Those gases also include oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, neon, xenon, and krypton鈥攁ll critical to supporting processes and products in electronics, food and beverage, metals, biopharmaceuticals, and other industries.

Business demands and market realities in the dynamic gas sector are constantly in flux, so Messer relies on real-time data intelligence to stay agile and flexible in their decision-making. Increasingly hampered by siloed data and a patchwork of third-party visualization tools, Messer embarked on a digital transformation to create a next-generation data management solution worthy of the company’s high-tech, high-flying operations.

Data with a Purpose

Messer knows critical and often lifesaving business decisions require accurate, real-time intelligence and insights. explained: 鈥淭he stakes in many of the sectors that we provide gases for are really very high.鈥�

From steel plants to the semiconductor industry to intensive care units, 鈥渋t is critical that our distribution processes are operating at a level that ensures our customers are getting what they need when they need it.鈥� 

Messer was able to rise to the moment and meet the urgent needs of its customers when the COVID-19 pandemic delivered unprecedented demand for oxygen coupled with massive logistical challenges. That global crisis revealed that Messer鈥檚 legacy IT system needed an overhaul.

Messer鈥檚 siloed data was in several different databases, which meant it was time-consuming to access, and a single source of the truth was elusive. Various visualization tools also required different data formats, which slowed reporting time and bogged the IT department as it tried to manage a complex, disparate landscape, creating, as Johnston explained, 鈥渁 huge amount of complexity and a huge amount of inefficiency.鈥�

Messer CIO David Johnston sought a solution that would provide a unified source of truth and the powerful analytics tools Messer needed to give an elevated purpose to the company’s data鈥攁 new, cloud-based data management and analytics foundation for an actual data-driven enterprise. was the company鈥檚 choice.

The Modern Data Landscape Delivers

麻豆原创 BTP, with 麻豆原创 Data Warehouse Cloud, 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud, and the next-generation 麻豆原创 Datasphere, provided a modern data architecture to establish a single, trusted source of truth, combining 12 data sources in one solution for mission-critical business insights.

Messer has been reaping benefits across the board, from IT and supply chain cost savings to improved customer service, inventory management, and data security. 鈥淲e started with five specific use cases that we went after,鈥� Johnston shared. 鈥淎s I sit here today, we’re at well over 200.鈥�

Messer’s new, simplified IT landscape has empowered business users, who benefit from intuitive, self-service dashboards and quick access to relevant, actionable, real-time data, as well as IT personnel, to now focus on higher-value, strategic tasks. This amounts to accelerated time-to-insight and more energy and resources available to focus on future innovation.

鈥淲ith a data fabric that allows us to see our business in a consistent, fast, reliable, and highly trustworthy way,鈥� Johnston said, 鈥渨hat we can do is really almost unlimited.鈥�

Next for Messer and Wise Advice with an Eye on AI

With Messer’s new, streamlined data management foundation, the sky is no longer the limit.

鈥淥ur objective isn’t just to deliver a suite of great dashboards and great analytics stories,鈥� Johnston explained. 鈥淥ur goal is to build out a strong, coherent, strategic data fabric that will allow us to unlock the power of AI and drive the next level of business transformation.鈥�

For other organizations hoping to build the data foundation that will send them soaring into the future, ready to capitalize on and whatever else awaits, Johnston鈥檚 advice is to frame your technology transformation as a business transformation, and a business imperative.

鈥淏ring the business community together around data,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll the key stakeholders, the influencers, and the owners of data from across the organization: bring them to the table.鈥�

The Full Episode

Messer CIO joined 麻豆原创 BTP to discuss the medical and industrial gasses industry and Messer’s digital transformation.

• : Johnston sat down with Thulium’s CEO to discuss why end-to-end data-driven insights are necessary, what technology solutions were required for the world’s largest privately owned industrial gases company to transform, and why Messer leveraged 麻豆原创 BTP to drive a complete business transformation.
• : Johnston and I discuss why and how Messer, one of the biggest suppliers of medical oxygen and other industrial mission-critical gases, built a new, cloud-based data management and analytics foundation because the future belongs to data-driven organizations, and thriving in the dynamic industrial gases sector means responding quickly to changing market conditions.

