Frequently Asked Questions - About NOVACHEM

Here are some of the questions about NOVACHEM that come up most frequently in our conversations with processors of thermoplastic materials:

What is NOVACHEM's history?
Will you come to visit our molding plant?
What are the terms of your Performance Guarantee?
Will you send us a free sample of purging compound?
What is your policy on Blanket Orders?
Why do we get mail from you that's addressed to people that are long gone?
Are you related to Nova Chemicals?

Q: What is NOVACHEM's history?
A: NOVACHEM is an innovative company specializing in high performance purging products and technology. Headquartered in Bridgeport, Connecticut, we service the thermoplastics processing industry with a trained staff of sales, service and application engineering personnel. Collectively, we represent a team with many years of experience working alongside plastics processors to resolve purging problems.
Purging is our only business. Since 1989, we have manufactured and distributed what we are convinced are the most effective and best supported purging products in the world! Our original Novapurge Chemical Purging Compound product line set a new standard for performance, quality and cost-effectiveness when we entered the field. Our SuperNova™ Chemical Purging Compound product line, introduced in 1992, brought additional benefits of operator-friendliness, FDA regulatory compliance and ease of use to the market. Since then we have addressed the special issues of polycarbonate processors and extrusion blow molding operators by introducing our specialized SuperNova CX and SuperNova XB grades.
NOVACHEM is proud to set the standard in purging products and we plan to remain in this role by continuing to solve our customers' purging problems with rapid response and high value products.

Q: Will you come to visit our molding plant?
A: Unfortunately, it's not practical for us to visit each of our customers. We are a small, highly specialized company and we work closely and directly with many hundreds of polymer processors throughout the U.S.A. and internationally. Our small group of highly trained Technical Sales representatives could not devote to each customer the attention the situation demands if they were spending the lion's share of their time in airports and rental cars!
Our decade in the purging compound business has convinced us, however, that it is completely feasible to provide effective support for our purging products over the telephone. In fact, it's even better for you the customer. If you have a question concerning our products that is not answered fully on this Web Site, a call to our toll-free number (1-800-762-3984) will get you an immediate answer from your Tech Rep (or a prompt call back with the answer). You don't have to wait for a salesperson that is on the road to get around to returning his/her calls.
Our high performance purging compounds and telephone support have proven highly compatible. After you work with us for a while, we believe you'll agree.

Q: What are the terms of your Performance Guarantee?
A: Our no-risk performance guarantee is straightforward and simple: SuperNova™ Chemical Purging Compound, when used in accordance with NOVACHEM's instructions and application support, is guaranteed to perform to your satisfaction or we will cancel our invoice (if unpaid) or refund your payment.

Q: Will you send us a free sample of purging compound?
When we send our product out, along with the pellets in the box we are sending our comitment to you. We will work closely with you and your production staff to make the introduction of our material in your shop as effective as possible. We will make the effort needed, and in return we ask your commitment in the form of an order for the product.
Remember: Our Money-back Performance Guarantee applies in full - you have no financial risk. Our experience has taught us that with both of us commited to the evaluation process, the results are most likely to be gratifying. On the other hand, some folks treat "free" samples as if they were worth every penny paid for them! So (with rare exceptions) we do not send out samples. We do stand behind our products 100% - because we know they work.

Q: What is your policy on Blanket Orders?
A: When customers establish an order pattern over time that indicates they have become regular users of our purging products, we act to enhance further the value of our products to them by offering to convert them to Blanket Order status.
Simply put, we discuss with the customer their projected usage over the coming calendar year and extend to them the volume price level that their aggregate usage over the year would qualify for. For example, if we project usage of 100 lbs. per month this would qualify the customer (with aggregate projected usage of 1,200 lbs.) for our 1,000 lb. pricing. (For the savings that would accrue with any specific product and volume level, refer to our pricing page.)
Please note that we do not ask for a contractual commitment to take the projected amount of product. We recognize that sometimes circumstances change, so these blanket orders are "handshake" deals based on mutually agreed usage projections derived from an existing order pattern.

Q: Why do we get mail from you that's addressed to people that are long gone?
A: We use various channels to get our message out to folks who may find our products useful. This Web Site is one such channel. Direct Mail is another. Sometimes our mailing piece will show up at your company addressed to someone who retired last year, or in some otherwise fouled up way. The fact of the matter is we have little control over this.
When we do a mailing we "rent" an address list from one of the trade publications in the industry, like Plastics News or Plastics Technology. We never even see the list. It is sent to a mail house and they apply the labels and take the pieces to the Post Office. Even a good list of 10,000 or so names will have a few clinkers.
So if you're really concerned, drop us an e-mail and we'll let you know where we got the list and you can notify the publication of the problem. But we hope you'll just pass the mailing piece along to whomever is most likely to find it interesting at your company.

Q: Are you related to Nova Chemicals?
A: We are not in any way affiliated with Nova Chemicals of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When we started in 1989, they were known Novacor and we all got along just fine. Unfortunately, they chose to change their marketplace identity to Nova Chemicals, thereby causing some confusion.