No one makes all their own chemicals. Right??

rustytruck

rustytruck

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I bring up the topic because I always see people saying that this company or that company manufactures all their own stuff. I don't believe anyone makes all thier own stuff.

The product lines in some of the biggest companies are so diverse that I can't believe that some of their stuff is not relabeled. Think about it they make everything from scents to degreaser to heavy compounds. These are all very different types of products.

I know that there are a few huge chemical companies that formulate and bottle for other companies(of course this would mean that the chemicals are farmed out)

I also know that their are a lot of small chemical companies that manufacture a few types of chemicals for many different brands(relabeling) They usually only make a certain type of chemical. Ex. soaps, polishes, cleaners.

There is a local chemical company near me where I buy most of my stuff they make some of thier stuff but offer a full line with their label. I have never been In the building where the chemist works but I have been in the warehouse and what do I see? product being shipped to a lot of the companies that supposedly make all their own stuff.

Again I do not believe any company makes all their own stuff.
 
My crystal ball says this thread is going to crash and burn, but be that as it may, you don't think a company like Meguiar's makes all their own products?

EDIT: There is also the fine line of companies that do not have the blending/bottling equipment, but could be creating their own formulas and having them blended/bottled elsewhere...are they "making" their own products, if they come up with and control the formula but subcontract the blending/bottling?
 
Well I guess it depends what your definition of "making your own stuff" is. If I contract to make my own product line and all I do is tweak a formula or change a color of a product should I tell everyone "I make all my own stuff" If everyone on the east coast has the same company making their APC then to me would mean that not everyone makes their own stuff.
 
rustytruck said:
Well I guess it depends what your definition of "making your own stuff" is. If I contract to make my own product line and all I do is tweak a formula or change a color of a product should I tell everyone "I make all my own stuff" If everyone on the east coast has the same company making their APC then to me would mean that not everyone makes their own stuff.
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There's a difference between "tweaking a formula or changing a color" of some company that does private labeling, and someone who creates a formula from scratch and then has someone blend/bottle it. The thing is most of the "personalities" of boutique brands aren't chemists, and we all know how easy it is to go to Chemical Guys or their parent, or the company you speak of in this thread, and get a private label version of an existing product, as-is or with a color or fragrance tweak.

EDIT: We've had these threads before (if not here, at other forums) and FWIW if you go to a base chemical mfr. website, like Dow Corning, they have recipes right there (you may have to register at their website now to view) for you to make car waxes and dressings, etc., using their products.
 
Setec now I'm not sure if we are agreeing or disagreeing? What made me start the conversion was the fact that everyone under the sun claims to make thier own stuff.

It seems like every week I'm stumbling upon a new line of car products and they all claim to make thier own stuff. This is simply not true.

Everyone markets differently but many times the stuff in the bottles is the same. Chemistry isn't sexy marketing is. As far as the chemicals go they are very similar at the end of the day soap is soap. One soap may have a girl laying across the hood of a sportscar while another may be in front of a jet fighter. Still the soap is made in the same building.
 
I haven't seen any companies claim "we make our own stuff". Is someone claiming that? Most companies don't comment on it.
 
swanicyouth said:
I haven't seen any companies claim "we make our own stuff". Is someone claiming that? Most companies don't comment on it.
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I will give you that. I just checked some of the more popular manufacturers "about us" on their websites and they do use terms like "specially formulated for us" So no the more reputable companies don't make that claim directly.

Its more of those really small companies that have websites that pop up out of nowhere. Also forum members make the claims constantly. You can see it in the Adams post. It is talked about on the forums a lot about how this company or that one makes all their own stuff.

I'm just trying to point out that is not exactly how the car chemical world works. Maybe everyone already knows this but from what I read it appears many don't.
 
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swanicyouth said:
I haven't seen any companies claim "we make our own stuff". Is someone claiming that? Most companies don't comment on it.
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Dodo Juice's slogan is "Home of Handmade Car Care." They very well may make everything themselves, I'm not sure.

I would be interested to know how involved some manufacturers really are in creating their products or if they're just mixing a bunch of pre-made chemicals together. I'm sure most companies really aren't going to South America and scraping wax off of trees...like these guys did back in the day [S.C. Johnson Wax]:

carnuba1.jpg
 
Setec Astronomy said:
My crystal ball says this thread is going to crash and burn, but be that as it may, you don't think a company like Meguiar's makes all their own products?

EDIT: There is also the fine line of companies that do not have the blending/bottling equipment, but could be creating their own formulas and having them blended/bottled elsewhere...are they "making" their own products, if they come up with and control the formula but subcontract the blending/bottling?
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Meguiar's has been owned by 3M for several years. I think 3M can make their own mixes.
 
Who cares, as long as you like what you use. It make no difference who makes it, other than price.
 
This has been hashed out on plenty of forums including this one. There is a difference between a manufacturer (like Meguiar's), and companies like Poorboy's, Zaino, Adams, etc., which don't have their own manufacturing facilities. Whether companies that don't have their own manufacturing facilities "make their own stuff" or are considered manufacturers is a matter of opinion, interpretation, marketing, etc.
 
Some go to companies like Warner Chemicals for tweaked products, they offer private labeling.

Some make their own, find best product at your price and all is good.
 
There are some companies that obviously make their own. Like menzerna makes their own polishes and swissvax makes all of their products.

Now my Canadian supplier actually nows a thing or too about this stuff.

Zymol, has two umbrellas for their company. Some zymol stuff you buy, like at canadian tire or OTC are actually re-branded turtle wax products. The other stuff is Zymol formulas; $30k wax better be made by them.

A lot of stuff under the PBMG shares formulas and is the same product, just a different die and scent.

For example LC snappy clean pad cleaner and DP pad cleaner are they exact same product, just in a different package.

Majority of the PBMG clay lube is the same, just different colours. You will either get: clear, cloudy, or yellow.

As far as in how manufacturing goes, a lot of companies will blend their own waxes, but other stuff is outsourced for private labelling. For example CG may go to a chemical company, wanting an APC that smells like "X", company will blend and make this for them.

I really dont see this as a bad thing honestly, if it keeps the costs down and increases availability, I am all for it. Not to mention, you are getting a much better product.
 
Andr3wilson said:
There are some companies that obviously make their own. Like menzerna makes their own polishes and swissvax makes all of their products.
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Swissvax does not make all of their stuff.



Regarding this topic, I've said it many times before as others have, who cares who is making a product line or private labeling or whatever? As long as the final product in your hands works and works as advertised, that's all that should matter. People get so caught up on who makes this or that and they loose sight of what's important, the final product.
 
Im interested in this thread simply for the fact of why buy "x" product at a certain price, when "y" product may indeed be the same exact product in a diff bottle with diff label, for a lower cost

I had started a thread asking and addressing these questions, however it was not a brand sold on AG so the thread was closed.
 
I don't care who actually makes something.

Works great, low price. That's what's important. (But I will admit that I do buy Fuzion)

And if it smells nice that's a free bonus.
 
oldmodman said:
I don't care who actually makes something.

Works great, low price. That's what's important. (But I will admit that I do buy Fuzion)

And if it smells nice that's a free bonus.
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Fuzion re-labeled Turtle Wax.:buffing:
 
In Philadelphia Pennsylvania there is a company ARDEX that has a lab and I believe makes their own products but sales other company products and equipment but as far as chemical I believe that all bottled (ARDEX) products are theirs
 
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