Timo Elliott is vice president and global innovation advocate for 麻豆原创 BTP at 麻豆原创.

To better react to market changes and expand its competitive edge, BYK saw the need to select and implement a new supply chain demand planning system.

Integrated Approach to Address Demand Planning Processes Holistically

The company was challenged with inefficient, diversified, and isolated supply chain demand planning processes on disparate legacy planning systems that impeded forecast accuracy. Therefore, the goal was to enhance data and process transparency and establish one source of truth for sales, operations, and demand-planning processes.

BYK found that the , a cloud-based application with comprehensive capabilities, could best meet its goals to harmonize demand planning processes across the organization and improve forecast accuracy. In addition, the company decided to use the , enabling the company to get real-time visibility and control over its supply chain.

For the implementation and deep solution know-how, BYK sought help from and the 麻豆原创 Preferred Success service, which included architecture planning, implementation guidance, and process reengineering expertise. Moreover, 麻豆原创 helped deploy 麻豆原创 Integrated Business Planning for demand and 麻豆原创 Supply Chain Control Tower in a technically standardized and lean way.

Enabling All Functions with a Single Source of Truth to Improve Decision-Making

Major benefits BYK achieved include:

• Improved collaboration by implementing a harmonized and automated demand planning process
• Simplified and integrated planning practices for sales, demand planning, supply chain management, controlling, and strategic supply planning teams with more than 200 users
• One platform as a single source of truth for improved data quality and process transparency across sales, operations, and demand-planning processes
• Increased forecast accuracy with real-time data reflecting changes to planned demand

• Quantity- and value-based planning for all planning teams to make decisions based on financial impact

鈥淲ith 麻豆原创 Services and Support, we successfully implemented 麻豆原创 Integrated Business Planning for demand and 麻豆原创 Supply Chain Control Tower, enabling precise and accurate demand planning,” said Matthias Beenen, Supply Chain Process Management, BYK. “This is critical to supply chain efficiency and for delivering high quality service to our customers.鈥�

鈥淚n the future, we will continuously work on optimizing the implemented processes and extend 麻豆原创 Integrated Business Planning for demand by adding subsequent supply chain planning processes,鈥� he concluded.

Karin Fent is senior director of Customer Success for Digital Supply Chain at 麻豆原创.

Top image courtesy of BYK.

The company, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, does not shy away from , including plans to realize over a half-billion euros in revenue from biobased products by 2030. With an eye on the future, the company adopted a strategic perspective of digital transformation, one that would not only enable business continuity but create a platform of innovation. 

As of June 1, 100% of Kemira is live on 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, a transformation which also included a platform update into Azure Cloud. Kemira did not stop there. It introduced 麻豆原创 Datasphere for reporting where the company is on a journey to adopt a next-generation core enterprise data warehouse solution. On the front-end, Kemira has implemented 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud for reporting, analytics, and financial planning. In addition, over 360 interfaces have been converted to 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform (麻豆原创 BTP), leveraging 麻豆原创 Integration Suite. All in, the digital program consisted of five initiatives, including an 麻豆原创 S/4HANA transformation, a redesign of financial accounting, an enterprise data warehouse implementation, a digital data excellence initiative, and a migration of the on-premise interfaces.聽

Kemira appropriately called the program LEAP, a representation of the investment it was making in the future of its company and the ambitious timeline and scope of the effort. Innovation played a central role, considering how the company could enable the business with new technology and ultimately drive the business to operate more efficiently. It was no small feat that the very successful big-bang go-live, including a move to Azure, was done in 15 months. Kemira worked with cbs Corporate Business Solutions on this journey, a strategic partner of the company for over a decade.

