PCC Chemax
PCC Chemax is a U.S.-based specialty chemical additive company and wholly-owned subsidiary of German conglomerate PCC SE, formulating surfactants, metalworking additives, polymer additives, and corrosion inhibitors for industrial compounders across 10+ end markets, with global distribution in 25+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersPiedmont, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What PCC Chemax does
PCC Chemax, Inc. is a U.S.-based specialty chemical additive company headquartered in Piedmont, South Carolina, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of German conglomerate PCC SE (Duisburg). Founded in 1973 as Chemax, the company develops, formulates, and manufactures specialty surfactant additives for industrial applications spanning metalworking, metal finishing, plastics (PET, PE, PU, LLDPE, LDPE, HDPE, PP), oilfield, textiles, HI&I cleaning, CASE, construction, corrosion protection, pulp and paper, and wastewater treatment. Core product lines include polymer additives (antistats, antifogs, lubricants, pigment dispersants, slip agents), metalworking additives and lubricants (emulsifiers, extreme pressure additives, corrosion inhibitors, rust preventatives), industrial surfactants, and corrosion inhibitors. These are supported by four specialized in-house laboratories equipped with FT-IR, GC, HPLC, SensaDyne Tensiometer, MicroTap II, Brookfield Viscometer, and Brabender Plasti-Corder instrumentation, and a 7,000+ square foot pilot plant enabling lab-to-production scale-up plus contract manufacturing capabilities spanning phosphation, esterification, amidation, alkoxylation, quaternization, and neutralization reactions in volumes from 5 gallons to bulk tank trucks, with private labeling and warehousing options.
The company's revenue model is a mix of custom-formulated product sales and professional services, including contract manufacturing, pilot-scale production, and laboratory/technical services. Pricing is quote-based and determined through direct customer consultation, with multi-year contracts typical for the contract manufacturing and private labeling streams. The go-to-market is sales-led: direct sales via phone and contact form in North America, complemented by an extensive global channel partner network of specialty chemical distributors (IMCD, Azelis, Keyser & MacKay, WWRC, plus country-specific regional distributors) covering over 25 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The product catalog is augmented by the parent PCC Group's digital product portal (products.pcc.eu), which exposes over 1,200 chemical products to a broad industrial buyer base. The company positions itself as a collaborative, custom formulation partner that integrates its chemists with customers' R&D and laboratory personnel, targeting industrial compounders across diverse end-use verticals.
PCC Chemax firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PCC Chemax
- Legal name
- PCC Chemax, Inc.
- Website
- https://pcc-chemax.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- PCC Chemax is a U.S.-based specialty chemical additive company and wholly-owned subsidiary of German conglomerate PCC SE, formulating surfactants, metalworking additives, polymer additives, and corrosion inhibitors for industrial compounders across 10+ end markets, with global distribution in 25+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where PCC Chemax is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Piedmont
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
PCC Chemax business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Specialty Chemical Additives: Formulation and sale of specialty surfactant additives for metalworking, metal finishing, plastics, oilfield, textiles, and other industrial applications. Products used as processing aids, property enhancers, and functionality enhancers.
- Contract Manufacturing: Manufacturing services with jacketed stainless steel vessels producing 5 gallons to bulk tank trucks. Capabilities include phosphation, esterification, amidation, alkoxylation, quaternization, and neutralization reactions. Also includes private labeling and warehousing of customer products.
- Pilot Scale Manufacturing: Lab to pilot production scale-up services occupying over 7,000 square feet, suitable for small to medium projects including liquid to powder blending and hot/cold liquid blends.
- Laboratory Services: Full-service analytical, product development, and quality control laboratory services supporting manufacturing, product development, and technical service for customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom formulation and contract manufacturing - quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels4 records
PCC Chemax product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PCC Chemax formulates and manufactures specialty surfactant additives and chemical products for industrial applications including metalworking, metal finishing, plastics, oilfield, textiles, and cleaning industries. The company operates a manufacturing facility in Piedmont, South Carolina offering contract manufacturing, pilot-scale production, and private labeling, supplemented by full-service analytical, formulation, and quality control laboratory services. It also provides collaborative custom formulation development partnering directly with customer R&D teams.
