients and intermediates. The team’s scientific and technical skills are complemented by state-of-the-art synthetic and analytical lab capabilities, dedicated pilot lines, and commercial assets at numerous sites worldwide.

Our goal is to facilitate new production processes for our customers, by sharing the combined industry experience of some of the world’s best fine chemical suppliers. ChemCreations® offers a suite of modular solutions for tailored, cost-effective solutions.

Jayhawk Fine Chemicals Corporation entered the CABB network in 2018, establishing a translatlantic partnership of fine chemical suppliers that has been leading global innovations in fine chemicals custom manufacturing for more than 15 years. We have the tools, skills, and experience to address the most complicated technical challenges while safeguarding our customer’s intellectual property. If you would like more information about our ChemCreations service, please contact a member of our team directly.

JAYHAWK is a global leader in specialty chemical manufacturing, with years of experience in producing custom fine chemicals for clients. We manufacture a range of products, from high-purity solvents to advanced chemical intermediates and active ingredients, with our complex chemical synthesis.

Specialty Chemical Manufacturing

When we talk about specialty chemical manufacturing, this can be anything from providing spare capacity to establishing a full-service sourcing partnership. The services JAYHAWK provide include process development, procurement, logistics management, and regulatory support.

Whether you require something as simple as distillation to recover raw materials, or a complex chemical synthesis, JAYHAWK can provide a cost-effective solution for these needs. Using an external specialty chemical manufacturer can allow clients to scale-up their manufacturing potential and speed.

When outsourcing specialty chemical manufacturing, clients want to ensure that the production requirements are met for a cost-efficient process. As an external provider, JAYHAWK can bring fresh expertise to client’s technology and meet chemistry requirements that might not be available within their own operation.

The chemistry and technology used by JAYHAWK include Alkylation, Heterocyclic synthesis, Halogenation, Grignard chemistry, Suzuki coupling, Azo chemistry, Phosphorus chemistry, Hydrogenation, and Formylation. This range of specialties allows us to provide solutions for a wide selection of customers, ensuring that their requirements are met.

At JAYHAWK, we pride ourselves on the relationship we build with our clients. We are extremely transparent about the services we offer and can often work as a satellite facility for your needs. Our range of multi-purpose plants come with the option to interconnect vessels and sections. We also have pilot plants available for smaller projects, qualifications, approvals, and proof-of-concept for commercial production.

Our analytic capabilities include GC, HPLC, ICP/MS, GC/MS, NMR, ion chromatography, potentiometric and Karl Fischer titration, and validated LIMS software. Our management system is fully integrated and is certified to ISO 9001, 14001, and RC 14001.

In addition to our services, JAYHAWK is extremely committed to ensuring our environmental impact is kept to a minimum. We undertake many practices including spill prevention, recycling, and waste reduction. This means our customers can be assured that their products were produced safely with minimal risk to the environment.

The list of solutions offered by JAYHAWK is growing consistently. If you would like some more information about our specialty chemical manufacturing solutions, please contact us.