The approach to the program was to do a selective data transition from Kemira鈥檚 麻豆原创 ERP Central Component (麻豆原创 ECC) system to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA. To initiate the project, the team did a comprehensive pre-study to determine what processes to migrate to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA as-is, which new processes will be enabled, and what new capabilities will be delivered. This approach helped balance the focus and scope of the project, a key element of driving fast value. For example, by leveraging some processes as-is, the team was able to focus on new capabilities like the 麻豆原创 S/4HANA margin analysis, delivering tangible business results. The work paid off with a very smooth go-live, which covered 400 plants in 37 countries to ensure business continuity, and was enabled by the strong collaboration of many talented people at Kemira and cbs.聽 聽

鈥淐onsidering the extreme complexity of the organizational change, data harmonization and optimization, ONE Finance transformation, migration of interfaces, and innovations in the cloud, we managed the program extremely well. We successfully completed the transition to a completely new platform in just 15 months. The fast value approach was the key to success. cbs had the right methods and tools to make sure the ambitious project was successful. Our in-house experts know the Kemira world and the company鈥檚 processes inside out, so it was the perfect combination,鈥� explains Podbereznyj.聽

For Kemira, cloud readiness is about being future-oriented. It made a deliberate decision to implement a fast transformation to stay ahead of the competition. The team rightly sees this work as pioneering next-generation 麻豆原创 business architecture, which also builds on Kemira鈥檚 early success with 麻豆原创 solutions, including 麻豆原创 Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain. Data has been at the heart of this program and will continue to steer the company as the foundation for innovation and insights. Cloud readiness is about delivering value-based transformation to the business. This means supporting new digital business models, enabling new levels of agility, and becoming more competitive in the market.聽 聽聽聽聽聽

鈥淜emira has made the leap to the cloud and has digitized its entire process world. The company is now ideally positioned for the future. With the implemented platform, the company can take advantage of all follow-on 麻豆原创 developments and remain at the cutting edge of technology. This gives it a clear, innovative lead over other companies that may not reach this stage of development for another five years,鈥� says cbs CEO Rainer Wittwen.聽

The relationship with cbs Corporate Business Solutions has been built on this holistic approach, translating strategy to business transformation. The teams recognize this does not happen overnight and even with a successful implementation behind them, transformation requires a continuous mindset of innovation. For Kemira and cbs, this journey continues as the company looks to take advantage of the new technology and execute on its commitment to its customers. For Kemira, this is about delivering 鈥�.鈥� The investment in 麻豆原创 and new business technology is about enabling this vision and fueling profitable growth with connected business models, data-driven decision-making, and integrated business processes.

Click the button below to load the content from YouTube.

Always allow YouTube

Matt Reymann is global VP for Chemicals Industry Business Unit at 麻豆原创.

It is simultaneously the third highest contributor to carbon emissions in the industrial sector and the best placed industry to decarbonize products across a multitude of industries.

As a result of its position high upstream in the supply chain, the chemicals industry can often seem invisible. Its products sit in the value chain of key industries including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods, making up a significant proportion of their Scope 3 emissions. But change is coming that will make companies more accountable for these previously hidden emissions. New legislation such as the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will reveal the carbon footprint of the chemicals industry as companies with more than 250 employees will be required to report their GHG emissions, including those that lie in Scope 3.

A Vision for the Chemicals Industry

In order to meet new legal requirements and identify opportunities for emissions reduction, the chemicals industry needs to look beyond its current tools and collaborations to upgrade the quality of data — based on primary information rather than averages and estimates — and share access to it. Aligning data structures and using the same semantics will encourage competition among suppliers, galvanizing them to manufacture chemical products with ever lower carbon footprints, benefiting all downstream customers as well as the climate. To realize this vision, the solution will receive actual data from suppliers upstream, using a standardized methodology, allowing companies to calculate their own product carbon footprint so it can then be shared with downstream customers. For broad adoption, this carbon data exchange tool needs to be relatively simple while allowing for secure data exchange.

The automotive industry already has a blueprint that the chemicals industry can adopt. It tracks material flows digitally throughout the entire supply chain. Catena-X allows companies to share standardized emissions data from their supply chain with confidence based on technology that provides an auditable chain of custody. This offers car manufacturers the information they need to make strategic decisions to reduce the carbon footprint of their products, embrace circularity, and increase the adoption of circular business models such as battery recycling. Some of the chemical companies that supply the automotive industry are already involved, such as BASF.

