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Digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) are creating opportunities and risks that may change the landscape of the chemical industry, which seems to have become a consensus among insiders in the global chemical industry. Recently, Chris Musso, a senior partner at McKinsey & Company and the head of global chemicals practice, stated at the "Exploring AI Opportunities in the Chemical Industry" webinar hosted by the French Chemical Industry Association that AI is greatly benefiting chemical companies as it enables them to easily draw on past achievements and apply research progress within the industry anytime and anywhere.

Musso said, "We are on the verge of a digital revolution that will have a significant impact on the chemical industry." Those companies that quickly adapt to this digital transformation may acquire those that cannot, leading to industry consolidation. This digital revolution will determine future acquisition trends, shape leaders and reshape industries.

Dan Ford, the Chief Commercial Officer of Dow, stated at this webinar that chemical companies must fully recognize that merely having data is not enough to outperform others. Data can only be transformed into a competitive advantage through technological empowerment, strategic focus, and organizational synergy. Ford said that Dow currently has 10,000 active authorized users of Microsoft Copilot, covering all functions of the company. Copilot is widely used in business functions such as sales and marketing, and is also extensively involved in supply chain management, R&D and manufacturing.

Constantin Chalicios, the Chief Digital Officer of Westlake Corporation in the United States, stated at this webinar that Westlake is also using the Microsoft Copilot stack, which is tailored for certain positions within the organization that can bring significant benefits, focusing on the commercial aspects of maintenance, manufacturing, and business. Chalicios said that West Lake Company has decades of accumulated information and can make significant progress with the help of AI, which is an opportunity that was previously impossible to achieve. Advanced technology enables companies like West Lake to simulate changes to the requirements of existing product formulas and assess feasibility while maintaining the performance of basic materials, which is usually the main concern.

Moian Hak, the head of corporate data and AI at IFF, said that the true advantage of digital technology lies in accelerating the discovery and experimentation process and effectively targeting new ideas. Huck said at this webinar: "These ideas are best derived from the market insights and consumer trends provided by market intelligence." Integrating these insights into the product portfolio is crucial for identifying differentiated demands." Furthermore, the digitalization of data is strengthening knowledge management, promoting collaboration, and improving information sharing, thereby potentially adding value and accelerating processes. Of course, sharing knowledge on a broader scale remains a challenge.

Michael Todd, the global head of Henkel Adhesives' innovation business in Germany, said that when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Henkel Adhesives Technologies began to promote innovation by integrating digital tools. Since then, the company's transformation has been remarkable, but Henkel expects even greater progress in the future. Todd said that in recent years, Henkel has successfully deployed the Albert Invent platform throughout the company's entire R&D organization, which consists of approximately 3,000 employees and about 60 laboratories in 22 countries. Nick Tarken, co-founder and CEO of Albert Invent, said the Albert platform is designed to facilitate comprehensive data collection at all stages of the workflow.

Furthermore, Nouryon, Chemours, Solenis and Marley are all using the Albert Invent platform. Tarken said that they all hope to speed up the process, improve product quality, and integrate AI and machine learning into the product development cycle.

Christoph de Mester, president of Schneider Electric's Energy and Chemicals division, said that as a leader in automation and digital transformation, Schneider Electric offers software-defined automation solutions with a certain degree of flexibility and scalability, which are crucial for the digital transformation of industries such as chemicals. Mester said, "By decoupling hardware from software, chemical companies can adopt the best technologies without being locked into proprietary systems."

Mester said that the collaboration between Schneider Electric and Swiss GR3N to promote the industrial-scale application of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) chemical recycling technology is a "powerful" example of how automation can unlock the production potential that has traditionally been difficult to apply on a large scale in the plastic recycling industry. The microwave-assisted depolymerization technology developed by GR3N chemically decomposes PET waste, converting it into new PET particles close to the original mass, achieving closed-loop recycling. Schneider Electric offers open automation system solutions to support the expansion of GR3N from proof-of-concept to industrial scale, enhancing production flexibility and efficiency. The combination of GR3N's microwave-assisted depolymerization technology and Schneider Electric's software-defined automation represents a significant step forward for hard-to-recycle materials such as PET.

Many chemical companies are also investing in developing digital solution capabilities for their customers. Nalco Water Treatment, the water and process management business of Ecolab, has developed an inlet integrity program, aiming to actively address scaling and corrosion risks through full-process management services and analysis, thereby helping to protect natural gas processing operations.

Lottie Elwood, senior vice president of Nalco Water Treatment and general manager of Global chemicals, said, "Scaling can significantly affect the efficiency of natural gas processing operations." Without a proactive plan, operators must frequently carry out planned maintenance, which is both expensive and time-consuming. By adopting a comprehensive solution, we can help natural gas processors achieve reliable and efficient operations while reducing operating costs. Elwood said that the entrance integrity program did not utilize sensing or automation technologies, but the company's on-site service team used the ECOLAB3D intelligent platform to analyze and benchmark performance data. She said that Ecolab currently has a global network of over 30,000 systems for managing water treatment performance and industrial assets, as well as a series of intelligent solutions that provide customers with real-time and proactive analysis.