CJB Applied Technologies: Continues to Invest and Add Services and Capabilities to Benefit Customers

″CJB Applied Technologies DOES NOT market its own chemistry products. It sources best-in-class chemistry from a plethora of global suppliers to make sure its customers have the best chemistry fit for their products. Customers are never handcuffed or tied to a CJB product," said Jim Loar, Chief Commercial Officer, CJB Applied Technologies in a recent interview with AgroPages.

Jim also introduced the overview of CJB Applied Technologies and its core competitiveness, the application situation of Benzyl Alcohol, state-of-the-art technology center, as well as the development plan of CJB Applied Technologies.

Jim Loar
Chief Commercial Officer, CJB Applied Technologies

Please introduce CJB Applied Technologies, its global presence and core competitiveness.

CJB Applied Technologies, LLC was founded in 2015 and is a member of the CJB family of companies. All CJB companies are privately held and trace their roots back over 25 years. CJB companies provide contract chemical manufacturing, contract formulations, and product and process development services. And Salvus™, the newest CJB company, provides chemical and biological detection technology for numerous applications across a multitude of industry sectors.

CJB Applied Technologies is a contract product development services company (″CDMO″) specializing in agricultural and specialty chemicals projects. Global multi-national and start-up companies alike look to CJB Applied Technologies for innovation and efficiency in their product development process. Backed by decades of experience, our team works with customers to develop successful formulations and products and bring them to the marketplace quickly and effectively. We provide them with full-service capabilities that include project development, formulation, testing, scale-up and packaging. Our cutting-edge technologies and instrumentation are available to help customers assess characteristics, quality and performance throughout the development process.

What sets CJB Applied Technologies apart?

CJB Applied Technologies DOES NOT market its own chemistry products. It sources best-in-class chemistry from a plethora of global suppliers to make sure its customers have the best chemistry fit for their products. Customers are never handcuffed or tied to a CJB product.

Within the CJB industry-leading pilot plant, we work with customers to test and confirm lab-scale hypotheses and mitigate risks associated with industrial-scale production.

Our Team KNOWS ag and has experience in R&D-based companies, generic companies, distribution and retail companies, and farming operations.

Could you describe the application situation of Benzyl Alcohol in the agrochemical field? How can Benzyl Alcohol help growers get more out of the products protecting their crops, and how can agrochemical companies incorporate it into their formulations to enhance the performance of their active ingredients?

The discovery, development, registration and patenting of benzyl alcohol as an inert ingredient for agricultural formulations grew out of the innovative work at CJB Applied Technologies to find tools that could help combat insensitivity and pest resistance to ag formulations. CJB Applied Technologies tested and documented enhanced ag product performance with the addition of benzyl alcohol in a number of ag formulations. Thus, the patentability. With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granting a crop tolerance exemption for benzyl alcohol, formulators across the ag space can now formulate it in their in-can formulations and adjuvant products.

CJB Applied Technologies intends to make its benzyl alcohol know-how, patent and registration available through licensing agreements to all interested ag formulators. The innovation is an opportunity for CJB to add value to its customer base and the ag industry. Contact CJB at jloar@cjbappliedtech.com or 415.652.2345 to learn more.

Could you introduce your company's state-of-the-art technology center? What benefits will it have on your business development?

CJB Applied Technologies moved into its state-of-the-art technology center in mid-2020. The facilities include a chemical formulations lab, a biological safety lab with level 2 certification for biological products development, a well-equipped analytical lab for project support and testing, and pilot plant assets for product and process scale-up. The center also has a greenhouse, staging warehouse and business support facilities. Customers can look to CJB companies to provide services from idea, through development, to scale-up and at-scale manufacturing – a unique position in ag and specialty chemicals circles.

Could you share today’s general challenges of the crop protection industry where CJB Applied Technologies could offer support? What impact did these challenges have on your clients’ and your own company’s business?

The Covid pandemic and ensuing supply chain challenges uncovered frailty in many ag and specialty chemical companies. CJB Applied Technologies rose to the challenge of Covid and helped numerous customers re-formulate products, qualify new technical and inert sources, as well as continue development when other labs and operations were shuttered and working from home.

Beyond the pandemic and supply chain challenges, a burgeoning challenge is emerging based on the need and desire for the ag industry to bring new biological products to market. Biologicals present new challenges such as formulation stability, shelf-life concerns, on-farm tank-mix realities, and performance. CJB Applied Technologies can and is helping biological innovators tackle these challenges. As the biological products sector grows, CJB Applied Technologies will grow with it.

What’s the development plan of CJB Applied Technologies?

CJB Applied Technologies has and will continue to invest and add services and capabilities to benefit our customers. Since the opening of the technology center, in mid-2020:

• The team has doubled in size.
  

• New analytical equipment has been added.
  

• The biological safety lab has been equipped with the tools necessary to process diverse biological projects.
  

• Chemical storage, packaging assets and a new 45L mill have been added in the pilot plant to enhance efficiency and service.
  

• A staging warehouse has been constructed to provide for risk-mitigating project staging and pilot plant de-cluttering and safety.
  

The long-term vision for the technology center is to grow the talent base at CJB Applied Technologies, as well as the suite of services provided. With our facility sitting on 10.5 acres of land, we’ve secured adequate room for expansion.

If you'd like to share your company's story and products/solutions. Please contact Grace Yuan via: grace@agropages.com