鈥淎s an energy-intensive industry at the beginning of nearly all value chains, the chemical sector plays a key role in reducing global carbon footprint in manufacturing and beyond. Carbon footprint transparency at product level is a fundamental step to achieve this,” said Alessandro Pistillo, director of Digital Strategic Projects at BASF. “BASF is a founding member and very active contributor in global initiatives focused on Scope 3 transparency and product carbon footprint standardization such as Together for Sustainability in the chemical sector, as well as Catena-X and the Global Battery Alliance in the automotive and battery value chain respectively. At the same time, BASF is also a leading member of WBCSD-PACT, whose framework is geared toward ensuring cross-sectoral interoperability.鈥�

Improved Accuracy

Historically, industry averages and secondary data have been used to estimate carbon footprints. The cornerstone of the vision for the chemicals industry involves a significant improvement in GHG emissions data, a step that will provide much greater emissions transparency for the industry itself and for its customers. 麻豆原创 has been working with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) since 2021 as an innovation partner and has been involved in the Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT) initiative, helping to develop the global standards, methodology, and technological infrastructure needed for product-level emission accounting and exchange.

Collaborative Data Exchange

The desire and the frameworks for the chemicals industry to collaborate already exist. They date back to 1985, with the establishment of the Responsible Care program and the 2011 formation of industry body Together for Sustainability, a worldwide initiative to raise sustainability standards in the chemicals industry鈥檚 supply chain. Its members include some of the world鈥檚 largest chemical groups, represented by their chief procurement officers. Despite the industry鈥檚 ability and willingness to cooperate, and its current pilot IT system for sharing upstream product carbon footprint information, it is still on the cusp of data exchange.

鈥淔ootprint data is there,鈥� said Michael Sambeth, global enterprise architect at 麻豆原创. 鈥淚t can be calculated using out-of-the-box solutions from 麻豆原创; now it needs to flow across the supply chain.鈥�

Catena-X led to the launch of the 麻豆原创 Sustainability Data Exchange application, which was designed specifically with security in mind, to exchange standardized carbon footprint data along the value chain. 麻豆原创 Sustainability Data Exchange uses the carbon data standards established by WBCSD PACT. With a high proportion of Together for Sustainability members already using 麻豆原创 ERP systems, they are well placed to be able to leverage 麻豆原创 Sustainability Data Exchange to exchange this data with their suppliers and customers while adhering to global standards.

Moving to a Green Ledger Approach

The chemicals industry is a product of its established supply chains, high-volume activities, cost efficiencies, and scalability. It is highly organized and well versed in creating and following methodologies, but it needs to see the value in primary standardized data — and data sharing — for decarbonization.

A green ledger approach will allow businesses to treat their emissions in the same way as their financials. Carbon accounting makes emission 鈥渂ookings鈥� part of every business transaction in the same way as financial information. This means that a level of detail and confidence is achieved, allowing companies to look at emissions from any angle — by product, organization, profit center, site, factory, equipment, etc. This granularity is the foundation for planning and steering, which cannot be done using averages or highly aggregated figures.

The decarbonization of a multitude of industries hinges on the ability of the chemicals industry to successfully standardize and exchange carbon footprint data. Only those chemical companies with sustainability at the core of their strategy and the right tools for high-quality emissions accounting will be able to future-proof their business to remain competitive in the face of the ever-evolving legislative changes created to combat the effects of global warming.

For more information on how 麻豆原创 helps companies record, report, and act on their sustainability goals, visit聽.

The event was moderated by Monica Gassmann, a chapter lead for the Business Women鈥檚 Network (BWN) from 麻豆原创 and sustainability program lead for 麻豆原创鈥檚 Discrete and Energy and Natural Resources Industries. On the panel were Marjan Olthof, head of Customer Services at Tata Steel, and Mari Pulkkinen, director of 麻豆原创 and M&A Center of Excellence at LyondellBasell. Both women are helping lead innovations at their respective companies that are also 麻豆原创 customers. During the illuminating conversation, they opened up about taking career risks, rising above gender-based stereotypes, and forging new paths to leadership in historically male-dominated industries.

