Technical service

The principal objective of technical service in the chemical industry is to provide timely and professional information and support to downstream customers regarding chemical products and thek uses. It is neither cost-effective nor necessary for a consumer of chemical products to develop a staff of speciahsts having detailed expertise in all aspects of chemical raw materials and thek uses, particularly in a time of increa singly complex and rapidly technologically driven economies. Rather, this variety of expertise is provided in the chemical marketplace by technical service professionals whose knowledge and skills are made available by chemical products suppHers. As such, successful chemical companies provide technical service as a critical element of thek offerings to the marketplace making use of this aspect of the value chain to enhance thek competitiveness. 

The level of technical service support provided for a given product generally tracks in large part where the suppHer considers thek product to be located within the spectmm of commodity to specialty chemicals. Technical service support levels for pure chemicals usually provided in large quantities for specific synthetic or processing needs, eg, ammonia (qv), sulfuric acid (see SuLFURic ACID AND SULFURTRIOXIDe), formaldehyde (qv), oxygen (qv), and so forth, are considerably less than for more complex materials or blends of materials provided for multistep downstream processes. Examples of the latter are many polymers, colorants, flocculants, impact modifiers, associative thickeners, etc. For the former materials, providing specifications of purity and physical properties often comprises the full extent of technical service requked or expected by customers. These materials are termed undifferentiated chemicals (9), 

Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (4th Edition) 

Both prototypal questions related illustrate the need for a successhil technical service professional to have a strong understanding of the customer s apphcations and processes, within proper intellectual property considerations. This need for a thorough understanding is not always straightforward. A common example of the complications that can arise is provided from the paint (qv) industry (11). If, for instance, a calcium carbonate suppHer would like a paint manufacturer to use their material versus a competitive one, the onus is on the suppHer to show that the material can be successfully used in the paint formula of interest. However, many such formulas are held as proprietary. The technical service professional therefore does not know the components of the paint. This would lead to an unworkable situation from an evaluation standpoint save for the fact that the paint company may supply a miHbase or other intermediate form of the paint to allow a proper comparison of carbonates to be carried out. Thus mutual benefits can result and no loss of proprietary information occur. 

New product introductions are generally heavily supported by the technical service function. Many customers using chemical feedstocks to produce multicomponent products for the consumer market require extensive on-line evaluations of new raw materials prior to their acceptance for use. An example of this would be the use of a new engineering polymer for the fabrication of exterior automobile stmctural panels. Full-scale fabrication of the part foUowed by a detailed study of parameters, such as impact strength, colorant behavior, paint receptivity, exterior photodurabiHty, mar resistance, and others, would be required prior to making a raw materials change of this nature. 

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I. Langmuir and K. B. Blodgett, U.S. Mmy Mir Forces Technical Report 5418, Februay 19, 1946, U.S. Department Commerce, Office Technical Services PB 27565. 

I. G. Ryss, The Chemistry of Fluorine and Its Inorganic Compounds State Publishing House of Scientific, Technical, and Chemical Literature, Moscow, 1956 Eng. trans., AEC-tr-3927, Office of Technical Services, U.S. Dept, of Commerce, Washington D.C., 1960. 

Glass Frosting and Polishing Technical Service Bulletin 667, Harshaw Chemical Co., Solon, Ohio. 

The Moulding of Granular Polymers, technical service note, ICI, Wilmington, Del., 1966. 

Technical Information, Jacketing Rate Calculation, Bulletin No. 10, Eluoropolymers Division Technical Service Laboratory, E. I. du Pont de Nemours Co., Inc., Wilmington, Del., Aug. 1982. 

The manufacturers of synthetic fluids offer technical service and consultation, and fluid reprocessing service can be arranged between the suppHer and the user. Complete physical properties and detailed information concerning synthetic fluids are reported in the manufacturers product Hterature (13—36). The physical characteristics of the synthetic fluids can be found in Table 1. 

Use of Results. Sales analysis data are used ia many ways by company management. The results are most useful ia production planning, particularly if grade differences appear to be ia the offing, and ia assuting that adequate suppHes are available for sales. Inventory control, raw material procurement, technical service requirements, and trends ia accounts receivable are beneficiaries of good sales analyses. 

A researcher planning strategy must determine whether commitment to a technical service faciHty and personnel is required. If it is, the cost of this commitment must be deterrnined and included in the overall cost of entering the product field. 

A. Lapin, Eiquid and Gaseous Ouygen Safety Eeview, NASA CR-120922 ASRDI, NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, 1972 (available from National Technical Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Va.). 

Many large chemical companies produce amino resins and the raw materials needed, ie, formaldehyde, urea, and melamine. Some companies may buy raw materials to produce amino resins for use in their own products, such as plywood, chipboard, paper, textiles, or paints, and may also find it profitable to market these resins to smaller companies. The technology is highly developed and sales must be supported by adequate technical service to select the correct resin and see that it is appHed under the best conditions. 

Technical data. International Technical Services, Rochester, N.Y., Dec. 1992. 

W. C. Gardiner, Office of Technical Services Report PT-44761, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C., 1946 Pield Information Agency, Technical (FIAT) Final Report 820. 

Sodium Sulfide and Sodium Hydrosulfide as Heavy MetalPrecipitants, Technical Service Bulletin, PPG Industries, New Martinsville, W. Va., 1995. 

Sodium Sulfide Wet Scrubber for Oxides of Nitrogen (NO ) Mbsorption, Technical Service Bulletin, PPG Industries, New Martinsville, W. Va., 1995. Chemtox Database, on DIALOG File 337, Dialog Information Services, Palo Alto, Calif., last updated June 6, 1993. 

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