What Chemence does

Chemence is a privately held specialty chemicals company founded in the United Kingdom in 1983 by Hugh V. Cooke and expanded to the United States in 1989, currently headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia with wholly owned entities in the UK, Poland, and Spain. The company is structured around polymerizable chemistry, technologies that convert liquids into solids through curing mechanisms including cyanoacrylates, anaerobic compounds, polyurethane hot melts, liquid photopolymers, and UV curing resins. It operates one of the largest adhesives manufacturing facilities in North America (a 100,000 sq ft plant in Georgia, established 1993) alongside a 30,000 sq ft R&D Center of Excellence, and runs sales offices in South Korea, China, and Poland serving customers globally. Ownership and leadership remain founder-family controlled, with James Cooke as CEO and Jeff Roberson as President of the medical subsidiary.

The company monetizes its chemistry through six distinct business units: Chemence Medical (FDA-cleared topical skin adhesives including Exofin Fusion and the Exofin Precision Pen, sold to hospitals and medical centers globally), Industrial/KRYLEX (cyanoacrylates, anaerobic sealants, polyurethane hot melts, and UV curing resins for automotive, electronics, and electric vehicle OEMs), Consumer (LiquidSkin liquid bandage and private label partnerships with retail distributors across cosmetic, DIY repair, and craft channels), Graphics/KRYLEX (photopolymer printing plates, high-definition imagers, GENESYS automation software, and KwikMount composite substrate), Chemence Cosmetics, and VIS/Anaseal for visibility and installation solutions. Named enterprise customers span Caterpillar, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Mack Truck, Frigidaire, Johnson Controls, Phillips Electronics, and Zenith, indicating deep penetration into Tier 1 and Tier 2 OEM supply chains.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time hardware and consumable sales (medical devices, industrial adhesives, photopolymer resins, printing equipment) supplemented by private label and licensing-style partnerships with retail distributors. Chemence Medical derives its market access from a layered regulatory moat including FDA 510(k) clearances, EU MDR CE Mark certification, MDSAP certification across five jurisdictions, and ISO 13485, while industrial operations carry ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications. Distribution is sales-led and direct: medical products move through the Chemence Medical sales organization to hospitals, industrial products through direct OEM supply relationships and resellers, and consumer products through private label partnerships. Recent strategic emphasis has shifted toward regulatory-driven international expansion of the medical franchise, electric vehicle and electronics adjacency via the KRYLEX line, and proprietary software-enabled graphics workflows.

Name

Chemence

Legal name

Chemence Inc. (US) / Chemence Ltd (UK)

Website

https://chemence.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Chemence is a privately held specialty chemicals company that develops and manufactures polymerizable adhesives (cyanoacrylates, anaerobic sealants, photopolymers, UV curing resins) for medical, industrial, consumer, graphics, and cosmetics markets, supplying hospitals, OEMs, and retail distributors globally from facilities in the US and UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemical Adhesives and Sealants

NAICS

Adhesive Manufacturing (32552), Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255)

SIC

Adhesives & Sealants (2891), Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821)

akta.pro primary industry

Adhesives & Sealants Chemicals (IMAEABAA)

Keywords

• Specialty chemical adhesives
• Medical wound closure
• Industrial sealants
• Photopolymer printing plates
• Cyanoacrylate adhesives

Headquarters

HQ city

Alpharetta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Medical Adhesives and Devices: Manufacture and distribution of adhesive-based medical devices including Exofin skin closure systems and precision pen applicators sold to hospitals and medical centers worldwide. Revenue generated through product sales with regulatory certifications (FDA, EU MDR, MDSAP) enabling global market access.
2. Industrial and Consumer Adhesives: Sale of specialty adhesives including cyanoacrylates, anaerobic sealants, polyurethane hot melts, and UV curing resins to industrial manufacturers and consumer markets. Includes branded products and private label partnerships.
3. Private Label Partnerships: Partnership with retail distributors to develop products in cosmetic, DIY repair, and craft industries, creating branded products for consumer markets.
4. KRYLEX Graphics Products: Photopolymer resins, imaging solutions, processing equipment, and specialty substrates for printing and graphics industry. Includes GENESYS automation software and refurbished equipment services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chemence develops, manufactures, and sells specialty polymerizable chemistry-based adhesives and sealants across medical, industrial, consumer, cosmetics, and graphics markets. Core offerings include FDA-cleared cyanoacrylate medical devices for wound closure (Exofin Fusion, Exofin Precision Pen), industrial adhesives for automotive and electronics OEMs, KRYLEX photopolymer printing plates and imaging systems, LiquidSkin over-the-counter liquid bandages, and private-label consumer products. The company operates manufacturing in the US and UK and distributes globally through direct sales, OEM supply contracts, and private-label retail partnerships.