Product overview
PCC Chemax is a specialty chemical additive company offering a portfolio of formulated products and manufacturing services. The core product offerings include Polymer Additives (antistats, antifogs, lubricants, pigment dispersants, slip agents), Metalworking Additives and Lubricants (emulsifiers, extreme pressure additives, corrosion inhibitors), Industrial Surfactants, and Corrosion Inhibitors. These are supported by manufacturing capabilities including Contract Manufacturing, Pilot Scale Manufacturing, and Manufacturing Chemistries (alkylation, esterification, ethoxylation, phosphation, quaternization). The company also provides laboratory services through four specialized labs: Analytical Labs (FT-IR, GC, HPLC), Cleaner & Industrial Surfactant Labs, Metalworking Labs, and Polymer Additives Labs. An online Product Portal provides access to over 1200 chemical products across diverse market categories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Polymer Additives Specially formulated substrates that create surface conditions for even condensation distribution, enabling crystal clear transparency in high humidity environments. Suitable for PET, PE, PU, LLDPE, LDPE, HDPE, and PP polymers. Used as antistats, antifogs, lubricants, pigment dispersants, and slip agents by industrial compounders.
- Metalworking Additives and Lubricants High performance additives and lubricants including emulsifiers, lubricant additives, extreme pressure additives, corrosion inhibition additives, and rust preventative additives for straight oils, soluble oils, semi-synthetic and synthetic metalworking fluids. For formulators of industrial metalworking fluids.
- Industrial Surfactants Specialty surfactant additives developed for specific markets and individual customer needs, with 40 years of market experience. Used in metalworking, metal finishing, plastics, oilfield, textiles, and other industrial applications.
- Corrosion Inhibitors Corrosion protection chemistries widely used where material longevity and reliability are of critical importance. Part of the product portfolio serving the metallurgical industry and metal finishing markets.
- Manufacturing Chemistries Specialized chemical manufacturing capabilities including alkylation, amidation, carboxylation, cyclization, esterification, ethoxylation, propoxylation, phosphation, quaternization, and trans-esterification reactions. For industrial customers requiring custom chemistry production.
- Pilot Scale Manufacturing Liquid to powder blending and hot or cold liquid blending capabilities in a 7,000+ square foot facility engineered for lab to pilot production scale-up, suited for small to medium projects with 5 to 20 gallon drum volumes.
- Contract Manufacturing Contract manufacturing services using jacketed stainless steel vessels producing 5 gallons to bulk tank trucks. Supports phosphation, esterification, amidation, alkoxylation, quaternization, and neutralization reactions. Includes private labeling and warehousing options.
- Analytical Laboratory Services Full-service analytical laboratories with FT-IR (UATR), Gas Chromatograph (FID), HPLC (ELSD), and RETSCH Sieve for particle analysis. Supports manufacturing, product development, and customer technical service.
- Cleaner and Industrial Surfactant Laboratory Services Over 25 years of product development experience in cleaner formulations using SensaDyne Tensiometer, cloud point determinations, foam profile testing, builder compatibility, and Brookfield Viscometer for optimal surface tension reduction.
- Polymer Additives Laboratory Services Technical support for polymer additive challenges including antistats, antifogs, lubricants, pigment dispersants, and slip agents. Testing capabilities include C.W. Brabender Intelli-Torque Plasti-Corder, Static Decay, Surface Resistivity, Hot and Cold Fog Testing, Coefficient of Friction, and humidity-controlled glove box testing.
- Metalworking Laboratory Services Specialty multi-functional additives development with MicroTap II for lubricity data, surface tension measurements, IP Methods, ASTM Methods, foam testing, and cloud point determinations for synthetic metalworking formulations.
Companies that use PCC Chemax
Customer profileSegments10 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
PCC Chemax technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
PCC Chemax partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered historical, standard and core.
- Rütgers Organics (Previous Owner)historicalChemax was acquired by Rütgers Organics headquartered in Mannheim, Germany in 1999, prior to acquisition by PCC SE.
- IMCD Canada LimitedstandardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in Canada, located in Brampton, Ontario. Contact: Dave Hicken.
- IMCD Australia PTY LTDstandardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in Australia, located in Mulgrave, VIC. Contact: Sonya Atkinson.
- Azelis (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.standardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products across multiple China locations including Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangdong (Guangzhou), and Hong Kong. Contact: Ivan Lam.
- Keyser & MacKaystandardEuropean distributor for PCC Chemax products in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany. Contact: Marie-Christine Mauguin (France), Geoffrey Ledent (Belgium), Kilian Widmer (Switzerland), Erika Thomas/Angela Offermanns (Germany).
- WWRC Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.standardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Contact: Alice Jee (Malaysia), Fion Cheong (Singapore), Hendra Widjaya (Indonesia), YJ Lim (Korea), William Chiu (Taiwan), Heaven Lin (Vietnam).
- Exachem Sa de CVstandardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in Mexico, located in Monterrey, NL. Contact: Lucia Azuara.
