Scientific Design Company

What Scientific Design Company does

Scientific Design Company (SD) is a privately held petrochemical process technology licensor headquartered in Little Ferry, New Jersey, founded in 1946 by Ralph Landau. It develops, licenses, and services proprietary process technologies, catalysts, and equipment for the production of ethylene oxide (EO), ethylene glycol (EG), and related derivatives. Its technology underpins approximately one-third of global EO output, deployed across more than 100 licensed plants in over 30 countries and protected by a portfolio of more than 400 patents. Core proprietary catalyst brands include SynDox, SynDol, and SynDane.

SD operates a licensing-plus-recurring-revenue business model: it generates upfront fees and royalties from licensing its process designs to large integrated petrochemical and specialty chemical producers, then earns ongoing revenue through proprietary catalyst supply, engineering services, technical support, and — increasingly — digital optimization tools. Its customer base spans global petrochemical majors and specialty chemical producers across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas, including Indian Oil, Croda, Lotte Chemical, Wanhua, Sanjing, SanRui, and Shandong Yulong Petrochemical. The SciDigital Edge platform — with modules including Connect, RxTwin, YieldPro, GlyPro, and DryOpt — combines hybrid physics-based kinetics models with metaheuristic optimization to improve plant yields, catalyst management, and glycol product quality across the installed base.

In 2022, SABIC acquired Clariant's 50% joint-venture interest, making SD a wholly-owned subsidiary of SABIC and aligning its strategic direction with SABIC's global petrochemicals portfolio. Following the consolidation, SD has expanded into renewable / bio-based ethylene, EO, and EG technology offerings and deepened regional commercial presence via offices in Shanghai and Dubai, while installing new senior leadership drawn from SABIC's executive ranks.

Name

Scientific Design Company

Legal name

Scientific Design Company, Inc.

Website

https://scidesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Scientific Design is a privately held petrochemical process technology licensor, developing proprietary EO/EG process designs, catalysts (SynDox, SynDol, SynDane), and digital optimization tools licensed to global petrochemical and specialty chemical producers across 100+ plants in 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Petrochemical Process Technology Licensing

NAICS

Petrochemical Manufacturing (32511), Petrochemical Manufacturing (325110), Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Petrochemical & Polymerization Catalysts (IMAEAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Oilfield & Refining Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAI)

Keywords

• Petrochemical process licensing
• Ethylene oxide catalysts
• Industrial process technology
• Specialty chemical engineering
• Maleic anhydride production

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Ferry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: Licensing of proprietary chemical process technologies for EO, EG, EO derivatives, polyols, and maleic anhydride production. Technologies are used in over 100 plants in 30+ countries.
2. Catalyst Sales: Sale of proprietary catalysts including SynDox ethylene oxide catalysts, SynDol dehydration catalysts, and SynDane maleic anhydride catalysts. All catalysts are ISO 9001:2015 certified.
3. Equipment Supply: Custom-designed equipment for each application based on process and operations knowledge, including in-house project management, procurement, and quality control.
4. Technical Services: Services including new plant design, plant studies, revamp designs, process optimization, sustainability solutions, operational support, and safety audits throughout the plant lifecycle.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Scientific Design Company develops, licenses, and supplies proprietary catalytic process technologies for the petrochemical industry, focused on Ethylene Oxide (EO), Ethylene Glycol (EG), Maleic Anhydride, and related downstream specialties such as ethanolamines, glycol ethers, polyether polyols, and alkoxylates. The company offers an integrated stack: licensed process technology and basic engineering packages, proprietary catalysts (SynDox, SynDol, SynDane), process equipment supply, and digital plant optimization software under the SciDigital Edge suite.

Product overview

Scientific Design Company offers a portfolio of proprietary petrochemical process technologies, catalysts, and digital optimization tools. The core offerings include licensed process technologies for Ethylene Oxide/Ethylene Glycol (EO/EG), renewable ethylene/EO/EG, alkoxylates, ethanolamines, glycol ethers, polyether polyols, and maleic anhydride production. These technologies are paired with proprietary catalyst brands — SynDox® (for ethylene oxide) and SynDol® (for ethanol dehydration) — which are ISO 9001:2015 certified. Overlying the technology and catalyst products is the SciDigital Edge® digital platform, a suite of five modules (SciDigital Connect®, SciDigital RxTwin®, SciDigital YieldPro®, SciDigital GlyPro®, SciDigital DryOpt®) that provide real-time performance monitoring, predictive analytics, and plant optimization for EO/EG operations. The portfolio is complemented by custom equipment design and comprehensive engineering and technology services spanning the entire plant lifecycle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SciDigital Edge®: A suite of digital tools and optimization solutions leveraging SD's technical expertise and digital power to provide real-time, customized performance assessments for customers.
• SciDigital Connect®
• SciDigital RxTwin®
• SciDigital YieldPro®
• SciDigital GlyPro®
• SciDigital DryOpt®
• SynDox®
• SynDol®
• SynDane

