SINVOCHEM: Shaping a Professional Agrochemical Adjuvants and Synergist Supplier

Founded in 2008, as a leading Chinese high-tech enterprise engaged in the research, production and marketing of formulate-in and tank-mix adjuvants, SINVOCHEM has, today, grown into a professional agrochemical adjuvants and synergist supplier with businesses in South East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and parts of South America.

What is the mystery behind its rapid growth? With this question in mind, AgroPages conducted an exclusive interview with Dr. James Qin, CTO and founder of SINVOCHEM, who shared SINVOCHEM’s thoughts on business deployment, product features, innovation initiatives, strategic collaboration and development planning. These thoughts explained how SINVOCHEM could incorporate innovation, service and sustainability in its development strategy, to make itself an internationally-competitive agrochemical adjuvants and synergist supplier.

"Looking into the future, SINVOCHEM will continue its adherence to its customer application scenario-oriented technical innovation strategy, and will make sustained investments on R&D in cooperation with customers, while focusing on the establishment of an application scenario simulation system. We will make efforts to develop the molecular structure design-focused polycarboxylate and polyether polyol formulate-in adjuvants, as well as tank-mix adjuvants that enhances pesticide delivery in vivo,” Dr. Qin stressed.

Q1. Please briefly introduce SINVOCHEM’s major business and global presence.

SINVOCHEM is a high-tech enterprise engaged in research, production and marketing of formulate-in and tank-mix adjuvants. Its annual investment on research and innovation accounts for 5-8% of its total turnover. SINVOCHEM has established a research platform which can synthesize new molecular adjuvants and mimic formulation production or spraying scenario. Supported by a constantly-learning and innovative technical team, SINVOCHEM has become China's leading agrochemical adjuvants and synergist player.
 
Our company has currently served nearly 600 customers worldwide, covering Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and part of South America. In order to better serve customers, we have assisted local agents and terminal customers to establish or upgrade their agrochemical laboratories, or provided them with technical training. We are pleased to see the sustained improvement of product quality and research capacity of our partners, whose products and services are highly praised by local customers in the pesticide industry.

Q2. Could you talk about SINVOCHEM’s product series&special strengths, and current application situations? What are the challenges in product development and market extension and possible solutions?

SINVOCHEM adheres to its people oriented policy and environmental-friendly design philosophy when developing pesticide adjuvants.

Our product covers formulate-in and tank-mix adjuvants, including polymeric carboxylates, block polyethers, naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde condensates and wetting dispersants, such as non-ionic polyether, sulfonate and phosphate. Our company's advanced controllable polymerization technology can precisely control product molecular structures. The polycarboxylate dispersant series produced by our company include SP-27001, which improves the processing efficiency of SC formulations; SP-OD3498D, which effectively inhibits crystal growth during the storage of OD formulations to improve stability; SP-3275 which presents high electrolyte tolerance and low temperature tolerance of SC formulations to ensure compatibility with different tank-mix formulations; and SP-DF2222, which realizes high temperature torlence in the processing of DF formulations. So far, the polycarboxylate series have been successfully applied to pesticide formulations SC, FS, OD, SE, CS, EW, WG, WP and DF etc..

The life cycle transfer process of pesticide molecules includes dispersion or emulsification, air transfer of pesticide liquid from nozzle to the targeted surface, interface delivery on the target. Our company can mimic foregoing process with application scenarios systems. For example, DF piloting system can accurately simulate real industrial processing; low-speed wind tunnel system can simulate spraying scenario and obtain parameters including droplet size, drift, bound-off, evaporation etc.; data collecting and processing system enable us a better understanding on how to improve pesticide transfer efficacy by tuning formulation components or spray conditions.

We have launched a series of tank mix adjuvants, such as tank-mix compatible phosphate adjuvants SP-42059, which is suitable for the mixed use of pesticides with chemical fertilizers; vegetable oil adjuvant, SP-4506, which effectively reduces the rate of evaporation and increases droplet deposition while keeping modest wetting, spreading and anti-drifting; trisiloxane silicone polyether SP-4026 which presents good compatibility with soybean oil and methyl oleate and significantly improves droplet anti-splashing and spread properties at the dose of 0.03%; SP-4806 which promotes the transfer of pesticide molecules to plant for better delivery efficacy.

Marketing of novel pesticide molecules has become more and more difficult, whilst a mixture of products or higher efficacy of formulation is appreciated. However, it is a challenging job to develop stable formulation with special technicals such as low melting point,high water solubility or easy decomposition properties. Moreover, target plant characteristics, weather conditions and spraying skills play an important role on pesticide efficacy, so formulation properties should be fine tuned according to application scenarios.

Fortunately, SINVOCHEM has established an application scenario simulation platform which adapts for formulation processing or spraying under mimicking real conditions. Parameters will be collected and processed, thus giving a helpful guildline for modest formulation component. Thanks to application scenarios simulation platform, the massive data thereof drives us to better understand the structure relationship between adjuvants and pesticide molecule. All of these support SINVOCHEM to be one of leading surfactant suppliers who can self-dependently design and industrialize adjuvant structure. It is foreseeable that, based on the optimization of existing adjuvant series, SINVOCHEM will definitely continue its new adjuvants which can smoothly promote formulation processing and effectively improve transfer efficacy of pesticide.

