US specialty chemicals company for oleochemicals, formulations, and cleaning and surface treatment solutions
Vantage Specialty Chemicals, Inc.
Chicago, IL (USA) · Gurnee, IL (USA)New on Amplifa
About Vantage Specialty Chemicals
Vantage Specialty Chemicals is a US specialty chemicals company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company develops and produces oleochemical products, custom formulations, and highly specialized cleaning and surface treatment solutions. Core business areas are Personal Care, Pharma (including API glycerin per ICH Q7/cGMP as well as polyethylene glycols), Food (release agents and spray equipment for large bakeries), Surface Treatment (Surface Treatment Technologies), and Household & Industrial Cleaning, Agriculture, Lubricants, Water Treatment, Mining, and Textiles. The Performance Materials division has been manufacturing fully formulated process cleaners, paint and coating removers, and surface pretreatment products for aerospace, military, electronics, and high-reliability industries for over 40 years. More than 80% of the solutions are bio-based, derived from natural oils, waxes, and fats; over 2,000 custom formulations are developed in a worldwide network of 15 laboratories. The products are distributed worldwide and are approved among others by the U.S. Air Force, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, United Airlines, and Embraer.
- Site
- Chicago, IL (USA)
- Processes
- Precision Cleaning, Process Cleaning Solutions (fully-formulated process cleaning solutions), Coating Remover / Paint and Coating Removers (e.g., B&B 9095, B&B 3095, APR 2195, IPR 9323,, Polysulfide Sealant Remover (B&B 5151-B/M), Temporary Protective Coating Remover (iTPC 37), Belly Tape Remover (BTR 130), Surface Pretreatment / Inhibited Surface Adhesion Promoter (iSAP 311, pretreatment before painting), Prepaint Corrosion Remover and Etchant (B&B PCR-1640, etching before painting)
- Materials
- Glycerin (VYCERIN API Glycerin, USP), Polyethylene Glycols (PEGs), Oleochemicals / natural oils, waxes and fats, API Glycerin (VYCERIN API Glycerin, USP), Natural Oils, Waxes and Fats, Solvent- and Water-Based Cleaners (AXAREL, BIOACT, LENIUM, HYDREX, CleanSafe)
- Certificates
- Military/Aerospace approvals (including MIL-PRF-32587, MIL-PRF-85570E,, API Glycerin per ICH Q7 and cGMP (VYCERIN™ API Glycerin, USP), MIL-Specs / Aerospace & Defense Approvals, ICH Q7 / cGMP (API Glycerin), ISO 9001
- Founded
- 2008
- Employees
- ~1000
- Industries
- Personal Care & Beauty, Food/Industrial Baking, Pharma, Surface Treatment Technologies (Aerospace, Defense, Electronics,, Household & Industrial Cleaning (HI&I), Agriculture
- 01
Formulation development (Custom Formulation, 2000+ formulations)
- 02
Manufacturing of oleochemical products and specialty chemicals
- 03
Packaging of process cleaners, removers, and surface pretreatment products
- 04
Approval and conformance testing (aerospace, military, electronics)
- 05
Worldwide distribution with technical support and application lab network
Materials & Processes
API Glycerin (VYCERIN API Glycerin, USP)
Pharmaceutical glycerin per ICH Q7 and cGMP for pharmaceutical and healthcare applications.
Polyethylene Glycols (PEGs)
Multifunctional excipients and auxiliaries for the pharmaceutical industry.
Natural Oils, Waxes and Fats
Bio-based raw materials for over 80% of the solutions, from surfactants to release agents.
Solvent- and Water-Based Cleaners (AXAREL, BIOACT, LENIUM, HYDREX, CleanSafe)
Formulated cleaning chemistry for metals, plastics, and electronic components.
Locations
Chicago, IL
USHeadquarters
Gurnee, IL
USVantage Performance Materials – Production of STT cleaning and surface treatment products
- Materials
- Solvent- and aqueous cleaners, paint removers, surface pretreatment products
Solutions & Applications
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precision CleaningSurface | – | – | – | – | Metals, Plastics, Electronic Components |
| Process Cleaning Solutions (fully-formulated process cleaning solutions)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Coating Remover / Paint and Coating Removers (e.g., B&B 9095, B&B 3095, APR 2195, IPR 9323,Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Polysulfide Sealant Remover (B&B 5151-B/M)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Temporary Protective Coating Remover (iTPC 37)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Belly Tape Remover (BTR 130)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Surface Pretreatment / Inhibited Surface Adhesion Promoter (iSAP 311, pretreatment before painting)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Prepaint Corrosion Remover and Etchant (B&B PCR-1640, etching before painting)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Aircraft Exterior Cleaning (B&B JET 7, RE-GEL, 1995, 8525, Contact X/E/XL)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| On-Wing Engine / Gas Path Turbine Cleaning (B&B 3100, TC-100, TC-100N-3)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Solvent Cleaning / Degreasing (AXAREL series, BIOACT 105/108/145, MIL-PRF-680)Surface | – | – | – | – | Metals, Steel, Aluminum, Plastics |
| Aqueous Cleaning (CleanSafe series, spray, immersion, ultrasonics)Surface | – | – | – | – | Steel, Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Copper, Brass, Bronze |
| Vapor Degreasing (LENIUM FHD, HFT, GS, ES, FS, MVS1, RZ2)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Co-/Bi-Solvent Vapor Degreasing (LENIUM RZ2 + SOLVAG SA-24)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Defluxing of PCBAs (inline, batch, spray-in-air systems; BIOACT EC-88, EC-78, EC-3G, EC-7R,Surface | – | – | – | – | Electronics/PCBA |
| Stencil/Misprint Cleaning (HYDREX SC-2075, SP-50, SC-30)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pallet/Oven/Wave Solder Cleaning (HYDREX EMC-20, EMC-44)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manual Cleaning / Hand-Wipe (BIOACT 105 Wipes, AXAREL 1000/4100/6100, RE-ENTRY Prepsolv)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Masking Wax Removal / Wax Removal (BIOACT 280/280E, AEROWAX MT)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of Oil-/Water-Based Release Agents (Release Agents, e.g., OptiRelease Cake)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Formulation Development / Custom Formulation (2000+ formulations)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Approvals
Vantage STT products are approved by the U.S. Air Force, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, United Airlines, Embraer, and Tinker AFB and meet MIL specifications (including MIL-PRF-32587, MIL-PRF-85570E, MIL-PRF-680, MIL-PRF-85704). Pharma products are manufactured per ICH Q7 and cGMP.
| Evidence | Gurnee, IL |
|---|---|
| MIL-Specs / Aerospace & Defense Approvals | |
| ICH Q7 / cGMP (API Glycerin) | |
| ISO 9001 |
Company History
- 2008
Founded through acquisition of the US business of Uniqema (from Croda International) by H.I.G. Capital; acquisition of Lambent Technologies (becomes Performance Materials Unit)
- 2010
Acquisition of Lipo Chemicals (becomes the Personal Care Unit)
- 2012
H.I.G. sells Vantage to The Jordan Company
- 2016
Acquisition of Mallet & Co. (baking, becomes the Foods Unit)
- 2017
H.I.G. reacquires the majority stake on October 26, 2017 via leveraged buy-out; Jordan retains a minority stake
- 2025
~$1B global sales; ~1000 employees; Jack Ingold joins as General Counsel (May 2025)