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Flexibility, Responsiveness, Collaboration, Experience

4 factors attracting an agricultural startup to the CJB teams

When preparing to bring a new bioinspired product to the agricultural market, small trial volumes are critical to test the product under field conditions and help growers and their advisors see its value. But what happens if you’re a company without a manufacturing facility? And if issues are encountered with the formulation, and you lack an in-house formulation team, where do you turn to help redesign the formulation?

 

One of our clients faced this situation. They are a startup company that didn’t have in-house formulation and manufacturing capabilities but had a new and novel bioinspired product they were ready to introduce to the U.S. agricultural market. They were experiencing some concerns with the formulation itself and having difficulty securing a partner that could produce the small volumes required for the initial commercial launch. They reached out to our teams at CJB Applied Technologies and CJB Industries, who were able to address these challenges and more. And not just for their first product launch, but for other products that have followed. 

 

“We were a small company. We didn't have formulation capability. We didn't have any manufacturing capability. CJB had all that in house, so it was really a one-stop shop for us to come to them and rely on them for formulation expertise, pilot plant expertise, and then being able to go from the pilot plant at CJB Applied Technologies over to CJB Industries to scale up for our commercial production. That's proved to be efficient and seamless because those teams communicate well together," said our customer's Director of Manufacturing.

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Challenge: Launching a product without formulation and manufacturing facilities 

Our customer was excited about bringing their new bioinspired solution to market and needed a small production batch of around 50 gallons for the launch. It was critical to get the product in their customers’ hands to become familiar with the value the product could bring to growers’ fields and their crop productivity. They’d been talking to a number of manufacturers but found few capable or willing to produce and package such a small amount.

 

In addition, they realized the formulation that had been used in field trials had some product stability issues. The product was an oil dispersion formulation, which was highly viscous and prone to settling. Our customer struggled to find a company with the knowledge and expertise needed to address those challenges.

To add another layer of complexity, this was also happening as COVID-19 was causing havoc with the supply chain and making it difficult to access active ingredients.

 

“In addition to trying to resolve formulation stability, we were rushing to produce the small production volumes required to support this launch. Then COVID hit. This resulted in supply chain issues, which delayed some of the activities, compressing the timeframe allowed to get product out to our customers," said our customer's Director of Manufacturing.

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Solution: CJB delivers pilot plant resources, formulation expertise and manufacturing scale-up flexibility

Our teams at CJB Applied Technologies and CJB Industries understood the challenges our customer was encountering and committed to working together to help our customer commercialize a viable product.

 

CJB Applied Technologies had the expertise, facilities and resources to support our customer during their pre-commercialization phase. Our facilities included a pilot plant capable of producing smaller volumes. This was ideal for the customer during their product trial and soft launch. Our team was able to provide them with custom filling and packaging services to meet their needs of 1-quart jugs. Each jug was placed within a box, and 12 of those boxes were placed in a larger box for shipping.

 

“All of that had to be done by hand. You don't find a lot of companies that are that flexible and willing to take on a project like that with short notice. Most of them just want something to drop into an automated line and say, okay, let's go," said our customer's Director of Manufacturing.

 

To address concerns with product stability, our CJB Applied Technologies team used their formulation expertise with oil dispersions to design a better formulation. The resulting formulation delivered improved stability, lower viscosity and better dispersion properties, providing consistent efficacy while giving growers a better experience handling the product. 

 

Once the formulation was right and our customer was ready for commercial production, the team at CJB Applied Technologies efficiently collaborated with the team at CJB Industries to ensure the product was manufactured according to specifications.

 

“The response that we got from CJB Applied Technologies and CJB Industries when we wanted to scale up was excellent. They were very flexible and easy for us to work with," said our customer's Director of Manufacturing.

 

Our team at CJB Industries also provided packaging expertise. They provided recommendations for torquing the caps on the jugs and the type of liner to use in the caps. At one point, the customer shared that growers had reported the jugs leaking. Our team recommended switching from the foam-seal liner to a heat-seal. The complaints about leaking were reduced significantly.

 

“We were able to bring our customers improved formulations that enhanced their experience using our product. Efficacy has been consistent from one product or formulation to another. We were able to get line time at CJB Industries on relatively short notice so we could have product to take to the field. Having the right amount of available product to support sales is critical," said our customer's Director of Manufacturing.

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Results: Delivering effective product performance opened the door to additional product successes

By demonstrating flexibility and a collaborative approach, our teams helped our customer meet their needs for trial volumes, improved formulation and commercial scale up for a successful product launch. Since then, our teams have continued to support our customer with additional formulations and product introductions. 

They collaborated with CJB Applied Technologies to create a dispersion concentrate formulation. Another product was a two-component product packaged as a co-pack. Our CJB Industries team put our process, packaging and logistical expertise to work and created an efficient workflow that delivered for our customer. “It was a labor-intensive filling and packaging situation, kind of a logistical nightmare, that CJB Industries made go a lot smoother than I ever thought it would go,” said our customer’s Director of Manufacturing.

“The flexibility of the CJB teams has really been critical to our development because without that, it would have been difficult for us to get products out into the field in the timeframe we desired. Being a startup, there's not as much structure as you get in a bigger company. You don't have the processes, procedures that keep things on a tight or consistent timeline. Our team makes decisions, and then asks me, ‘Can you do this for this next season?’ And I'm like, ‘Well, we can, but that's not going to be easy.’ And then we call up CJB, and they say, ‘Yeah, we can do that.’ CJB has been very flexible. It’s not easy to get that relationship with a supplier a lot of times. We’re helping our customers have a better experience, we’re improving our quality, we’re getting product out to the field, and all of this really comes out of our relationship with CJB," said our customer's Director of Manufacturing.

