When you're formulating high-performance materials for EV batteries, coatings, or precision electronics, there’s little room for guesswork. Specialty chemical manufacturers work under intense pressure to meet exacting performance, safety, and regulatory standards — often with unique materials that don’t fit a traditional mold.
That’s where Custom Processing Services steps in. In this episode of Toll Manufacturing Minute, CPS Business Unit Manager Willow Slusser discusses how the in-house analytical lab helps meet the complex needs of specialty chemical customers with precision testing, accurate data — and none of the delays of outsourced testing:
Unlike bulk commodities, specialty chemicals are performance-driven materials tailored to do very specific jobs — conductive powders for electric vehicle batteries, adhesion or durability additives, pharma product stabilizers, etc.
This level of specialization means small variances in trace metals, particle size, or purity can put materials, products, and — in some cases — end users at risk. Therefore, guesswork is a non-starter, and timeliness is essential.
At CPS, specialty chemical customers don’t have to juggle between vendors or wait weeks for outsourced lab reports. Our in-house ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Accredited lab is fully integrated with toll processing operations, providing real-time access to critical data and expert insights.
This integration pays dividends not only in logistics, but in problem-solving. When analytical testing is this close to production, it becomes part of the overall process instead of a disconnected step after the fact.
Accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, the CPS analytical lab follows globally recognized standards for accuracy, traceability, and quality management. This is especially important to specialty chemical OEMs who may be exporting to regulated markets or operating under strict supplier agreements.
In specialty chemical manufacturing, time is money — and delays can kill momentum. CPS eliminates lag time with on-site access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and powerful testing methods such as GC-MS, ICP-MS, HPLC, and particle size analysis. It’s a full suite of advanced capabilities purpose-built to handle everything from sticky or reactive powders to volatile organics or residual solvents.
This responsiveness was critical in a recent case where a specialty coatings manufacturer experienced performance issues after scale-up. CPS deployed a multi-instrument approach to isolate the problem:
With these data-driven insights, the customer better understood the root cause, corrected sourcing, and moved forward without halting production or retooling the process.
Every batch of specialty chemicals tells a different story. That’s why CPS emphasizes custom method development as a core part of lab support.
By combining scientific rigor with real-world pragmatism, CPS helps customers move from question to answer without compromising on quality or speed.
At CPS, we’re always looking for ways to give our customers the best products, service, and competitive advantage. World-class toll processing and an in-house lab consolidates key processes and eliminates the added time and potential risks associated with multiple vendors. We’re proud of the capabilities we offer, and encourage you to reach out to our team with questions or to discuss next steps. Our experts are always willing to help!