- Fitacrest S.A.standardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in Argentina, located in Buenos Aires. Contact: Horacio Girod.
- MAST Comercial e Importadora LtdastandardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in Brazil, located in Santo André, SP. Contact: Adriano Infante/Marco Storel.
- F.IN.CO S.r.IstandardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in Italy, located in Settimo Milanese. Contact: Andrea Finocchiaro.
- Monachem Additives Pvt. LtdstandardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in India, located in Vadodara, Gujarat.
- Unique Fine Products Co., Ltd.standardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in Thailand, located in Bangkok. Contact: Wasana Sweet.
- A.P.C. Chemical Industries, Inc.standardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in the Philippines, located in Pasig City. Contact: Dads C. Claravall.
- Alchemy Agencies, Ltd.standardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in New Zealand, located in Auckland. Contact: Tristan Molloy.
- ALFA Chemical LimitedstandardRegional distributor for PCC Chemax products in the United Kingdom, located in Binfield, Bracknell, Berkshire.
- PCC SEcoreParent company headquartered in Duisburg, Germany. PCC Chemax is the first U.S. based company acquired by PCC SE in 2006. PCC Group includes Chemicals, Energy, and Logistics divisions with operations in 12 countries and approximately 2,300 employees.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PCC Chemax competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Afton Chemical: Specialty additives supplier focused on lubricant and metalworking fluid chemistry, serving petroleum additive and industrial fluid customers — closely comparable formulation technology to Chemax.
- Stepan Company: US-based specialty surfactant manufacturer with product lines in industrial, agricultural, and consumer cleaning surfactants, plus polymer additives — directly comparable to PCC Chemax's industrial surfactants and metalworking additive portfolio.
- Lubrizol (Berkshire Hathaway): Specialty additives leader with deep metalworking fluid and lubricant additive product lines; serves identical metalworking and industrial lubricant customers as PCC Chemax with comparable formulation IP.
Emerging players
- IMCD Group: Global specialty chemicals distributor that is also one of PCC Chemax's key channel partners in Canada and Australia; comparable as both distribution channel and competing formulator-distributor in the surfactants and additives space.
- Azelis: Global specialty chemicals distributor serving as Chemax's distributor across Greater China and other regions; comparable as a channel-and-formulation hybrid with overlapping surfactants and additives portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Clariant: Swiss specialty chemicals company with industrial surfactants, polymer additives, and metalworking chemistry segments — directly overlapping with Chemax's core product portfolio and end-market focus.
- Evonik Industries: German specialty chemicals major with significant presence in industrial additives, surfactants, and metalworking chemistry; broader portfolio but overlapping customer base and chemistry platforms with Chemax.
- Croda International: UK-listed specialty surfactant and additive supplier with strong presence in industrial and polymer additive chemistry; competes for the same industrial compounder customers as Chemax.
- BASF: Largest global chemical company with broad specialty additives and surfactants portfolio serving metalworking, plastics, coatings, and oilfield — overlapping end markets and competing with Chemax in formulators' approved lists.
- Air Products and Chemicals: Large US-domiciled industrial chemicals and specialty additives supplier with polymer additives and surface chemistry products overlapping Chemax's polymer additives and specialty surfactants business.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PCC Chemax social profiles
Digital presencePCC Chemax financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PCC Chemax leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
PCC Chemax funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PCC Chemax M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PCC Chemax
What does PCC Chemax do?
PCC Chemax formulates and manufactures specialty surfactant additives and chemical products for industrial applications including metalworking, metal finishing, plastics, oilfield, textiles, and cleaning industries. The company operates a manufacturing facility in Piedmont, South Carolina offering contract manufacturing, pilot-scale production, and private labeling, supplemented by full-service analytical, formulation, and quality control laboratory services. It also provides collaborative custom formulation development partnering directly with customer R&D teams.
Is PCC Chemax a public or private company?
PCC Chemax is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was PCC Chemax founded?
PCC Chemax was founded in 1973. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is PCC Chemax based?
PCC Chemax is headquartered in Piedmont, United States, in the North America region.
How does PCC Chemax make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Specialty Chemical Additives are the primary driver. The others are contract Manufacturing, pilot Scale Manufacturing and laboratory Services.
Who are PCC Chemax's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Afton Chemical, Stepan Company and Lubrizol (Berkshire Hathaway). Emerging players are IMCD Group and Azelis. Broad incumbents are Clariant, Evonik Industries, Croda International, BASF and Air Products and Chemicals.
Does PCC Chemax have an API?
No public API is recorded for PCC Chemax.