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To put our flexibility, experience, responsiveness and collaboration to work for you, contact us today. 

CJB Industries: Your Contract Manufacturing Partner CJB Applied Technologies: Your Partner in Formulations & Pilot Plant Services

CJB Leading the Way: 2022 Capacity Expansion in Liquid Milling

2022 brings a continued rise in demand for crop protection formulation services into a market that is highly competitive, and somewhat constrained . As companies strive to meet the needs of this growing industry, there comes a concern for maintaining quality work, minimizing waste, and maximizing efficiency. 

Since the company’s inception in 1997, CJB Industries has developed proven processes and time-tested strategies to maintain excellence in product manufacturing. In 2022, we continue this commitment. 

In order to offer our customers the same great service they’ve known and have come to rely on, we are maintaining our high standards of operating and focusing our efforts and capital on facility and equipment expansion to meet the growing demands of this industry.

 

What Sets CJB Industries Apart? 

Service and Innovation 

Since day one, we’ve been committed to growth through service and innovation. We get excited when our industry evolves. We meet the challenge head-on as an opportunity to expand our efforts and make an impact. 

“We pride ourselves on being the authority in custom formulation and packaging services. We are experts in particle size reduction in liquids. We manage our capacity to handle your request and meet your challenges.”

- Sims Turner, CJB Industries

 

We Meet Challenges Head On 

There is no job that we shy away from. Our team and facilities are more than capable of handling your requests and meeting your challenges. 

 

Specializing in Particle Size Reduction in Liquid Formulations 

We understand the delicate nature of this process. We know that the proper equipment is paramount, and we understand that the process cannot be rushed.  Maintaining product integrity and delivering the highest quality product is always our end goal. 

Our expert team has proven to our trusted customers that we are talented, experienced, and capable of exceeding your production standards, repeatedly.

 

 

“25 years in business is a testament to the trust our customers have in us to produce a quality product.” 

- Sims Turner, CJB Industries

 

2019-2021 Production Statistics

In 2021, we earned the trust of 6 new customers. We appreciate each and every one.  We take pride in the fact that 97% of our business is repeat customers. 

Each year, we add 3-5 customers to our existing book of business, and we continue to expand partnerships that have been in place for many years. 

Statistics say a lot more than words can, and here are some of our highlights from the past three years. 

Across two facilities and 9 mill systems, CJB Industries has produced:

• 2019-2021: 172 unique milled formulations across 500+ finished goods
• 2021: 28 brand new formulations
• 2020: 124 new finished goods
• 2020: 65 million pounds of product

 

We Don’t Compromise Quality

When it comes to producing high quality suspension concentrates, we take every measure to ensure absolute quality across the board. This starts with our facility layout and equipment, continues with our great amount of flexibility with our mill systems, and includes our meticulous care to maintain the low temperatures necessary to keep your product integrity intact. 

 

Our Facilities and Equipment

Among our two facilities and 9 mill systems, we offer a great variety of combinations and production rates. Each system has its own set of 1-3 mills, while each offers different tank and mill combinations to meet specific production demands. 

In 2022, we are expanding to a third facility in Valdosta, GA, adding another mill system, so that we can continue to meet customer standards and take on an even greater capacity.  And, there’s room at the third facility for additional capital investment in the future. 

While CJB specializes in producing high quality liquid ag chem formulas, we continually  look for opportunities to expand our capabilities and offer more diverse services.   

Extremely Low Particle Size

These various setups allow our experts to observe, supervise and document every stage of our proven process. With a wide variety of mill and media sizes and compositions, we are able to meet any particle size requirement your product has, including sub-micron requirements.   

 

Extremely Low Temperature Requirement

Our experienced team understands the intricacies of the milling systems and chemical manufacturing. Monitoring of pump speed, rate of shaft and the milling process ensures product integrity throughout. 

This process is both a science and an art, and it’s all about striking that delicate balance to reach optimum particle size without creating too much heat and without damaging the material. 

The combination of our expertise and equipment allows us to offer more efficient cooling capabilities than other chemical manufacturers. 

Our Process is Never Rushed

Respecting the process and understanding the limitations of our equipment allows us to stay focused on quality over quantity or speed. Throughout our expansion process, we knew this was one area we had to leave intact. That’s why we turned our focus on facility expansion instead. 

 

Capacity Expansion for Liquid Milling 

The challenge to find a solution to the need for increased milling capacity in the market led us to the only path we were willing to take: expansion of our facilities and systems. We have some big changes happening in 2022, and we’re thrilled to be able to share our growth and innovation with both current and new customers. 

CJB Industries’ efforts are focusing on:

 

• Adding milling capacity at a 3rd manufacturing facility in Valdosta, GA
• Installing a 9th milling system 
• Increasing size of existing mills to increase overall throughput for product 

Rising to meet the demands of a growing market, CJB Industries is leading the way in capacity expansion in liquid milling. 

 

Our goal is to continue to be the trusted authority in chemical manufacturing, exceeding customer expectations and maintaining the highest quality product output on the market today. 

 

To reach out to a specialist for additional information regarding our milling process, liquid milling, or capacity expansion, please contact us and we’d be happy to help.

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Count on CJB Industries

Whether you’re a small business, a multinational company, or somewhere in between, you can depend on CJB Industries to:

• Be a company that solves problems
• Support you with a knowledgeable, flexible team
• Collaborate using an efficient, proven process
• Deliver a product that meets your expectations

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