Never Say No! 

Ritchie Dee of Pearl Chemicals Ltd celebrates 30 years of his unique family business offering independent chemical distribution services, and their can-do attitude that means he “never says no”. 

Pearl Chemicals, based in Staffordshire UK, is proud to be celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year. The company is an example of true family enterprise, having been run by the same family since it was established in July 1996.

“My father, Gerry Dee, started the company with my mother,” explains Ritchie Dee, who now runs the company as Managing Director. “I joined a year later, and my sister joined a few years after that – she’s now the Financial Director – and my wife is the Import / Office Manager celebrating 25 years with the company next year. Our parents both retired some years ago, but our generation is keeping it in the family, making sure our values are reflected in the work we do and the services we deliver every day.”

Pearl Chemicals provides services to a wide range of industries, primarily Agrochemicals, Inorganic Chemicals, Cleaning Chemicals, Dairy and Hygiene, Corrosion and Lubricants, Textiles, Industrial Chemicals, and Water Treatment. However, going beyond this impressive breadth of scope, this family business is determined to carve out a unique place for itself. To do this, they leverage the expertise they hold, together with the connections and flexibility that only a smaller company can easily offer, to provide a service that is very customer-focused indeed.

A Competitive Edge

“We are always looking for something that gives an edge over the competition”, says Ritchie.  “And we aim to offer something more than your generic big distributor. As a result, most of our customer base has been with us for a long time – many customers have been with us for 30 years. The same applies to our loyal hauliers and suppliers.”

The company uses three warehouses in the UK, one of which is reserved for non-hazardous products, one for hazardous products, and one for liquid storage. These strategically positioned warehouses provide an infrastructure that enables Pearl Chemicals to offer rapid response times and efficient delivery services. As a result, one of the ways in which Pearl Chemicals can really separate itself from its competitors is an ability to offer deliveries 7 days a week, all year round. This means that, unlike most distributors, Pearl Chemicals offers deliveries on a weekend or bank holiday. By doing this, the company makes sure it is working entirely to their customers’ schedules, rather than their own.

The family business also offers consignment stock options, which give customers more flexibility in their supply chains and cash flows, as well as fixed price agreements that can offer a little more stability in an increasingly volatile world. This and similar agreements can all help to ensure continuity of supply of vital chemical products at the right price for customers.

“From the outset, we pioneered value-added services tailored to our customers’ needs,” declares Ritchie. “Consignment stock and fixed price agreements have ensured consistent product availability and reliability. We also offer chemical repacking and non-standard pack sizes – each designed to meet the specific needs of our customers.”

This is where Ritchie’s can-do attitude comes to the fore. With a lot of larger distributors, customers might hit a roadblock if they need something a little unusual, or a product that is difficult to obtain due to global shortages or supply chain blockages. Pearl Chemicals prides itself on always finding a solution to situations like this.

Or, as Ritchie says, “We never say no”.

Pearl Chemicals is able to supply products in uncommon pack sizes or strengths (e.g. dilutions of non-standard grade/strength products), depending on customer requirements. It also offers re-packing and re-grinding services, including repacking chemical products into fresh containers, or attaching new labels and barcodes, all while ensuring compliance with regulations and handling standards.

“We’ll always find a way to do whatever the customer needs,” promises Ritchie. “If other companies say they can’t do something, we’ll always do everything we can to give the customer exactly what they need.”

Examples of common services providing a competitive edge include:

• Decanting liquids from road tankers into intermediate bulk containers and smaller packs
• Packing and repacking of liquid and powder chemicals
• Dilutions of non-standard grade/strength products
• Powder reprocessing by crushing, milling, grinding and sieving
• Blending of solids and liquids
• Dispersion of powders into liquids
• Fixed price, call off and similar agreements.

Supply Chain Security

The company’s ability to provide such consistent and flexible services might reflect its ideal geographic location. Staffordshire is perfectly located in the very heart of the UK, midway between the two largest regional economies of Manchester and Birmingham, and within easy reach of the Northeast cluster of manufacturers. This adds to the company’s reliability in terms of timely deliveries to their customers, but what about the supply chain leading to their distribution points?

It is widely acknowledged that the past few years have seen supply chain management emerge as a strategic driver in the chemicals industry. Disruptions initiated by the COVID pandemic were only worsened by a series of geopolitical and natural events, and the most recent difficulties in the Middle East are having an added impact on global delivery routes. Fortunately, Pearl Chemicals has long standing relationships with many European and Asian producers, all of which are REACH registered. As mentioned earlier, many of Pearl Chemicals’ suppliers have been working with them for 30 years. This kind of long-term relationship is extremely useful in strengthening supply chain resilience. In times of geopolitical troubles that might disrupt less established supply chains, it is never more important to consider who – rather than just what – your chemical distributor might know!

The company is also frequently asked to source new products – a task that is undertaken in a manner than ensures a successful and cost-effective procurement process, while safeguarding a reliable ongoing supply chain and product quality. Maintaining the quality and regulatory compliance of any products distributed by Pearl Chemicals is clearly of greatest importance.

