Actikem Ltd - Case Study
Industry Type:
International aftermarket car care product manufacturer
Problem/challenge?
Actikem works with a number of companies under strict confidentiality agreements to ensure customer information and know-how is kept secret and secure.
One of Actikem’s customers who formulate a number of aftermarket car-care products in the automotive industry approached Actikem to assist in the development, formulation and testing of a new emulsifier raw material. The customer was using a product which contained a biocide, which, under the CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) Regulations, would have required the relabelling and notification of hazardous ingredients to national poison centres. There was an urgent need therefore for Actikem to create a new formulation containing an alternative biocide, at lower levels in the formulation and maintain the in-can preservation.
Explanation of job / service provided?
The Quality Control Team at Actikem were able to quickly prepare laboratory samples of the new formulation and test them against the current established specification. They also performed ageing tests on the samples to ensure no adverse reaction to the change in biocide. The results were reported back to the customer.
How did we satisfy the customer’s needs and help them reach their goal?
Samples of the new biocide were sourced, and a laboratory blend was made within 1 week of the request, with a technical report on the outcome sent to the customer within 2 weeks.
What were the benefits of using Actikem?
Actikem were a known and trusted supplier and had built up a good relationship with the customer over the years. The customer had relied on Actikem in the past for the good service that we provide and knew that we could react quickly to requests for assistance. Actikem have knowledge of biocides and of the surfactants used in this industry, as well as knowledge of product stability and testing.
Actikem offered laboratory facilities and testing to support the customer and advanced the testing quickly so that the customer was able to meet his deadline to comply with the new regulations. We were able to conduct a production trial within two weeks. Our flexible production facilities allowed us to successfully accommodate the customer’s request.
Did we encounter any problems doing the job, and if so, how did we overcome them?
In 2019, certain biocides were in short supply due to regulatory changes imposed as a result of chemical incidents in China. Actikem were able to source the right biocide for the job from our knowledge of the biocide suppliers we know in the industry.
The timing required for the completion of the job was very tight however we were able to complete this work in our own formulation laboratory in the desired time to satisfy the customer and the regulators’ deadline.
What factors contributed to our success in doing the job?
Having a laboratory facility with the necessary equipment to make and test the formulation, was a definite bonus.
Our Technicians have the required skills, chemical handling knowledge and experience to formulate these hazardous product groups. Our flexible production equipment allowed us to quickly do trials, then scale up to eventually do some production runs. Our knowledge of the European chemical regulatory landscape was also a big advantage in understanding the challenge the customer faced.
Actikem can meet a number of bespoke customer requests and have the chemical supply chain and chemical handling experience to help our customers solve chemical formulation challenges. We have the knowledge of handling over 1600 chemical substances and preparations that enable us to react quickly to our customers’ requests for assistance. In short, we know what we are doing.
To find out more about how Actikem can assist you with the development and formulation of raw materials expressly for the car care product industry, please call us on 01925 593900, or email sales@actikem.com.
To find out more information on the CLP Regulation, please visit: https://echa.europa.eu/regulations/clp/understanding-clp