Why You Need to Attend SOCMA Show 2024

The SOCMA Specialty & Custom Chemicals Show 2024 (SOCMA Show 2024) is set for February 19-21 in Nashville, Tennessee. Will you be there?

In keeping with the show’s theme “Commercial Connections for the Specialty and Custom Chemical Industry,” attendees will have opportunities to network with colleagues and reach out to exhibitors offering technologies, innovations, and process solutions for a range of chemical end uses.

The three-day event also has a schedule of educational sessions presented by industry professionals who bring new perspectives to the many aspects of specialty and custom chemical markets, SOCMA support and services, and more.

Knowledge is power: SOCMA Show 2024 presentations you don’t want to miss 

Knowledge sharing is a big part of the SOCMA Show 2024, and the presentation lineup on Tuesday, February 20th brings valuable insights. Keynote speaker and DuPont Senior Economist Robert Fry offers trends, indicators, and drivers that industry professionals should be watching and applying to strategic business decisions in light of ongoing inconsistent external conditions.

Complementing the keynote is Keys to Securing Contract/Tolling Business in a Selective Buyer Market — a session we highly recommend be on everyone’s “must attend” list. The presentation highlights what chemical buyers are seeking in business partners and how tollers are responding and innovating to their discerning needs.

Data from the newly published SOCMA Contract Manufacturing Outlook 2024 report underpins key findings in the presentation’s focus areas:

• How and where chemical companies are seeking tolling partners
• Changes in the chemical buyer/toller relationship under current business conditions
• Types of chemistries and capabilities being outsourced
• How tollers can break through the noise and attract chemical industry customers

To preview some potential learnings from this session, the CPS team compiled some findings from the featured SOCMA report:

• The top two criteria for chemical industry companies when outsourcing to a toller square with what tollers identify as their unique value: Technical Probability/Capabilities (product quality, matching capabilities, production scale-up, etc.) and Commercial Probability/Capabilities (existing business relationship, flexibility of business agreement, customer service level, etc.)
• Bulk storage, packaging lines, and grinding are toller capabilities that about one-third of chemical industry companies prioritize when awarding outsourcing contracts
• 90% of chemical industry companies have reshoring in supply chain business strategies, resulting in slight to moderate increases in the number of toller partnerships they maintain (42% anticipate expanding contract manufacturing/tolling)
• Skilled labor retention may remain a sticking point for chemical industry companies. While 80% see trends toward employee numbers remaining flat in 2024, 7% are also preparing for significant decreases

Visit Custom Processing Solutions at SOCMA Booth 211

Finding a toller that can readily address the required capabilities, fill in potential gaps, help streamline and manage supply chains, and demonstrate a proven track record of long standing successful partnerships is increasingly necessary for chemical industry companies.

Find what you’re looking for at SOCMA Booth 211! Custom Processing Services team members will be on-hand throughout the show to discuss:

• Our full suite of toll processing services and how they can benefit your projects
• The expert insights behind potential solutions to your toughest challenges and best opportunities
• How a collaborative CPS partnership can support your overall business strategies

The SOCMA Show 2024 is a powerhouse of knowledge, inspiration, and possibilities. We’re looking forward to being part of it and seeing you at Booth 211 February 19-21. In the interim, feel free to reach out to the CPS team with any questions or feedback. We’re always here to listen — and help.