Women鈥檚 Voices Can Head Off Stereotyping

research has found that initiatives like 鈥減romoting diversity in succession planning and holding celebratory events to highlight underrepresented groups鈥� are highly effective at creating cultures of belonging. Indeed, the luncheon鈥檚 relaxed, friendly setting united all of us in a shared passion for diversity and inclusion. Rising above narrow stereotypes that can trap women was a common theme. Olthof talked about her learnings from working in sales, production, and engineering at Tata Steel, a multinational steel supplier and manufacturer based in India.

鈥淲ith fewer women in the workplace, there can be role expectations that don鈥檛 necessarily align with who you are,鈥� said Olthof. 鈥淢y advice to women is to be yourself because what you have to offer is really valuable. Stay with your own personality while pursuing your ambitions.鈥�

Pulkkinen shared lessons from her early career experiences. She currently works at LyondellBasell, a multinational chemical company headquartered in the Netherlands.

鈥淢en have traditionally dominated leadership positions in the chemical industry but when women use their voice, they can continue to offer new perspectives,鈥� said Pulkkinen. 鈥淒uring my first role on the supply chain team at a chemicals company, the first thing that my male colleagues wanted me to do was take notes. I told him that with my qualifications, I had been hired to do something else.鈥�

Preventing Unconscious Bias

Everyone on the panel agreed that addressing unconscious bias starts with clear goals that increase opportunities for women. It鈥檚 just as important to change daily behaviors that define corporate culture.

鈥淎ddressing unconscious bias is something that I鈥檓 passionate about, and we have been accelerating our diversity and inclusion commitment,鈥� said Pulkkinen. 鈥淔or example, we have 47 nationalities in our Rotterdam office and want to make sure that people appreciate everyone鈥檚 unique background in a positive way. Small jokes based on stereotypes can affect how people are treated and perceived in the workplace.鈥�

Building a Workforce Culture of Diversity

Tata Steel is also building a people culture that celebrates and encourages diversity and inclusion. Its five-pillar approach includes recruitment, sensitization, retention and development, infrastructure, and celebration.

鈥淲e鈥檝e made diversity a No.1 priority by putting more women in senior roles,鈥� said Olthof. 鈥淧eople are inherently biased towards their definition of normal and what they see in their environments and experiences. Unconscious bias also extends beyond gender to assumptions based on someone鈥檚 age. To make mindset changes, we need to be aware of these challenges and address them.鈥�

Sponsors Help Women Progress

What became clear from the discussion was that women want to contribute their talents but need the space to be heard. Managers 鈥� women and men 鈥� have the clout to help.聽While recognizing the value of mentoring, Gassmann said that more women need sponsors who advocate for them.

鈥淢entors are great, but sponsors lift you up, connecting you with the people who can help advance your career,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese are men and women in management who provide you with visibility in meetings or informal settings to develop your career.鈥�

Corporate women鈥檚 networks are growing. Olthof said that Tata Steel has a group of people who identify women candidates for promotion as vacancies occur. The BWN from 麻豆原创 is an employee-driven group with over 90 global chapters that share professional insights, education, and experience to help women advance their careers. At LyondellBasell, mentors regularly help women with introductions and other support.

After 90 minutes of a fascinating dialogue, I walked out of this session at the conference fully energized. Yes, in leadership positions across some industries, including chemicals and steel. But as leaders at industry associations and companies like 麻豆原创, Tata Steel, and LyondellBasell speak up and act on diversity and inclusion commitments, there鈥檚 hope that more change will surely follow.

Follow me @smgaler.

鈥淲e want to make life better day in and day out. We create products with characteristics that make the final consumer product really special,鈥� said Thomas Meinel, senior vice president and head of Indirect Procurement at Evonik Industries. 鈥淲e鈥檙e farming salmons with a more sustainable feeding alternative for the climate and our environment. We supported the development and production of the first mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 by supplying the lipid nanoparticles that transport these gene-based vaccines to the right target site in the human body.鈥�

Digital Is Foundation of Business Resilience

After hearing Meinel speak at the recent in Madrid, Spain, I reached out to Dr. Marko Lange, product manager for 麻豆原创 Chemicals, for his thoughts on industry modernization.

In a disrupted world rocked by geopolitical conflicts and resultant soaring prices and shortages, he said that Evonik Industries stands out for its foresight in business modernization, bringing in and other 麻豆原创 solutions.

