Chemical management services (CMS) are a range of chemical management activities that are contracted to a chemical service provider, or Tier 1 supplier. A chemical service provider may be a chemical supplier, waste hauler, or environmental engineering firm that offers a range of services to manage your company's chemicals. They may purchase and deliver chemicals, maintain the inventory, and track MSDS's, implement process efficiency improvement, collect data for environmental monitoring and reporting, and manage waste collection and disposal operations.

The CMS Forum defines chemical management services as:

A strategic, long-term relationship in which a customer contracts with a service provider to supply and manage the customer's chemicals and related services. Under a CMS contract, the provider's compensation is tied primarily to quantity and quality of services delivered, not chemical volume. CMS goes beyond invoicing and delivering product to optimizing processes, continuously reducing chemical lifecycle costs and risk, and reducing environmental impact.

These chemical services are often performed more effectively and at a lower cost than companies can do by themselves.

The manufacturer gains a partner in its efforts to manage chemicals more efficiently; the supplier becomes an integral part of the business by providing a differentiated, value-added service. If you think your company is interested in chemical services, click here to see the benefits for Manufacturers.