Slow- and Non-Moving Chemical Inventory

Slow- and non-moving chemical inventory is a significant challenge across the chemical industry. My own experience with this issue comes from the cosmetics sector and private label collaborations, but it’s clear that this problem affects a range of industries.

Tom Schoffelen shares his vision and solutions for addressing this problem in our interview from August.

Tom, could you elaborate on the connection between ChemChimp and ChemSmog? For some reades it might be helpful to understand your focus.

ChemChimp is our digital ecosystem from which we plan to launch digital solutions designed to create a more fair and sustainable chemical industry. Within this ecosystem, we find ChemSmog, our B2B marketplace for selling slow- and non-moving chemical inventory. Promoting sustainability in the industry, increasing profitability, and reducing CO2 emission and waste.

What inspired the founding of ChemSmog, and how did you identify the need for a marketplace specifically for slow and non-moving chemical stocks?

Tom: ChemSmog was born on the idea of reducing the chemical disposal of products that still hold value for application. To prevent these disposals, we realized that we needed to reach a large audience in a short period of time.

From here we designed our digital marketplace, enabling both easy information sharing and rapidly reaching large audiences of potential buyers.

Can you describe ChemSmog’s core business model and how your digital marketplace facilitates the buying and selling of chemical stocks?

Tom: Our core business model follows a no-cure-no-pay approach where we offer our platform and service free-of-charge, we withhold a commission only upon successful sale.

This highlights our commitment to save the world. Our marketplace facilitates the sales by promoting the material online, utilizing our network, and more importantly by using our proprietary data-driven sales approach that enables us to identify potential buyers more rapidly.

What is your vision for the future of ChemSmog, and how do you see your platform evolving in the coming years, especially in terms of global reach and sustainability efforts?

Tom: We have proof that the concept works, now it is crucial to partner with key industry stakeholders to enables us to accelerate market acceptance and grow the important market trust.

Our platform should evolve into a go-to place to scout for chemical opportunities and an additional channel to the market for inventory owners as a sustainable solution. We will expand our reach by identifying markets of interest and establishing local teams to provide direct customer support.

Regarding sustainability efforts, it is our goal to calculate the environmental impact of the sales and providing these data to our customers, in addition to participating in sustainable impact initiatives.

What are some of the key challenges you have faced while building ChemSmog, both in terms of the chemical industry’s resistance to change and the logistics of connecting mindset of buyers and sellers digitally?

Tom: The chemical industry is typically risk-averse, and implementing changes in such a large, asset-heavy sector can be slow. One of our main challenges has been gaining industry acceptance and credibility.

In industries like automotive or fashion, the reuse and optimization of products are common, but this mindset isn’t yet as prevalent in chemicals. Another hurdle is convincing buyers to step outside their usual supply chain methods.

Purchasing from slow-moving inventory or through new platforms isn’t common practice yet, but with continued education and strategic partnerships, we’re confident we can shift perceptions and establish ChemSmog as a trusted business model.

How do you differentiate ChemSmog from other chemical marketplaces, and what unique value does your platform offer to small and medium enterprises?

Tom: We differ from the base concept that we solemnly focus on slow- and non-moving chemical inventory. It is not our intention to become a chemical distributor.

In addition, our agile mindset means that we will accommodate customer needs as much as possible, customizing each partnership agreement to meet the requirements of our customer.

Our unique value for vendors is our no-cure-no-pay approach, we withhold a commission only after a successful sale. The main reason why we target small and medium enterprises as buyers, is the unique opportunity to purchase materials ready to collect, at an opportunistic price.

This will enable these enterprises to reduce lead times while saving on operating costs.

?? Have slow- or non-moving stock? Get in touch with Tom and ask questions.

Thank you Tom for your time and valuable insights.