Q3. What kind of product development improvement have you made to cope with the changes in Chinese agrochemical market?

In 2016, Chinese government launched a plan which announced the amount of pesticide or fertilizer should be decreased by the end of 2020, and also listed restrictions on 76 kinds of hazardous solvents or adjuvants. Given the aging of farming labors , drone spraying technology has developed rapidly in China. Accordingly, less diluted formulation or multi- formulation mixture is needed for spray. It requries new formulation properties and new adjuvant to keep dilution stable. SINVOCHEM has actively released several environmental-friendly adjuvants to meet the demands, such as SP-503LE, SP-107LE( non-ionic adjuvant series), which can replace the conventional NP series to be used in pesticide emulsifiable concentrate. A complete evaluation and characterization platform allows for lab simulation of aerial spraying scenario, collection and analysis of performance data of the pesticide molecular transfer process, which in turn guide the adjuvant structural adjustment and product combination, ensuring improved pesticide molecular target deposition rate and biological activity.

SINVOCHEM has established a scenarios-oriented application platform which can simulate spraying or formulation scenarios parameters, thus then collecting and processing data. This platform can help us better understand how to improve pesticide efficacy. For example, multi-functional optical stabilizer Turbiscan can monitor the stability of different formulations after mixing; optical thin-film evaporator can quickly simulate and determine the evaporation rate of pesticide liquid in a specific environment; high-speed camera can capture the rebound status of droplets hitting the target surface; low-speed wind tunnel system can simulate the wind field environment to test droplet size, drifting and deposition status; and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry can analyze the biological activity of pesticide on the target. Based on this aerial application scenario platform, SINVOCHEM has launched its aerial pesticide application-product series. 

Q4. In your opinion, what are the driving factors to formulation innovation? What measures has your company taken to promote innovation? And what do you think of the role of adjuvant in formulation innovation?

Formulation’s innovation is rooted in formulation processing and application scenarios such as spraying, target tissue properties and weather conditions. A good formulation should encompass smooth processing, storage stability, good deposition rate and high biological activity on the target. SINVOCHEM has strengthened adjuvant and formulation innovation platform which includes formulation evaluation system, new molecular adjuvant design and industrialization, scenario-oriented application data collecting and processing unit, high-frequency interaction with customers. Foregoing abilities help SINVOCHEM to better understand customer difficulties and develop new adjuvants. In the circle life of pesticide transfer, adjuvants play a critical role in formulation processing and efficacy delivery. SINVOCHEM still concentrates on the abilities construction in innovation platform.

Q5. So far, who have your partners been? What are the cooperation models?

SINVOCHEM is dedicated to becoming a professional agrochemical adjuvants and synergist supplier. Adjuvant product is a tangible form connecting SINVOCHEM with customers, whilst customized service is the priority of constructing relationship with end users.

For this reason, SINVOCHEM is continuously updating the customer scenario-oriented application platform which can collect and process data covering pesticide life circle from formulation, droplet air transfer, interface interaction on the target to translocation in vivo. SINVOCHEM also conducted technical training courses both online and offline, facilitating a platform for timely and effective customer service. So far, SINVOCHEM has established cooperation with more than 70% of China’s top 100 pesticide enterprises. Meanwhile, in-depth cooperation has been initiated with major dealers and pesticide formulation manufacturers in Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and part of South America. 

Q6. What do you think of the changes in the global agrochemical industry? How will SINVOCHEM position and prepare itself to usher in the new challenges and new opportunities brought by the industry consolidation and the changes?

By now, pesticide administration is becoming stricter and stricter while the discovery of novel chemical pesticide molecules has become more and more difficult. On the other side, biopesticide has attracted more attention. In the meantime, pesticide enterprises are collaborating with each other more closely, with the occurrence of intensified mergers and acquisitions. Under the complex circumstance in the agriculture industry, we think that we should be in customer’s shoes and provide all-in-one solution to our customers as soon as possible. SINVOCHEM will consistantly follow the principle of scenario-oriented application and invest more on R&D to strengthen our ability in developing new adjuvants and technical service.

On the other side,we will also engage in field test with our customers and focus on updating scenario-oriented simulation platform, in the aim of tailor-made service. Furthermore, we will continue to upgrade the safety of production process and consistent product quality, providing satisfied all-in- one solution and meeting the demands of end-users so as to consolidate ourself in the changeful market.

Q7. Could you please describe the development planning and the future vision of your company？

Based on the principle of scenario-oriented application, we will continue to strengthen research on the process of pesticide circle, including dispersion or emulsification, droplet air transfer, interface interaction on the target and translocation in vivo. The built-up of data will promote us to better understand relationship between pesticide, adjuvants, spraying, target properties and weather conditions, further support us on new adjuvants development or new solutions for improved efficacy.

Furthermore, we will continue to adhere to enviroment-friendly principle and insist on exploring new biodegradable adjuvants and correstponding continous processing. All in all, we are aiming to provide tailored-in support for the sustainable development of agrochemical industry.

If you are interested in cooperation with SINVOCHEM, please contact:

Alex. Lee |SINVOCHEM
Email: alex@sinvochem.com
Tel: 0086-15094373731


This INTERVIEW was initially published in AgroPages '2020 Formulation & Adjuvant Technology' magazine. Download it to read more articles.