Your line card grows with every manufacturer you sign up to represent, but the people who know it don't multiply. So hard inquiries queue behind one or two experts. Two changes in 2026 make that queue more expensive.
Every new manufacturer adds hundreds of grades. Matching a grade by specification, finding the current data sheet, or remembering last month's price usually needs the same senior people. When they're travelling, the inquiry waits.
Customers judge you on speed and on getting documents right. The manufacturers you represent judge you on reports, rebate claims and how much of their range you sell. Both kinds of request land on the same desks.
More customers are reformulating. About half of specialty chemical companies say they've reformulated or phased out products containing chemicals of concern, so more inquiries ask "what's your equivalent?", which is the hardest kind to answer fast. Source: L.E.K. Consulting, May 2026
Manufacturers want specialists. They increasingly favour distributors who bring technical knowledge and formulation support. Source: L.E.K. Consulting, May 2026
