Perfect Chemistry
“Traditional product differentiators lose their effectiveness in overcrowded markets,†says Thaddius Ratliff. “Held hostage by a stagnant economy, many products are facing commoditizationâ€â€”a product cycle phenomenon in which products become so similar in the minds of consumers that they seem interchangeable. As the Louisiana operations plant manager for Evonik, a specialty chemicals manufacturer headquartered in Germany, Ratliff is charged with mitigating the effects of commoditization, such as lower product prices, eroding profit margins, and loss of market share.