鈥淓RP is a hot topic again in the chemical industry because an ERP platform supports business resiliency across supply chains and operations in turbulent times like these,鈥� said Dr. Lange. 鈥淎 next-generation ERP system provides insights, simulations, and decision support to help you understand disruptive impacts on your business and effectively respond. It is a real companion to operating your business, detailing granular, real-time information about what鈥檚 happening and the consequences.鈥�

Procurement Is Strategic Business Partner

Digitalization has transformed how every department at Evonik Industries operates. At the conference, Meinel shared how procurement was the next step in his company鈥檚 digital journey.

鈥�In a rapidly changing world with new business models, procurement is increasingly part of make or buy decisions to take advantage of greater opportunities,鈥� said Meinel. 鈥淪ourcing managers still need classic procurement skills because they are responsible for a company鈥檚 global strategy. But they also need to work from anywhere, interacting effectively with teams on collaborative platforms with internal colleagues and external suppliers. Cloud-based platforms provide many more scouting possibilities to discover future suppliers.鈥�

Managing the procurement experience in a digitalized word requires different capabilities from people as they assume new responsibilities. Meinel said that sourcing managers at Evonik Industries were strategic relationship managers who continually innovated, not just on elements like pricing, but working as part of a team to negotiate and strengthen supplier relationships.

鈥淒igitalization will change what procurement does and how we do it,鈥� said Meinel. 鈥淲e are buying more digital products along with products that have been digitally enhanced. For example, the pumps we purchase use significantly more digital data, which changes how people work, what skill sets they need, their capabilities, and managerial expectations.鈥�

Connected Procurement Data Boosts Efficiencies

Similar to organizations in many industries that are deeply impacted by mergers and acquisitions, Evonik Industries needed real-time data visibility into contract management for daily activities, as well as accurate auditing.

鈥淓verything we do has to be connected, which is the objective of going digital, to make process efficiencies end-to-end,鈥� said Meinel. 鈥淲ith and , we can transform procurement, integrating data across systems as we create, sign, store, and manage contracts that often travel between departments and locations around the world.鈥�

People Are as Strong as Their Network

Meinel said that digitalization is profoundly changing how the company鈥檚 procurement professionals function on a daily basis. Robotics speed up purchase order creation and artificial intelligence (AI)-fueled algorithms produce forecasts, while people apply human judgment to handle exceptions and contribute to other higher value tasks. Instead of working in isolation, procurement teams are analyzing and using data to build a stronger global network of decision-making. After implementing 麻豆原创 Ariba solutions, Meinel said that Evonik Industries gained significant employee productivity efficiencies and met objectives for cash flow savings. Automating tedious, repetitive tasks frees up procurement to stay on top of fast-changing market conditions, including finding new suppliers in case of unexpected disruptions.

鈥淚鈥檓 convinced the future of procurement will be one of constant change,鈥� said Meinel. 鈥淟ifelong learning needs to be part of the culture beyond designated trainings. People don鈥檛 care what system they use. They want efficient processes and to be seamlessly connected. What matters is the user experience. Our digital business core is 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, helping us become an agile, intelligent network able to manage constant change.鈥�

Follow me @smgaler.

But rising to the challenge of today’s marketplace 鈥� especially increasing raw material and energy prices, margin pressure, supply chain complexity, and regulatory requirements 鈥� requires much more than Industry 4.0 initiatives focused on efficiency and price reduction. From operational performance to customer experience, companies must integrate data from across the enterprise into a single source to form sound decisions that make sustainability profitable and profitability sustainable.

Such a transformation is undoubtedly technology intensive, but the key enablers are also unassailably human. Understanding this reality, many chemical companies rely on the portfolio, provided by the Business Transformation Services group at 麻豆原创, to help transform their operations and gain a competitive edge amid fast global changes.

Turning Challenges into Great Opportunities

Competitively addressing turbulence depends on the ability to view transformation through the lens of six fundamental challenges:

R&D 麻豆原创ure across the Product Portfolio
The imperative to resist margin shrinkage, mitigate risks, increase ROI, and boost growth calls for innovative products and services that offer business value and foster close partnerships with customers. By pushing forward the adoption of advanced technologies to drive global R&D, supplier, and customer collaborations and joint ventures, businesses can prevent commoditization.

