Specialty Chemical Manufacturing Industry Overview

Companies that manufacture specialty chemical products, including adhesives and sealants, carbon black, explosives, fatty acids, glycerin, printing ink, repellents, and cleaning solutions.

Summary

Bigger's not always better. Not for specialty chemical companies, which focus on niche applications and smaller quantities for their products much more than their basic and petrochemical brethren. While basic chemicals are produced in high volumes and used for vastly disparate ends, specialties are targeted for specific customers and are more highly differentiated.

Full Specialty Chemical Manufacturing Industry Description

Increased Productivity

Industrial chemical production plants have become more automated, both to cut costs and improve the yield of finished product by more precisely controlling the process. From 1995 to 2005, while US production of industrial chemicals decreased 2 percent, the number of workers in the industry decreased 34 percent.

Full Specialty Chemical Manufacturing Industry Trends

• United-Guardian, Inc.
• Dynaction SA
• 3M Company

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Hoover's has developed its own industry classifications to better serve its customers. These classifications are mapped to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the older U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. The Specialty Chemical Manufacturing maps to a number of NAICS codes including:

Full Specialty Chemical Manufacturing Industry Codes

• American Chemical Society
  
• American Chemistry Council
  
• Environmental Industry Associations Online
  

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