Product Development Consulting – Industrial Chemistry
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Product Development Consulting

Your Trusted New Product Development Consultant for Polymers & Plastics

Launching a new plastic product shouldn’t feel like stabbing in the dark. Whether you’re a startup shaping your first prototype or an established manufacturer rethinking your polymer mix, the decisions you make at the material level can mean the difference between success and shelf rejection.
That’s where we come in.
At Industrial Chemistry Consulting, we bring science, precision, and decades of hands-on polymer expertise to help you get your product right — from the molecular level up.

Got an idea brewing? Let’s talk.

What We Actually Do (And Why It Matters)

When people hear “product development consultant,” they sometimes picture a generalist in a suit throwing buzzwords around. That’s not us.

We’re chemists and polymer consultants who’ve worked across sectors — packaging, medical, automotive, electronics, and beyond. We’ve helped shape products made from just about every class of polymer material, from commodity plastics to high-performance blends. Our work isn’t theoretical. It’s lab-tested, industry-proven, and manufacturing-ready.

Here’s how we typically help:

  • Evaluate your product goals and constraints
  • Select or design suitable plastic materials
  • Support prototype and scale-up phases
  • Advise on regulatory and compliance issues
  • Optimise for manufacturability and durability

Need help deciding when it makes sense to bring a polymer consultant on board? This guide might help: When to hire a polymer consultant

Material Selection Isn’t Guesswork — It’s a Science

One of the biggest reasons products fail isn’t poor marketing or design — it’s the wrong material. Choosing the cheapest polymer on paper can cost you tenfold in field failures, returns, or recalls.

We provide data-driven support for material selection in new product development, with a deep understanding of structure–property relationships, application demands, and processing constraints. Whether you’re working with bioplastics, nylons, elastomers, or something more exotic, we help you balance performance, processability, and cost.

If you’re currently weighing material options, take a look at our approach to material selection for plastic components.

A Product Development Consultant Who Speaks Fluent Chemistry

We’re not a faceless agency outsourcing the technical parts — we are the technical parts. Our lead new product development consultant holds advanced degrees in polymer science and brings 20+ years of direct industry experience. You won’t need to spend weeks explaining the difference between injection moulding and extrusion — we’ve worked with both, and everything in between.

In many projects, we act as the translator between R&D, design, and manufacturing teams — ensuring all parties are aligned on what the material needs to do and how it should behave across its lifecycle.

Curious about our background in polymer chemistry? You can get to know our core expertise better here: Polymer chemist consultant services

Custom Polymer Development: When Off-the-Shelf Doesn’t Cut It

Sometimes, no commercially available material ticks all the boxes. That’s when we dive into custom polymer synthesis. Whether you’re looking to tweak mechanical properties, reduce permeability, or adjust optical clarity — we can help create the right formulation for your specific need.

We work with labs and compounding partners to take your concept from molecule to manufacturable blend. Think of us as your in-house polymer lab — minus the overhead.

More on that here: Custom polymer synthesis service

Ready to explore new material possibilities? Book a consult and let’s see what’s possible.

Examples of Real-World Scenarios We Can Solve

Let’s cut the theory. Here’s the kind of work we’re actually doing:

  • Helping a startup develop a durable, food-grade bioplastic cutlery range that meets EU compostability standards.
  • Working with a medical device company to reformulate a plastic housing to withstand aggressive sterilisation protocols.
  • Advising an automotive supplier on replacing a legacy ABS component with a tougher, lightweight alternative for high-heat environments.
  • Troubleshooting cracking and warping issues in an injection moulded consumer product, eventually tracing the problem to moisture sensitivity during pre-processing.

These aren’t hypotheticals. They’re the kind of problems we fix every day.

From Concept to Commercialisation — With Support Every Step of the Way

Developing a plastic product involves a long chain of decisions. Some are obvious — like colour or shape. Others are buried in the details: how the polymer responds to stress, UV exposure, temperature swings, or a specific cleaning agent.

We help you ask better questions — and get answers grounded in chemistry, not guesswork.

Polymer Chemistry Consulting Service

As your product development consultant, we’re with you from idea to launch. Whether you’re seeking material guidance for a prototype, formulation help for mass production, or just a second opinion on your datasheets — we’ve got your back.

Want to chat about your project? Give us a call — we’re always keen to hear what you’re building.

Not Just Polymers — People, Too

Look, we know technical consulting can sometimes feel impersonal. That’s not how we work.

We treat every project with care, whether it’s a multi-million dollar contract or a one-person startup trying to get something off the ground. You’ll always deal directly with someone who understands your product and is invested in helping you make it work.

No passing the buck. No generic advice. Just sharp, honest feedback and deep industry knowledge.

And if we’re not the right fit? We’ll tell you — and often refer you to someone who is.

Let’s Build the Right Material, Together

You’re not expected to know every polymer inside out — that’s our job. If you’re stuck between options, worried about regulatory risks, or trying to get your product over the finish line, we’d love to help.

Send us a message through our contact page or give us a call.

About Industrial Chemistry Consulting

At Industrial Chemistry Consulting, we’re more than consultants — we’re two scientists with a deep-rooted passion for chemistry, systems thinking, and sustainable innovation.

Our team is led by Dr. Deon de Wet-Roos and Dr. Wolfgang Meyer, both PhD-qualified industrial chemists with MBAs and over 40 years of combined experience across the chemical, materials, polymer, and manufacturing sectors. Our paths have crossed more than once in industry and academia — and what’s kept us collaborating all these years is simple: we’re fascinated by the science of complexity and the role chemistry plays in solving real-world challenges.

We’re not just here to help you develop or improve a product. Our work is grounded in a systems-thinking approach that recognises how interconnected today’s industrial and environmental landscapes really are. Whether we’re consulting on bio-based polymers, evaluating sustainable alternatives, or supporting high-performance formulations, we always take the broader system into account — from supply chain to sustainability to the end-user.

Why Industrial Chemistry?

“Industrial Chemistry” might sound like we’re all about old-school manufacturing or textbook R&D. We’re not. To us, industrial chemistry is the science of solving practical problems in a world where chemistry underpins just about everything — materials, medicine, energy, packaging, transport, and more.

We’ve helped global multinationals, niche manufacturers, and research teams navigate challenges in:

  • Material development and selection
  • Failure analysis
  • Sustainability transitions
  • Technical due diligence
  • Scale-up and process optimisation

Each project benefits from our combined academic and industrial expertise. Deon’s experience spans R&D, strategic innovation, and global materials sourcing. Wolfgang brings deep technical insight into physical chemistry, catalysis, polymer science, and an extensive list of publications and patents.

We’re also strong believers in education — not just in the formal sense, but in translating complex chemical concepts into real business understanding. Whether we’re talking to high school students, plant managers, or CEOs, we believe every conversation is a chance to elevate chemistry’s role in creating a better, more sustainable world.

“Chemistry is complexity personified.”

That’s why we’ve embraced systems thinking as a core part of our consulting philosophy — as reflected in publications like “Navigating Complexity Using Systems Thinking in Chemistry” (Constable et al., J. Chem. Educ., 2019, Vol. 96, pp. 2689–2699). It’s a lens that helps us bring clarity to messy, real-world problems.

We don’t do generic. Every engagement is tailored, technically robust, and focused on helping our clients develop better materials, make better decisions, and deliver better outcomes.

If you’re looking for experienced, science-driven support on your next project, get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you.

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