Industry overview
What is shaping chemical
Chemical and specialty materials companies sell to formulators, manufacturers and procurement teams who need technical support, consistency and safe handling as much as price.
- Technical service is a key reason buyers stay
- Procurement teams compare total cost, not just price
- Safety and regulatory compliance shape supplier choice
Client background
A chemical manufacturer, working in Pan-India distributor network. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A chemical manufacturer
- Sector
- Chemical
- Team engaged
- IT & Development
- Services
- Web application development, ERP development, API development & integration
Client challenge
Distributors placed orders and requested documents such as safety data sheets by email and phone, creating delays and errors.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: a self-service ordering portal for chemical distributors.
- Design around the real needs of distributors.
- Define requirements and success criteria the solution would be tested against.
- Deliver a reliable, secure solution the team can run and extend.
Target audience
The work focused on 180 distributors.
- distributors180
Audiences we typically reach in chemical
Formulators and R&D teamsProcurement managersPlant and production headsDistributorsSafety officers
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Pan-India distributor network. Market: India.
- India
Research methodology
An iterative delivery approach: discovery, design, build and test in short cycles, with the client reviewing each step.
- 1Brief
- 2Distributor interviews
- 3Portal with ERP integration
- 4Insight
We built a secure portal where distributors placed orders, tracked dispatches, downloaded invoices and safety documents, and viewed outstanding balances, integrated with the manufacturer’s ERP.
Web application developmentERP developmentAPI development & integration
Sampling strategy
- distributors
- 180
- Users and stakeholders from every affected team took part in discovery workshops and acceptance testing.
Data collection
- Requirements were gathered through workshops, process walk-throughs and a review of existing systems and data.
Data quality & validation
- Peer code review on every change
- Automated and manual testing
- User-acceptance testing with the client
- Release checklist and rollback plan
Data analysis
- Usage and performance monitoring after launch
- Defect and support-ticket trends
- Process time before and after
Key findings
- Self-service for routine tasks freed people for relationships.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: self-service for routine tasks freed people for relationships.
- Track adoption and support tickets, and plan the next release from real usage.
Business impact
- Order processing became faster, document requests dropped sharply, and the sales team focused on growth instead of paperwork.
Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Deployed solution with documentation and handover
- Support and maintenance plan
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: how is supplier safety perceived?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.