The Need for Vertical Integration
Evolving production facilities with a balance of high efficiency, global scale, flexibility, and intelligent responsiveness allows supply chains to weigh the synergistic benefits of integrated manufacturing plants or industrial parks against the flexibility of smaller plants. As a result, businesses can leverage new opportunities with disruptive business models, such as making raw materials instead of buying them and producing semi-finished or even finished goods.

Global Supply Chain Complexity
Global supply chains must be secure enough to mitigate volatile market conditions, such as global health emergencies, rising prices for raw materials and energy, and other factors that impact economic conditions. Companies can gain this advantage by establishing commercial and logistical transparency to support optimization and global planning of demand, sales, and operations.

Hidden Advantages of Business Networks
Business cannot stay competitive in a complex ecosystem alone. They must also scale and optimize their supply chain globally with business networks, such as the Catena-X Automotive Network. Doing so empowers suppliers, contract and toll manufacturers, joint ventures, and customers to collaborate openly and create new prospects for co-innovating better products and services, improving value chain efficiency, and fueling long-term growth.

Compliance and Sustainability Urgency
A primary objective for any chemical business is ensuring compliance with industry regulations. Yet, B2B customers also favor suppliers that help meet their own environmental, social, and governance (ESG) mandates. Sustainable businesses and innovations provide balance between these two expectations, creating a highly sought-after competitive edge by gearing products and services towards a circular economy.

Business Agility
The industry鈥檚 dynamic and fast-changing environment of mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures is creating tremendous complexity and pressure for permanent change and adaptation. Chemical companies need to balance industry-wide globalization and centralization while increasing business agility.

Chemical companies with a digital strategy encompassing all these topics can address industry challenges and seize on market trends in a disruptive manner. Through , businesses can gain new opportunities and capabilities never previously considered possible 鈥� including increased speed and efficiency, process automation, and data transparency.

Seizing the Moment with Advisory Expertise

From the perspective of 麻豆原创 Advisory Services, digitalization is not just another IT term but also a critical business priority. The more intelligent and sustainable a company becomes, the more agile, flexible, and integrated its value chain becomes.

Advisory experts from 麻豆原创 can enable chemical companies to turn their fundamental challenges into opportunities with a well-structured, business-driven design. This approach elaborates on the steps of the digital transformation journey 鈥� leading to a road map for future architecture design. Each phase of the road map follows an ideal sequence of digital innovation, technology adoption, and industry best practices and leverages the highest value for the company in the short term.

麻豆原创 Advisory Services help organizations evaluate and act on the sentiments of their customers, partners, and employees and improve their environmental impact. Chemical companies can then be well positioned to keep their workforce engaged, increase organizational agility, and deliver the products and services customers need and trust. Furthermore, they can control their varied sources and categories of spending with outstanding finance and operational efficiency and real-time enterprise insight.

Essentially, chemical companies that work with 麻豆原创 advisory experts can realize their potential as . They can make confident decisions and drive continuous innovation to adapt, innovate, and overcome challenges while making responsible choices that help reduce waste and emissions and drive long-term growth.

This business model is accomplished with intelligent technologies, including business networks, a business technology platform, cloud-based infrastructures, and solutions for business process management, experience management, industry cloud, and sustainability management. Additionally, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, data platforms, the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, predictive analytics, and virtual as well as augmented realities (VR/AR) are embedded in the intelligent technologies to drive end-to-end business processes and decision-making across enterprise domains.

Bringing to Life an Intelligent and Sustainable Network

The pressures on the chemicals industry may be relentless, with shocks coming in from all directions. However, this doesn’t mean businesses cannot find great opportunities in this volatile environment. With the right approach to digitalization, they can transform, innovate, and collaborate across the value chain to build upward momentum and better serve customers as an intelligent and sustainable network.

Learn more about the and how 麻豆原创 can help guide the innovation needed to overcome them. Read the series 鈥� on 麻豆原创 Community.

Ornulf Rexin is chief business consultant of Chemicals and Life Sciences for Business Transformation Services at 麻豆原创.