A Radical
Change - Eliminate
Hazardous Waste Completely



Inland Technology's owners made the bold decision to completely eliminate products and processes creating hazardous wastes. This meant eliminating 70 percent of its product line representing 35-40& of the cash flow in just nine months. The sales staff began to promote the remaining product line as "environmentally safe products." While customers were generally enthusiastic, many asked Inland to find substitutes that better fit their needs. In response, Inland began tailoring products and creating entirely new alternatives to traditional cleaners and solvents. Inland became a pioneer of the industry. Says Joe Lucas, "As a traditional chemical manufacturer, we would have remained small an had to content with substantial liability risks. Instead, as a research and development firm, we have been able to thrive while dramatically reducing our environmental liability."

Inland Logo

Inland Technology, Inc.

Part of the Solution, Not Part of the Problem

Inland Technology, Inc. is a privately owned corporation located in Tacoma, Washington that develops and manufactures advanced environmentally friendly replacements to harmful chemical solvents. Inland services clients in a variety of industries, including: aerospace, defense, pulp and paper, automotive, electronics, food processing, medical, mining, printing and public utilities.

In just under a decade, Inland has become a pre-eminent company in the advancement of environmentally responsible solvents. It does so by seeking out clients with special problems and devising environmentally acceptable solutions to suit their needs. Says President Joe Lucas, "We have a few competitors, but no one does it the way we do by finding the market first, and then developing the product."

In many cases, regulations prevent the continued use of highly volatile ozone-depleting and toxic solvents like freon, trichloroethylene and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). Inland Technology conducts research and development to solve the problems, while clients supply the test forum and validation processes. Inland retains the technology and patent rights and produces the new cleaning agents for sale to the client.

Product Development Begins with Client's Needs

The scientists and engineers at Inland work closely with their clients to develop substitutes for regulated solvents used in diverse applications ranging from paint stripping to degreasing, resin removal and precision cleaning. Inland formulates cleaners that are typically less toxic, biodegradable, less volatile and non-ozone depleting. However, while many substitutes are just as effective as the chemicals they will replace, they also tend to be much more specialized. Many of the more toxic solvents were widely used because they were powerful enough to clean just about anything. For example, to replace MEK in various applications, Inland has developed three specialized new products. Because each new solvent cannot necessarily replace MEK on every application, they require changes in workplace practices to be successful. Yet, these new cleaners are highly effective for use in a variety of other roles. Inland works closely with clients to adjust the new formulations for optimal use and effectiveness.

While some of the formulations are tailor-made for specific clients, many have been widely received by a variety of clients and for different applications. Inland currently markets 30-40 products to a variety of customers, and has experienced consistent growth at a rate of 25-30 percent in recent years.

Inland actively supports some of the largest companies in the United States, including Boeing, Weyerhaeuser, Kodak, Hewlett-Packard, Westinghouse, McDonnell Douglas, and Northrop-Grumman.

Enforcement of federal environmental regulations at government facilities has brought Inland increasing business from federal government agencies, including Los Alamos National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force.

Inland products are found in use around the globe, in Trident submarines, the Space Shuttle and at research stations in Antarctica. With just under a third of their clients located in the region, Inland has been highly successful in serving clients throughout the United States and throughout the world. American multinational companies, like Boeing and their partners overseas, are major clients, and Inland exports to Canada and countries in Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Since most of the development and testing is conducted at the client's facilities, overseas projects are more complicated than U.S.-based work. However, the company has projects with some European companies, like Deutsche Airbus, and has a representative in Hamburg. Inland sees great potential to develop additional customers in Europe.

Leading Edge

U.S. regulations are already having a dramatic effect on other nations for products made abroad and sold in the U.S. But Joe Lucas believes companies like his are on the leading edge of the next great industrial revolution. An awareness by consumers about the environmental issues and a growing environmental ethos will soon revolutionize what, where, and how products are made, as well as who will make and buy them. It will dramatically alter the way we do business in the coming decades.

Inland Technology is a small chemical manufacturer that has transformed itself into a research and development company by working closely with clients to develop environmentally friendly alternatives to industrial solvents. The corporation estimates that their products have replaced enough chloroflourocarbons to prevent the depletion of 75-80 billion pounds of stratospheric ozone and has kept 40-50 million pounds of hazardous waste out of landfills.