“We have a sourcing agent in China to find new manufacturers,” explains Ritchie. “To make sure the quality of products and services meet our required standards, we use an independent factory inspection company that covers China, India, Malaysia and most of Southeast Asia. They have been key in helping us to obtain a strong position on new products for us, most of which are now regularly stocked.”

Another strategy that Pearl Chemicals uses in times of market volatility is to continue stocking products even when prices increase drastically. This means that when other distributors run out of products, because they stop stockpiling when prices fluctuate, Pearl Chemicals retains a steady stock and is able to provide a constant supply.

“We dig in and still take stock, even when prices go up due to supply chain challenges,” says Ritchie. “That way, we can be sure to keep supply going to our customers. When prices on certain products go up, that means there’s likely to be a shortage coming, and the last thing our customers need is for us to run out of these products too!”

Regulatory Compliance

As of 31st May 2018, chemicals sold in the EU needed to be REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) registered through the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and Pearl Chemicals made the necessary changes to its supply chain to adhere to these legislative changes.  Since Brexit, in 2021, the company has also been ensuring its supply chain complies with the newly adopted UK REACH regulation.

Pearl Chemicals’ membership of the Chemical Business Association (CBA), which works to support chemical distributors in the UK, underscores a commitment to health, safety, and environmental responsibility. The CBA regularly keeps its members updated of any new or upcoming chemical regulation changes through its Responsible Care Programme, and the Pearl Chemicals team attends their workshops and learning events to ensure that they are fully up to date with any changes in UK and EU REACH.

For newly sourced products, especially those from China and Southeast Asia, alongside Pearl Chemicals’ sourcing agent the company engages an ISO 9000-1 independent auditing company that forms part of its stringent supplier approval process. On Pearl Chemicals’ behalf, they visit potential suppliers to ensure that they are reputable, with good manufacturing practices and quality of products and packaging amongst other aspects. Upon arrival in the UK, samples of imported products are taken and sent to an independent laboratory in the UK to be tested to ensure the quality of product.

Through steps such as these, Pearl Chemicals ensures full regulatory compliance, which means the company knows that all of its chemical products and processes meet legal and safety standards, protecting public health and safety. Pearl Chemicals can also offer that guarantee to its customers, along with assurances of brand integrity and supply chain transparency.

Exclusive Partnerships

Pearl Chemicals is particularly proud of its long-lasting sole distribution partnership with the multinational company Christeyns. Headquartered in Belgium, and founded in 1946, it is interesting to note that – like Pearl Chemicals – Christeyns is also a family-owned business, so perhaps there is a meeting of values in this relationship.

“Our partnership with Christeyns started in 2015 says Ritchie. “Their values are very much aligned with ours. Both companies view this arrangement as a long-term working partnership with a shared philosophy for the future.” 

Pearl Chemicals continues to be the exclusive distributor for the sale of Peracetic Acid in mainland UK for Christeyns. Christeyns is one of the key producers of Peracetic Acid in Europe and their Peracetic Acid range is in accordance with Article 95 of the (BPR) Biocidal Products Regulation which stipulates that only companies compliant with this legislation may place the relevant product onto the EU market. As the UK came to the end of the Brexit transition phase on 31st December 2020, Christeyns made the necessary changes to ensure that Christeyns Peracetic Acid range has remained available for Pearl Chemicals to sell in the UK.

More recently, Ritchie has just negotiated another partnership with a French chemical company, for which Pearl Chemicals is now sole distributor to the UK and Ireland.

“This new partnership is for a range of formulated chemicals, some of which we already sell, but we are now able to provide a complete product portfolio to a key manufacturing industry that we have supplied for almost 30 years” says Ritchie.

Happy Anniversary!

Pearl Chemicals has come a long way over the past 30 years.

“When we started, we worked from the family home, and we moved to our present address in 2006,” says Ritchie. “We have been members of the CBA, previously BCDTA, since 2006 and we exhibited at CHEMUK in May this year, which was the first exhibition that we have attended as an exhibitor.”

The company will be celebrating their anniversary with a garden party at the nearby Aston Marina in Stone, Staffordshire, England.

“We’re hiring this picturesque local venue for the celebrations,” explains Ritchie. “We’ll have a barbecue and live music, and a lot of old friends who have helped us make this company the success that it is today. The party is in July, so keep your fingers crossed for us, for the weather!” 

The Future

As Pearl Chemicals grows its reputation as the company that never says no, Ritchie’s plan is to build on that success, continuing finding the solutions for customers that other distributors cannot.

“There’s always room for more customers,” laughs Ritchie. “Whenever a customer in dire straits comes to us, we want to be able to solve whatever their issues might be. We’re going to keep going and keep finding solutions.”

Ritchie is also actively looking for more exclusive partnerships with companies in the UK and Europe and other parts of the world interested in distributing their products across the UK and beyond.

So whether you’re looking for a fantastic distributor to help you reach the UK market, or whether you are a potential customer interested in working with a distributor that is always willing to go that extra mile to make sure you get exactly what you need, you might want to get in touch with Pearl Chemicals.

They’re waiting to solve your problem for you, whatever it might be.

Contact

Ritchie Dee

Managing Director

Pearl Chemicals Ltd

Telephone: 01785 819747
Email: r.dee@pearlchem.co.uk
Website: www.pearlchem.co.uk

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