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FAQ
Contact a Contract Chemical Manufacturer in the UK
Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to questions we are frequently asked. If you have a specific enquiry, or require any help or clarification, please get in touch with us using the contact details below.
enquiries@exwold.com
Phone Number
+44 (0)1429 230340
Main Address
PO Box 270, Brenda Road, Hartlepool, TS25 2BW, UK
Key FAQ Topics
Getting Started
View some of our most frequently asked questions about the services we offer at Exwold.
Services
View some of our most frequently asked questions about how to get started with Exwold.
Quality & Compliance
View some of our most frequently asked questions about quality and compliance at Exwold
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Getting Started
Where are you based?
We have five manufacturing sites which are all based in the North East of England near the town of Hartlepool.
This area has exceptional transport links to the rest of the UK and Europe.
Which industries do you serve?
We primarily serve the Crop Protection, Speciality Chemicals, and Coatings sectors, providing expert contract formulation for herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides within dedicated facilities designed to eliminate cross-contamination. Our expertise extends across diverse industrial markets—from Home & Garden and Biocides to Flame Retardants and Polymer Additives—and we offer bespoke processing for the Aviation, Oilfield, and Construction industries. Whether you need small-scale trials or large-scale commercial production, we support global chemical partners across everything from agricultural biotech to high-performance industrial manufacturing.
Do you only work with UK-based companies, or do you serve international clients?
While our five specialised manufacturing sites are proudly located in the North East of England, we serve a global client base.
Do you sell your own products?
No. Exwold specialises in contract manufacture and in order to avoid any conflicts of interest with our clients, we have chosen to specialise only in contract processing and do not offer our own products.
What is your minimum order quantity for processing?
Exwold typically works in the 10 to 1000 tonnes range for clients but processes can be evaluated and adapted on a case by case basis depending on process requirements.
Our pilot facility allows us to produce trial quantities and the High Active Herbicide facility is designed to produce in volumes of 100Kgs upwards.
What is your typical lead time from initial enquiry to first production?
Our lead times vary depending on the complexity of your project and whether it requires initial trials. For new projects, the timeline includes a technical review and sampling phase. If Technical Development Centre (TDC) trials are required, these typically take 6 to 8 weeks. However, depending on the level of technical input needed, safety requirements (such as REACH), and plant availability, lead time to the plant can be as little as 4 weeks. Once you have an approved sample and all necessary certifications are in place, we work closely with you to slot your production into our schedule as efficiently as possible.
Do you offer pilot-scale trials before moving to full commercial production?
Absolutely. We believe that 'getting it right' at a small scale is the best way to save time and money. Our Technical Development Centre is specifically designed for this purpose. We can run laboratory and pilot-scale evaluations (often starting with batches as small as 25kg) to prove the process and ensure the product meets your specifications. These trials give you the confidence that the technology is scalable before we commit to a full-scale commercial manufacturing run.
How do you handle Intellectual Property (IP) and Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)?
As a pure contract manufacturer, we don’t sell our own products, which means your intellectual property is never in competition with us. We treat your property with the highest level of confidentiality. Before any sensitive technical data is exchanged, we typically put a Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) in place. This ensures that your formulations and processes are legally protected, allowing us to have the open, transparent technical discussions needed to get your product right.
Services
I know I want a granule made but not sure of how, can you help me?
Our technical team can help to determine which technology is best using their expert granulation knowledge and by asking a few simple questions such as granule size, specific physical properties required and application. From this they will suggest the best options to fulfil your needs.
The Technical Development centre can be used to assess whether this technology produces your desired granule and can support customer trials.
Can you perform batch processing?
Exwold specialises in batch processing. Batch sizes vary from a few hundred kilograms to tens of tonnes. We also have continuous processing available with extrusion processes.
Can you purchase raw materials for clients as well as manufacture?
Typically our customers prefer to source their own materials but Exwold is willing and able to source raw materials when required.
Our purchasing department can offer expert assistance in sourcing raw materials and packing requirements.
Can you carry out multi-stage processing?
Yes our expertise and flexible plants allow us to combine processing technologies, for example, we regularly combine blending with our granulation capabilities.
Can you process foodstuffs and pharmaceutical products?
Our expertise is in the speciality chemical and agrochemical markets and as a consequence. Exwold does not currently offer services to the food or pharmaceutical markets.
Would you be prepared to buy capital equipment to meet a client’s processing needs?
At Exwold we regularly work with customers in this way and our engineering team can offer in-house expertise in plant modifications and design.
With our clients we have jointly invested over £4 million in plant and equipment.
How much will you charge me?
We look to offer competitive rates and, since every processing job is bespoke, we evaluate every opportunity on a case by case basis.
We are able to provide indicative prices at early stages of discussion to ensure project viability.
Can you provide supply product with 2D matrix labelling?
Yes. We have been investing in this capability following the regulatory requirement to include this when supplying crop protection products to countries such as France and Turkey.
What type of packing does Exwold provide?
Exwold offers packing as an added value to bulk manufacture. We often hold the bulk in stock providing the ultimate flexibility to pack off as required.
We can pack small bottles for high active herbicides (100-1000g).
We are used to handling multiple packing SKUs for products and we pack from 1kg to 1000kgs in a variety of packaging types, including jerricans, paper and foil bags, kegs, FIBCs and bottles.
Can you process solvents?
We tend to work mostly in aqueous phase, but can evaluate opportunities with solvents which have a flash point of >60°.
Quality & Compliance
Should we have concerns regarding contamination?
This is of critical importance to Exwold and it is the most asked question by our clients.
We have sophisticated clean-down procedures for every piece of processing plant and all our plants are accredited with ISO 9001/14001 status.
We operate a plant dedicated to high active herbicides and have warehousing and manufacturing separation between herbicides and insecticides.
Products are tested by a third party analytical company to detect residual impurities to low ppm levels.
Can we visit Exwold to perform an audit?
We welcome all our clients to our sites so they can perform audits. We have accreditation to ISO 9001/14001/45001 standards and are looking for continuous improvements in our quality systems, so encourage all customer feedback.
What quality, environmental and health and safety systems do you operate?
Exwold is certified to the ISO 9001/14001 standards.
In 2019 Exwold gained ISO 45001.
Is Exwold sustainable?
Yes. Sustainability is a core focus at Exwold. We continuously invest in renewable energy, such as the solar panels at our Tofts Farm plant, and are actively installing new equipment across all sites to reduce plastic waste and environmental impact.
View Service Guides
Exwold Mixing & Blending
Discover more about our mixing and blending processes. Click here.
The Extrusion Process
Read more about granule production by radial extrusion. Click here.
Exwold Sieving
Learn about sieving to grade material and remove contamination. Click here.
Impregnation & Coating
Access full details on coating and impregantion by liquid absorption. Click here.
Roll Compaction Process
Read more about low-cost granule production by roll compaction. Click here.