Exploring a new service model for supplying specialty chemicals

This project builds on the existing literature of service quality measurement in a business-to-business (B2B) market. A three-part, 30 question customer survey was developed to measure service satisfaction of pulp and paper manufacturers in reference to their preferred specialty chemical supplier. The fundamental question to be answered was: for lower chemical product pricing, would the pulp and paper manufacturers consider a 'pay-for-service' or a 'low-service' business model? This is a non-traditional approach to the B2B interaction since specialty chemical suppliers currently offer their services for free with the purchase of the chemical, albeit at higher prices. A detailed literature review was performed to help structure the survey questions with standard statistical tools used to analyze the data. In general, the services provided by the specialty chemical suppliers were rated highly but most rejected the newly proposed model. The data did, however, highlight areas for improved customer satisfaction and strategic growth.