Janex

What Janex does

Janex S.A. is a privately held Swiss specialty petrochemical trading and distribution company, founded in 1982 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, with a commercial office in Shanghai, China and a Netherlands office. The company imports and exports higher olefins (nonene, propylene tetramer, diisobutylene, linear alpha olefins), polyisobutylene, heavy alkylates and alkyl aryl sulfonic acids, high purity paraffins, and a growing range of performance chemicals and intermediates, serving petrochemical manufacturers and chemical industry partners in more than 25 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Janex operates as the leading independent European distributor of heavy alkylates and holds exclusive European distribution rights for TPC Group's PIB range. Revenue is generated through transactional product sales (transaction-fee economics on distributed specialty chemicals) and professional services revenue from supply chain solutions including sourcing, toll manufacturing, transport, storage, packaging, and documentation. Distribution is sales-led via direct commercial engagement in Lausanne and Shanghai; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is a registered REACH importer, ISO 9001-2015 certified, GHS/CLP compliant, and partners with SGS for Safety Data Sheet authoring and 24/7 emergency response under CEFIC Level 1 standards, with no disclosed revenue, no external funding rounds, and 11–50 employees.

Name

Janex

Legal name

Janex S.A.

Website

https://janex.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Janex S.A. is a privately held Swiss specialty petrochemical distributor, founded in 1982, that imports and exports higher olefins, polyisobutylene, heavy alkylates, high purity paraffins, and performance chemicals to manufacturers in 25+ countries from offices in Lausanne, Shanghai, and the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Petrochemical Product Distribution: Janex generates revenue through the trading and distribution of speciality petrochemicals including higher olefins, heavy alkylates, polyisobutylene, high purity paraffins, and performance chemicals. The company sources products globally and delivers to customers worldwide.
2. Supply Chain Services: Janex provides customized supply chain services including sourcing, toll manufacturing, transport, storage, packaging, and documentation. Services range from simple spot deliveries to fully outsourced procurement solutions. The company also offers financing support in the form of attractive payment terms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Janex is a privately held Swiss petrochemical trader and distributor that imports and exports speciality petrochemicals — higher olefins, heavy alkylates, polyisobutylene, high purity paraffins, AASA, resin chemicals, and performance intermediates — to industrial buyers in over 25 countries. Around this product portfolio, Janex delivers integrated supply chain services including global sourcing, toll manufacturing arrangements, multi-modal transport, bulk storage, packaging and handling, and full documentation, serving customers ranging from spot delivery buyers to fully outsourced procurement clients.

Product overview

Janex is a global supplier of petrochemicals and performance chemicals, established in 1982 as a privately owned independent company. The core product portfolio centers on higher olefins including Nonene (propylene trimer), Propylene Tetramer (PTM), Diisobutylene (DIB), Polyisobutylene (PIB), and Linear Alpha Olefins (LAO), alongside Heavy Alkylates (Alkyl Benzenes) where Janex is a leading independent European distributor. The offering expands to include Alkyl Aryl Sulfonic Acids (AASA), Isoprene and Resin Chemicals, High Purity Paraffins (up to 99.9% purity), and Performance Chemicals & Intermediates. Complementing the product portfolio, Janex provides integrated supply chain services: Sourcing (supplier qualification and procurement), Custom Solutions/Toll Manufacturing (sulfonation, distillation, hydrogenation, alkylation), Transport (parcel tanker, ISO tanks, containers, rail, road), Storage (permanent and temporary bulk facilities), Packaging & Handling (drums, IBCs, bags with specialized requirements), and Documentation management. This integrated product-service model enables Janex to serve as a complete supply chain partner for the petrochemical industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TPC GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJanex partnered with TPC Group to bring their range of polyisobutylene (PIB) products to Europe. TPC Group is the producer while Janex serves as the European distributor for PIB products.
• SGScoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerJanex engages SGS as a technical partner for Safety Data Sheet authoring and document management. SGS also manages Janex's 24/7 Emergency Telephone Response Assistance under CEFIC Level 1 standards.
• MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières)minorOthersJanex is a proud supporter of MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières), providing charitable support to the humanitarian medical organization.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Brenntag SE: World's largest chemical distributor with full-line specialty and commodity chemical distribution across 70+ countries. Comparable to Janex as a B2B petrochemical distributor, but at vastly larger scale and broader product portfolio.
• Univar Solutions: Major North American and European chemical distributor offering commodity and specialty chemicals. Comparable in distribution model and customer overlap, though significantly broader in product range and geography.

Direct peers

• IMCD N.V. Global specialty chemicals distributor focused on formulation-intensive markets. Comparable to Janex as a value-added specialty chemicals distributor with deep technical and regulatory expertise, though IMCD is publicly listed and significantly larger.
• Azelis Group: Specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor operating in Europe, Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Highly comparable to Janex in serving specialty chemical segments with technical sales support and application development.
• Biesterfeld AG: Hamburg-headquartered specialty chemical distributor serving Europe and emerging markets. Closely comparable to Janex as a privately held, technically-driven European specialty distributor with similar petrochemical and polymer intermediate focus.
• Helm AG: Hamburg-based family-owned chemical distribution and marketing company with global operations. Directly comparable to Janex as a privately held, mid-sized specialty petrochemical distributor with European roots and Asian trading presence.
• Barentz International: Specialty ingredients and chemical distributor operating across Europe, Americas, and Asia. Comparable to Janex in serving life science and industrial markets with technical sales, regulatory support, and sourcing capabilities.
• Caldic (formerly Caldic Chemie): Netherlands-headquartered specialty chemical and ingredient distributor with operations in Europe, Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Comparable in business model and product mix focused on specialty industrial chemicals.
• Tricon Energy: Privately held international chemical trading and distribution company headquartered in Houston. Closely comparable to Janex as a focused petrochemical trader, especially in polyolefins and intermediates, with global sourcing and distribution.
• ICC Chemical Corporation: Privately held global chemical trading and distribution company headquartered in New York. Comparable to Janex as an independent petrochemical and specialty chemical trader with global reach across 25+ country markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/janex-sa

Compliance5 records

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 Janex