Dr. Dejana Drew, Technical Services Director, Univar Solutions
Univar Solutions’ global Solution Centers advance technology and product development to help maximize your success.
Today’s manufacturers face unprecedented pressures to juggle competing business drivers, carefully balancing quality and profitability, productivity and sustainability. Choosing a long-term partner – rather than merely a chemical or ingredient provider – has never been more critical. The best partners offer new and unparalleled access to technical expertise, collaboration and leveraged resources to extend your bench and your business like never before. The right trusted partner can make all the difference for your long-term success.
Every day, the scientists in Univar Solutions’ network of global Solution Centers partner with customers like you to turn the theoretical into the practical, the good idea into an innovative product and today’s emerging trend into tomorrow’s trendsetter. Providing a valuable boost in human power, resources and scientific and technical support from idea conception through product delivery, our customer – and solution – centric approach is designed to keep you on the cutting edge of innovation and opportunity.
Scale and strength to take on big problems
At Univar Solutions, we’re proud to put our entire organization’s scale and strength into everything we do. For suppliers and manufacturers, the work accomplished at our Solution Centers could mean more robust formulations, improved product lines, less downside risk and faster times to market. And in the end, our work helps keep communities healthy, clean, safe and fed.
One real-world example is how we helped sunscreen manufacturers navigate a potential industry disruptor. In recent years, a changing regulatory landscape mandated U.S. sunscreen manufacturers deliver oxybenzone-free sunscreen products. We approached this complex challenge by combining our in-house technical expertise and the unique technologies of two suppliers, with the goal of producing safe, effective sunblock alternatives without the concerning ingredient. The result? Improved formulations that not only meet regulatory requirements but are safer for the environment, provide better UV protection and have protective, long-lasting wearability.
Let’s take a closer look at what Solution Centers bring to the table:
More human power, mind power and resources
Our multidisciplinary team of experts – chemists, scientists, engineers, formulators, technicians and more – bring deep industry application experience to every challenge. From our state-of-the-art formulation labs to our R&D centers and development kitchens, you’ll find help with product and application development, quality testing, performance benchmarking and rapid prototyping, not to mention specialized regulatory and compliance knowledge, packaging and private-label services, data analytics and product marketing support.
Local access, global reach
Our Solution Centers are strategically located around the world to serve partners where they operate. Closely integrated with Univar Solutions’ and suppliers’ sales and technical development experts, our Solution Centers give customers of all sizes local access and global reach, helping to expand your capabilities and possibilities.
The results speak for themselves. Whether it’s working in the U.K. and across Europe to reformulate and test specialty solvents, partnering in Brazil with the United Nations to phase out unsafe HCFC blowing agents in thermal insulation, or working in the U.S. to bring plant-based dairy alternatives to market, the benefits of our work extend well beyond local markets and communities.
Information and insights are key
If information is power, then manufacturers need help harnessing that power in a profitable direction. This is where our technical teams shine, giving Univar Solutions the ability to spot trends and synthesize their potential impact on the markets we serve.
We actively listen and closely collaborate with partners, suppliers and each other to help produce rich, robust solutions driven by science and data. When the pandemic presented global challenges and opportunities, we came together to deliver impressive results. Today, that means safer, socially distanced and sustainable living in the form of effective, comfortable face masks and films used to shrink-wrap everything from suitcases for safer traveling to consumer goods for safer shipping to the next vehicle you purchase for safer handling.
Our partners have a need for speed
Manufacturers need fast solutions that save time and money without sacrificing quality or flexibility. Our Solution Centers are efficient and agile, combining expansive ingredient choices and the ability to pivot and problem solve as issues arise. Whether you need help developing a completely new product or perfecting one, our teams execute efficiently and with an eye to your bottom line.
Find Your Next Solution
Visit UnivarSolutions.com to connect with our global team and explore our custom solutions and distribution services for your next market innovation.
About the Author
Dr. Dejana Drew is director of technical services at Univar Solutions and an eloquent voice for the Solution Centers’ mission to deliver exceptional custom solutions. With more than 15 years of lab and formulation experience, Dr. Drew is globally recognized for her deep knowledge of the latest market trends and advanced technologies, and is leading an impressive and diverse team of science and technology experts, who help bring value to your next project.