Technical service support

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),... 

It was this focus on the customer support that led Bradford White to open the water heater industry s first ever 24 hour a day, seven day a week warranty and technical service support center at its Middleville, MI manufacturing facility. The new center is fuUy staffed with both warranty specialists and technical service experts. The entire staffhas completed a rigorous and extensive training program. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Specialized training is an absolute requirement for technical service personnel. A typical example is a person involved in supporting a polymer for which the use is the manufacture of rotationaHy molded consumer products. The technical service person is expected to be reasonably familiar with topics such as polymer rheology evaluations, gel-permeation chromatography, rotational mol ding, color science, regulatory requirements for use, mechanical and photochemical behavior of the pigmented polymer, optics, and so forth. Expertise of this variety caimot be expected to be obtained without careful... 

Many companies provide support for both their research personnel and technical service personnel to participate in these types of activities. Even a pohcy of one conference per person per year, if appHed correctiy, provides a great deal of value to the individual and to the organization. The returns on this investment iaclude intangibles such as additional technical contacts and enhancement of the technical reputation of the company, as well as tangibles such as personnel possessing the latest information in their fields of endeavor, allowing them to better address customer concerns and needs, and developing ideas for process and product improvements. 

EinaHy, there is great value in providing access to contemporary and archived technical journals and trade magazines to technical service professionals. This can be achieved in a number of ways, whether by generation of an in-house Hbrary, use of nearby university or governmental faciHties, support of individual subscriptions, or some combination of the above. Internet access to on-line journals is also valuable. 

Thus, it is the combination of both external conditioning and internal treatments, together with some level of associated technical and support services, that most properly comprises a comprehensive BW treatment program. 

A significant amount of waste composites is generated each year and the need for a recycling method is becoming a necessity. Environmental Technical Services has developed, with the support of the University of Missouri-St.Louis, a method for recovering valuable constituents from composite materials. The process converts the polymer matrix to lower chain hydrocarbons and fuel gas leaving behind fibres. Mechanical tests of BMC panels, reinforced concrete and compression moulded panels made with recovered fibres were carried out. 10 refs. USA... 

The author gratefully acknowledges the support of this work by BFGoodrich Staff Technical Services J.L. Dorsch for 13C NMR,... 

For the past 16 years, he has been a Research Group Leader for ONDEO Nalco Energy Services, located in Sugar Land, Texas. He works daily with laboratory chemists to provide technical service and support to a variety of customers worldwide such as major oil refiners, independent fuel marketers, aftermarket additive suppliers, fuel brokers, and others in the petroleum industry. 

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