Smart Acids™

Smart Acids host Andy Erickson and the hops to his hazy pale ale, co-host Chris Ernst, talk IPAs – isopropyl alcohol vs the latest craft brews – with Product Director Duane "Papa Z" Ziolkowski. Hear market updates and pricing dynamics for ethanol, IPA, and propylene. Bonus round: do you know your IPAs and pale ales? IPA Updates Propylene pricing dynamics Circularity and pushing for reuse...

Breaker-Breaker...Transportation Leader Rob McRae knows what’s driving the future of distribution. In this episode, McRae takes a comparative look at the truck transportation subsector and current state of today's carriers, and why our very own Univar Solutions fleet – the largest private fleet inside the chemical industry – can go the distance for customers. 10-4. "It's a hyper inf...

Transportation Logistician Rob “The Rainmaker” McRae has a passion for all things that move. In this episode, McRae gives the Smart Acids team a market update on the rail transportation subsector, current freight shipping capacity, talk of rail-related embargoes, and what is affecting the overall health of today's rail network.  "For us as a chemical and ingredient distributor and others...

Let's talk Chlor-Alkali market dynamics. What does the chlorine and caustic demand situation look like globally? The Smart Acids team closes out the year with Univar Solutions Chlor-Alkali VP Gary "The Czar" Gable giving a big picture view of the Chlor-Alkali market.   Thanks for listening to Smart Acids, a Univar Solutions podcast, where we let borons be borons, and tune in next ye...

What industries are delivering upside in today's chemicals and ingredients market, and what's driving the future of distribution for 2023? With more than 30 years' experience in the business, "Magic Man" Dan Matheny, VP of Product Management for Solvents, gives us the situation on crude oil and its direct derivatives. Brian "The Big Deal" Jurcak, Senior VP of Pro...

As Andy waxes poetic about the autumnal shifts of the season, Chris checks in on changes within the Surfactants market with Lidia Smorodina, "The Whispering Assassin" and senior product manager, specialties. Listen now to our latest market report as we dig deeper into why surfactants are rising to become a dynamic mover and Lidia discusses integration and capacity expansion during this e...

The Smart Acids are back for a special edition episode featuring the winners of the 2022 National You Be the Chemist Challenge (grades 5-8). Univar Solutions is a proud sponsor of the Chemical Educational Foundation (CEF) annual STEM competition to inspire the next generation of chemistry leaders. Hear this year’s award-winning team, the Chemistry Enthusiasts, calling in from high school in Massac...

Smart Acids want to know: How are demands and supplies trending on crude oil? "It's a question of how much supply is needed and how fast," says Billy "The Piano Man" Grohl who returns to give us a market update heading into the end of the year. Grohl is Product Director of Aromatic Hydrocarbons at Univar Solutions.  From crude into fuels, hear how downstream product and pr...

What are the biggest challenges that lie ahead for global industries becoming more sustainable? The Smart Acids talk technical with leaders in environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and governance roles at Univar Solutions. Sustainability can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Here's how our guests describe what it means to chemical and ingredient busin...

What’s the ripple effect of the revived U.S. superfund-related tax across the chemistries and industries we serve? The Smart Acids get serious with experts from both the tax and commercial side to discuss the superfund tax's ripple effects to 2030 and for years to come. Hear how it impacts both domestic manufacturers and importers and why chemical distributors may be positioned differently th...

On the latest episode of the Smart Acids, hear Univar Solutions Chlor-Alkali VP Gary 'the czar' Gable (01:32) break down the Chlor-Alkali market, global trade dynamics and pricing trend predictions. Tom ‘TomKat’ Edman (11:05) dives into specifics around caustic soda, and what makes it unique in terms of scale, velocity and security of supply. Finally, ‘Smarty Maarty’ Maarten van Ess (15:...

“If you’re importing raw materials, don’t run your inventories low. Make sure you’re keeping some measure of inventory on hand and a buffer to guard against delays.”  Listen as the Smart Acids learn more from International Trade Director Larry ‘Globetrotter’ Ogden (02:08) about Omicron in China and its impacts on the interconnected global supply chain for the chemical and ingredients market and be...

Smart Acids goes global and welcomes Rob 'Duke of Solvents' Lawton, business director in EMEA, to discuss the eastern European conflict's short and long-term impacts. Rick Roth, product director of Local Chemical Distribution - Solvents, reviews crude oil volatility and how industry is responding. Smart Acids™ is the source for product insights and current market moves related to ch...

With ports, rails and the trucking network backed up, how are suppliers and distributors navigating the current state of transportation? Listen as Transportation VP Rob 'Rainmaker' McRae talks with the Smart Acids about this critical link in the supply chain.  15:00: Calling all "legit" foodies: gain insights on food industry dynamics and trends from 'Distinguished Profess...

What do crude oil and grunge music have in common—and what's disrupting the propylene market in 2022? Listen as product director Kyle 'Killer B' Stratton shares the latest on propylene supply and 'The Piano Man' Billy Groel, aromatic hydrocarbons & methyl ethyl ketone product director, gets us up to speed on crude oil, hydrocarbons and alternative gas value. Smart Acid...