Home > Scotland’s strengths in chemicals
- Basic chemicals
These are the primary building blocks supplied to other chemical industries and include the production and supply of basic organics/inorganics, fertilisers, industrial gases, plastic, rubber and man-made fibres. - Pharmaceuticals
The pharmaceuticals industry has strong links with Scottish universities and courses such as the Drug Design course at Napier ensure that talented graduates enter the industry. - Speciality chemicals
Speciality chemicals include performance products and fine chemicals. Growth areas in this sector include specialist organics and inorganics, additives, pesticides, paints and dyes.
The chemicals sector is a vital part of the manufacturing industry here in Scotland and the UK as a whole. For example:
- The chemicals industry is Scotland’s second biggest export earner, generating around £1.3billion of manufacturing exports from a revenue stream worth £3.2billion; (Source: Scottish Government)
- It makes up 10.5 per cent of Scottish manufacturing turnover; (Source: Optimat Analysis)
- It accounts for 8 per cent of gross value added in manufacturing as a whole, compared with around 11% for the UK as a whole; and
- It remains forecast to grow by 4.2 per cent in the next year. (Source: Frontline Consultants)