Could you briefly introduce Univar Solutions’ APAC business?

Univar Solutions is a US$9.5 billion revenue company, one-third of which falls within the specialty chemicals part of our business. The APAC region represents an important and growing part of our specialty chemicals portfolio, which spans seven verticals across the consumers and industrial sectors: coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers (CASE); homecare and industrial cleaning (HIC); lubricants and metalworking fluids; beauty and personal care (BPC); food ingredients, pharmaceutical ingredients; and nutraceutical ingredients. We provide customers and suppliers the ingredients, innovation and product development and advancement solutions they need to meet consumer demand, respond to regulatory changes and advance product development from our two regional hubs in Singapore and Shanghai.

What are the main differentiators for a global distribution company like Univar Solutions?

Univar Solutions excels at the core elements of distribution: moving products from producers to end-users in a safe, compliant and efficient manner. What separates us from others in the space is our commitment to service, solutions and innovation. We see ourselves as a “technical sales and marketing organization,” which more precisely describes what we do. We help brands of all sizes enter new geographies, expand into new applications, navigate regulatory change and respond to consumer trends.

Univar Solutions has a leading distribution network; an infrastructure of trucks, warehouses, and even a rail network in North America, that allow us to deliver despite supply chain, staffing and related challenges – all while reducing our costs and CO2 emissions (and passing those benefits along to our customers and suppliers). 

The depth and breadth of our supplier relationships means that Univar Solutions’ customers are able to more quickly respond to industry trends, such as the shift toward cleaner labels and more sustainable ingredients. Our portfolio of natural and sustainable ingredients, combined with the expertise of more than 100 global scientists, application specialists and commercial chefs creates a competitive advantage by leveraging the size, scale and human ingenuity only available at Univar Solutions.

Can you share more details about Univar Solutions’ global Solution Centers?

Our global Solution Centers are a network of R&D sites, labs, and food development kitchens that support product innovation and advancement around the world and across every industry. Our expert chemists, food scientists and technical specialists help solve problems through fast-paced dialogue and collaboration between our 70+ chemists and food scientists, 200 field-based application chemists and our customer and supplier contacts. Teams working in one geography or industry share knowledge and technical and trend findings with their peers, which helps accelerate innovation for all of our customers.  

How is sustainability shaping chemical distribution markets?

Both customers and suppliers are engaged in the conversation around creating next-generation products that help keep communities healthy, fed, clean and safe – which aligns perfectly with Univar Solution’s purpose. Together, we are able to amplify the ESG progress and changes needed to help protect the world we live in and meet evolving consumer demand.

The demand for more sustainable ingredients and products has accelerated so much that we recently appointed a global vice president for sustainable and natural products to drive our strategy across different verticals. They are reviewing our entire portfolio of specialty ingredients, classifying them as natural and sustainable after referencing them against various technical criteria, and then condensing them into an offering that will help further enable our customers and suppliers’ relevant product initiatives and goals. When you combine leadership and innovation like this with the downline emissions reduction realized by utilizing our fleet of trucks and rail, the impact on Scope 3 emissions is impressive.

What are your main objectives moving forward?

Our priorities are clear: To deliver profitable share growth across all markets we operate in and to live out our brand purpose: helping keep communities healthy, fed, clean and safe. We will do this by focusing on several key areas: building on our success in the specialty chemical market, investing in digital to make doing business with us simpler, easier, and greener, and by ensuring we have the best company culture in the business so that we can attract and retain talent that will help ensure the long-term success of the organization.