YS

What YS does

YS, Inc. is a privately held specialty chemical toll manufacturer founded in 1982 and headquartered at 6001 Gault Ave N, Fort Payne, Alabama. The company operates an integrated toll processing platform spanning custom catalyst manufacturing, milling and classification, calcining and drying, blending and mixing, vacuum impregnation, and custom packaging, supporting batch and continuous production modes from pilot/R&D scale through high-volume continuous runs. Its served verticals include chemical, agriculture, plastics, petrochemical, and coatings, with customers ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies served both domestically and internationally.

The technology stack is built around capital-intensive specialty equipment: four stainless-steel micro pulverizer hammer mills (rates of 500–2,000 lbs/hr), two rotary calciners with Inconel tubes rated to 1,800°F (rates of 100–1,000 lbs/hr), moisture-controlled milling down to 44 microns at -25°F dew point, vacuum impregnation systems, ribbon blenders and plow mixers with high-speed choppers, an extensive tank farm (55 to 6,500 gallons in stainless steel, plastic, and fiberglass), and a closed production system that prevents atmospheric contamination. The Fort Payne facility includes Norfolk Southern rail transloading, bulk loading/unloading, warehousing, gated secure operations, and an on-site laboratory for R&D, and the company has maintained ISO 9001:2015 certification through Intertek since 1995.

The business model is contract-based B2B toll manufacturing: customers supply raw materials and YS charges service fees for processing, handling, and packaging according to customer specifications. Pricing is quote-based, varies by service type, volume, and specifications, and operates on multi-year contract cadence. Customer acquisition is sales-led via direct outreach, relationship-based engagement, and website-driven inquiries, supported by a small digital footprint (company website and LinkedIn). The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, no parent organization, and is led by founder Paul Young and a leadership team with 60+ years of combined engineering and business experience.

Name

YS

Legal name

YS, Inc.

Website

https://ys-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

YS, Inc. is a private Alabama-based toll manufacturer (founded 1982) providing custom catalyst manufacturing, milling, calcining, blending, packaging, and rail transloading services to chemical, agriculture, plastics, petrochemical, and coatings customers ranging from startups to Fortune 500 firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chemical Toll Manufacturing

NAICS

Manufacturing (31-33)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)

akta.pro primary industry

Formulation R&D, Scale-Up & Tech Transfer Services (AFABAIAJ)

Keywords

• Toll manufacturing services
• Custom catalyst manufacturing
• Chemical toll processing
• Material processing services
• Contract manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Collinsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Toll Manufacturing Services: YS provides toll processing and manufacturing services where customers provide raw materials and YS processes them according to customer specifications. Revenue is generated through service fees for processing, handling, and packaging of customer-owned materials. Services include custom catalyst manufacturing, milling, grinding, classification, drying, calcining, blending, mixing, packaging, and transloading.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

YS, Inc. is a toll manufacturer that processes customer-owned raw materials through milling, calcination, drying, blending, mixing, and packaging operations under strict formula confidentiality. The company specializes in custom catalyst manufacturing within a dedicated 30,000 sq ft facility and supports customers from small-batch development work for startups through large-scale production for Fortune 500 producers.

Product overview

YS, Inc. is an engineered process manufacturing company that operates as a single unified toll manufacturing services platform. The company offers an integrated suite of services comprising Rail Transloading, Custom Catalyst Manufacturing, Milling & Classification, Calcining & Drying, Blending & Mixing, and Custom Packaging. These services are designed to work together cohesively—providing customers with end-to-end solutions from material receipt through processing (milling, grinding, classification, calcination, drying, blending) to final custom packaging and distribution. The core focus is custom catalyst manufacturing and toll processing, supporting batch and continuous production modes across the chemical, plastics, petrochemical, and coatings industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Catalyst Manufacturing

Quantifiable outcome

• ISO 9001:2015 certified since 1995
• +3 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Norfolk SoutherncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYS, Inc. has Norfolk Southern privately-owned rail access at its Fort Payne, Alabama facility. This partnership enables bulk container transloading, warehousing, and drop shipping services. The rail access provides advantages to companies without direct line rail access to their facilities, allowing more prompt deliveries of products. YS serves as a transloading partner providing logistics solutions for receiving and distributing bulk materials.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AVEKA: AVEKA is a US toll manufacturer offering custom particle processing, blending, and packaging services for chemical and industrial customers. Directly comparable to YS in providing milling, classification, drying, and custom packaging under a contract/toll model to similar B2B buyers.
• Elcan Industries: Elcan Industries is a US toll processor specializing in particle size reduction, screening, and blending of dry materials. It competes head-to-head with YS's milling, classification, and blending services for chemical, coatings, and advanced materials customers.
• Powder Technology Inc. Powder Technology Inc. provides toll processing of dry powders including jet milling, classifying, blending, and packaging. Directly overlaps with YS's milling, classification, and custom packaging offerings for chemical and industrial customers.
• Custom Processing Services: Custom Processing Services is a US contract manufacturer offering milling, blending, drying, and packaging of specialty chemicals and minerals. Operates with a similar toll/contract model and customer base to YS.
• NETZSCH Fine Particle Technology: NETZSCH provides toll grinding, milling, and dispersion services globally through its equipment and contract processing divisions. Comparable to YS in offering precision particle size reduction and toll processing for chemical and advanced materials customers.
• Tricat Group: Tricat Group is a catalyst manufacturer offering toll and custom catalyst production services to chemical and refining customers. Directly comparable to YS's core custom catalyst manufacturing capability and customer verticals.
• SACHEM Inc. SACHEM is a US specialty chemical manufacturer with custom synthesis and toll manufacturing capabilities for chemical and agricultural customers. Comparable to YS in serving chemical and agriculture end-markets with custom processing services.

Broad incumbents

• W. R. Grace & Co. W. R. Grace is a global specialty chemicals and catalysts producer with refining and petrochemical catalyst lines. A larger incumbent that operates in YS's core catalyst and petrochemical verticals and could vertically integrate or compete for toll catalyst work.
• Clariant: Clariant is a global specialty chemicals company with significant catalyst and additives businesses serving plastics, petrochemical, and coatings customers. A broad incumbent that competes in YS's verticals and could absorb outsourcing demand internally.
• Honeywell UOP: Honeywell UOP is a leading licensor and manufacturer of catalysts and process technology for the petrochemical and refining industries. A broad incumbent serving YS's petrochemical and catalyst customer base, with capability to in-source similar toll work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ysinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about YS