Buchem

Porous polymer

Buchem BV is the only producer in the world for a unique porous polymer, TENAX® which is being used to catch and analyze volatile organic components. This product is being used worldwide, through ISO regulation, to test if working environments for people are healthy, or if the air contains too many wrong components. This can be the case in the automobile industry, on industrial parks, but also in spaces where people are locked together for a long period, such as submarines and space crafts. That’s why the product will also be used for future Mars missions.

Rapid growth through big technological and chemical knowledge

Buchem also produces stable isotopes besides Tenax which, for example, are used in Academic hospitals and research laboratories. Buchem is also distributer of CIL-isotopes (CIL: Cambridge Isotope Laboratories). The company also produces labeled vitamins, such as the labeled vitamin A. Besides the main office in Apeldoorn Buchem also has offices in Leiden. The company was taken over by its current owner, mister Aelmans in 2014. With thirteen employees and a revenue of almost two million euros. It’s a quick growing company, caused by a good combination of technological and chemical knowledge. Especially flow reactors play a large part in this. These reactors, which are being used for production, are very safe. 

Among the company’s clients are academic hospitals, chemical multinationals and research institutes. The company gains new clients when multinationals ask Buchem for a solution, for example. Buchem takes part of conferences to raise awareness of stable isotopes among new researchers, supported with a webshop. 

80% of total production is for export. Canada, US, South-Korea, Japan and China are the most important countries. In the future Buchem wants to develop a technological platform to server their clients. It will have beneficial effects especially for clients abroad. Aelmans is most proud of the flow reactor’s introduction, they really made a big impression in a lot of countries.