Product overview

Chemence is a specialty chemicals company specializing in polymerizable technology that converts liquids into solids through curing technologies. The company operates across multiple business units: Chemence Medical (FDA-cleared wound closure devices including Exofin Fusion and Exofin Precision Pen), Consumer Products (LiquidSkin liquid bandage and private label products), Industrial/KRYLEX (adhesives for electronics, medical devices, and electric vehicles), Graphics/KRYLEX (photopolymer printing plates, imagers, and GENESYS automation software), and Anaseal VIS (printing solutions). Product portfolio spans cyanoacrylate adhesives, anaerobic sealants, polyurethane hot melts, UV light cure adhesives, and liquid photopolymers. The company maintains manufacturing facilities in the US and UK with global sales reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Exofin®: Medical skin closure and wound care adhesive products including Exofin Fusion® skin closure system and Exofin Precision Pen for wound closure
• LiquidSkin®
• KRYLEX®
• Anaseal®
• GENESYS™
• KwikMount

Products and services

• Exofin Fusion Skin Closure System A medical device combining a self-adhering flexible mesh strip with fast-curing 2-octyl cyanoacrylate topical adhesive that closes and seals incisions while forming an immediate microbial barrier. Designed for hospitals, surgical centers, and healthcare providers for wound closure applications.
• Exofin Precision Pen A pen-style applicator medical device for wound closure featuring an adjustable tip supporting micro-bristle brush, inverted brush, and angle precision tip application methods, with pressure-controlled variable adhesive flow. Provides 14-day microbial barrier and is intended for medical providers requiring precision application across varied wound sizes and locations.
• Exofin High Viscosity Tissue Adhesive A topical skin adhesive with the highest viscosity formulation in the industry, designed for medical applications including wound closure and tissue bonding.
• LiquidSkin Liquid Bandage An over-the-counter liquid bandage made with n-butyl medical-grade cyanoacrylate that provides waterproof, flexible wound protection lasting 3-5 days per application. Sold through retail channels for individual consumer wound care.
• KRYLEX Photopolymer Resins Reclaimable photopolymer resins processed with aqueous formulation technology for sustainable printing plate manufacturing, with accelerated processing times and printing endurance. Used by printing plate manufacturers and corrugated packaging converters.
• KRYLEX Imaging Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• 67% reduction in potential damage area due to stress with curved mesh design
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Idea|SpanminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2021Idea|Span of Atlanta, Georgia partnered with Chemence to design the 30,000 sq.ft. Chemence Center of Excellence R&D facility. The collaborative open space design was intended to maximize daily interactions among researchers and support team-based innovation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bostik (Arkema): Arkema-owned specialty adhesives and sealants business serving industrial, construction and consumer markets globally; comparable product range to Chemence with broader geographic footprint.
• 3M: Diversified industrial and consumer adhesives/materials giant; previously acquired Ritelok technology originally developed in-house at Chemence, making it a direct technology and channel comparable across industrial and consumer adhesive lines.
• Avery Dennison: Pressure-sensitive adhesive and label materials major serving industrial and consumer markets; comparable in specialty adhesives chemistry and consumer/retail channel presence, though focused on labels and tapes.
• Henkel: Global adhesives leader (Loctite, Pattex, Bonderite) with broad industrial, consumer and electronics adhesive portfolios; directly comparable to Chemence's diversified adhesive offering but at vastly larger scale.
• Sika AG: Swiss specialty chemicals company focused on construction and industrial bonding, sealing and reinforcing; comparable chemistry footprint and automotive/OEM customer overlap with Chemence's industrial segment.

Direct peers

• Adhezion Biomedical: US medical cyanoacrylate adhesive company with topical skin closure and wound care products (LiquiFix, SurgiSeal) that directly compete with Chemence Medical's Exofin line in clinical settings.
• Permabond Engineering Adhesives: Specialty cyanoacrylate and anaerobic adhesive manufacturer serving industrial OEM customers with comparable chemistry portfolio to Chemence's industrial adhesives and sealants business.
• H.B. Fuller: Specialty industrial adhesives manufacturer serving packaging, hygiene, automotive and construction end markets with similar customer verticals to Chemence's industrial adhesives business.
• Advanced Medical Solutions Group: UK-listed medical wound closure company with LiquiBand cyanoacrylate topical skin adhesives that compete head-to-head with Chemence's Exofin Fusion and Exofin Precision Pen products in hospitals and surgical centers.

Regional players

• Toagosei Co., Ltd. Japanese chemical manufacturer producing cyanoacrylate adhesives under the Aron Alpha brand; comparable technology platform and product chemistry to Chemence, though primarily serving Asia-Pacific markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chemence