Agchem Manufacturing

AGCHEM MANUFACTURING CORPORATION was originally a division of Marque Chemical Corporation, a company engaged in the manufacture of paints and other industrial chemicals. The division became the local licensee of Amchem Products, Inc. of Ambler, Pennsylvania, USA, the originators of various herbicides such as 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T and Amitrole. Agchem was also the distributor of Ethephon, a plant growth regulator popularly known as Ethrel. The material is used as mango flower inducer, ripening agent for pineapples and tomatoes, and as latex stimulant for rubber. The division eventually separated from Marque Chemicals and organized Agchem Manufacturing Corporation on August 21, 1972. It was then registered with the Board of Investments (BOI) under the Pioneer and Preferred status for the manufacture of 2,4-D / MCPA and its formulated products. A.H. Marks and Co. of Wyke, Bradford, Yorkshire, England provided the technology for these products and sent an English Technician to start up the plant in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila. Agchem also became the distributor for several foreign companies such as Nihon Nohyaku, Nissho Iwai, Makteshim Agan, Chevron, and BASF. Its marketing division appointed provincial distributors and dealers to sell its products all over the country as well as endorsing them to other agro-chemical corporations. A few years later, Agchem decided to close its distribution networks and concentrated on catering to its industrial customers.

On July 1, 1984, the company was bought by Liberty Commodities Corporation, where its shares were eventually distributed among stockholders as a property dividend. Agchem expanded its product lines when it was appointed by Lonza Limited of Switzerland to handle their Metaldehyde technical, a molluscicide used to control golden apple snails in both transplanted and direct-seeded rice. The product was a step to the growing number of Agchem products.

On October 1995, Agchem transferred its formulation activities to its new site in Carmelray Industrial Park in Canlubang, Calamba, Laguna. The modern facilities gave the company more room to develop, formulate and manufacture its increasing herbicide and molluscicide products as well as its mango flower inducers. Product Development has been a major factor to the company’s growth throughout the succeeding years.

On December 2000, the company put up its second formulation plant at Carmelray, around two (2) kilometers away from the first plant. The second plant was built to handle the formulation and repacking of all crop protection chemicals with the exception of herbicide products which remained in the old plant. This is to primarily prevent the cross-contamination of all other compounds with herbicides.

The main laboratory was also built in the new site equipped with a Gas Chromatography apparatus with chemstation, viscometer, densimeter (Anton Paar), pH meter, Karl Fisher Apparatus, Automatic-titrator, etc. The analysis of different technical materials and its formulated products as well as the development of new recipes as requested by the various customers of the company are done in this laboratory.

For over 40 years Agchem Manufacturing Corporation has grown from a mere division of Marque Chemical Corporation into an independent organization of its own and is constantly expanding through the coming years. The company has provided companies, both local and multinational, with various crop protection products and continues to do so along with its fast developing product lines. Agchem has committed itself to total customer satisfaction by providing clients with high quality products and standard of service, which are constantly being maintained and developed to suit the ever changing demands for crop protection. The company consistently aims to fully contribute to the development of a much vibrant Philippine Agriculture in the coming years.