Products and services

• EO/EG Process Technology Proprietary process technology for producing ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol, licensed to petrochemical producers worldwide for use in new plants, capacity expansions, debottlenecks, and revamps.
• SynDox Ethylene Oxide Catalysts Proprietary SynDox catalyst formulations supplied to ethylene oxide producers as a standalone catalyst product that complements the company's licensed EO/EG process technology, generating recurring replacement-cycle revenue.
• SynDol Dehydration Catalysts Proprietary SynDol dehydration catalyst formulations sold to EO/EG producers for use in ethylene-to-EO conversion dehydration stages, supporting higher selectivity and yield in licensed plants.
• Maleic Anhydride Process Technology Licensed maleic anhydride process technology bundled with Scientific Design's proprietary SynDane catalyst for producers building or revamping maleic anhydride capacity.
• Alkoxylates Process Technology Licensed process technology for the production of alkoxylates using EO and PO, targeted at downstream specialty chemicals producers who operate off the EO value chain.
• Ethanolamines Process Technology Licensed process technology for producing ethanolamines as downstream EO derivatives for industrial and specialty chemicals markets.
• Glycol Ethers Process Technology Licensed process technology for the production of glycol ethers, marketed to specialty chemicals producers leveraging EO as a feedstock.
• Polyether Polyols Process Technology Licensed process technology for producing polyether polyols, targeted at polyurethane and specialty chemicals producers operating downstream EO/PO derivatives units.
• Renewable Ethylene, EO and EG Technology Licensed technology extension enabling production of bio-based or renewable ethylene, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol for producers seeking sustainable feedstock routes.
• SciDigital Edge Digital Optimization Suite A unified suite of digital applications—including SciDigital RxTwin, SciDigital Connect, SciDigital GlyPro, SciDigital YieldPro, and SciDigital DryOpt—designed for petrochemical operators to monitor, analyze, and optimize EO/EG production by maximizing yield, reducing energy consumption, and limiting unplanned downtime.
• Engineering and Technology Services Professional engineering and technical services—including basic and detailed engineering support, plant startup, troubleshooting, and ongoing technical assistance—delivered to licensees and catalyst customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Technologies used to produce millions of tons of products in over 100 plants and 30 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability11 records

Feature8 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BASF: BASF is a major integrated chemical producer with proprietary EO/EG technology and significant catalyst manufacturing capabilities. While not exclusively focused on EO/EG licensing, BASF competes in both catalyst supply and process technology licensing for EO derivatives.
• INEOS: INEOS is a major global petrochemical producer with significant EO/EG production capacity. While not primarily a licensor, INEOS operates EO/EG plants using proprietary technology and competes in the merchant EO/EG market that drives SD's customer demand.
• Honeywell UOP: Honeywell UOP licenses a broad portfolio of petrochemical process technologies including aromatics, olefins, and specialty chemicals. While not a primary EO/EG licensor, UOP competes in adjacent petrochemical process technology licensing and engineering services.

Regional players

• Reliance Industries: Reliance Industries is a major Indian petrochemical producer with significant EO/EG capacity. As an SD customer historically (the company has employed SD technology) and large regional operator, Reliance is a key account and competitor in the Indian EO/EG market.
• Mitsubishi Chemical Group: Mitsubishi Chemical operates EO/EG production facilities in Asia using proprietary technology and licensed processes. They compete regionally in Asian ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol markets, particularly in Japan and Southeast Asia.

Direct peers

• Dow Chemical: Dow licenses its proprietary METEOR EO/EG process technology and manufactures competitive EO catalysts. Dow is a direct competitor for both licensing deals and catalyst supply, particularly in the merchant EO/EG market.
• Clariant: Former 50% JV partner in Scientific Design, Clariant is a global specialty chemicals and catalyst manufacturer with capabilities in petrochemical catalysts. The 2022 SABIC acquisition of Clariant's stake created SABIC as sole owner, but Clariant remains a competitive catalyst supplier globally.
• Johnson Matthey: Johnson Matthey is a leading global catalyst manufacturer with petrochemical catalyst offerings, including process catalysts. They compete with SD's SynDox catalysts in EO/EG and adjacent applications, serving similar ethylene oxide producers globally.
• Shell (formerly CRI/Criterion Catalysts): Shell, through its acquired Criterion Catalysts business, is a direct competitor in ethylene oxide catalysts and EO/EG process technology licensing. Both companies compete globally for EO catalyst replacement contracts and process license wins.

Emerging players

• Hunan Corun New Energy (and other Chinese catalyst producers): Chinese catalyst manufacturers like Hunan Corun are emerging as lower-cost alternatives in EO/EG catalysts and adjacent applications. These emerging players threaten SD's pricing and market share in the Chinese and broader Asian petrochemical catalyst market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Scientific-Design-168198203190733
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scientific-design-company-inc.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Scientific Design Company