Five Things We Learned from ChemTech2020

Aru Deshmukh — CompassRed Lead in ChemTech, and
Patrick Callahan — Founder

This year we were fortunate to take part in the first conference focused on advances in the chemical manufacturing space: ChemTech 2020 organized by the Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance (DESCA) (https://desustainablechem.org/). The conference was focused on the advances in Data, Analytics, and all things related to Digital Transformation of the Chemical Industry. It was attended by some of the most known leaders in the chemical manufacturing industry (DuPont, Solenis, Agilent, and many others) to the big names in service organizations (Ernst & Young, Microsoft, Siemens, and Amazon).

We at CompassRed were able to sit on two panels and participate in discussions with some of these leaders and provide insights into what we see having large impacts in this space. We found the conference fascinating and telling of the changes starting to take place that demonstrates some of the mind-blowing advances in what some may perceive as an industry slow to make changes.

Here are 5 Things We Learned From ChemTech2020:

Analytics is starting to Mature in the Industry

There are a lot of opportunities for analytics to be leveraged within the Chemical space. For example:

• supply chain optimization,
• demand forecasting,
• pricing optimization,
• anomaly detection, and
• predictive maintenance.

Similar to the Retail and Finance industries, Customer Analytics is growing in the Chemical and Manufacturing space — from providing enhanced solutions and services to more robust and timely customer segmentation.

The impact of developing and growing the skills needed in analytics results in organizational design and evaluation. For org design, companies are adding specific skills sets or building out Centers of Excellence. Whichever direction is taken, the critical focus remains on selecting and scoping the right projects and continuing to evaluate progress against an applicable Analytics Maturity Model.

This is a Large Source of Investment

A great deal of thought and work is going into how digital transformation will improve and transform the chemical and manufacturing industries. Entire organizations are dedicating themselves to the advances taking place. The Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Institute was one example of an organization that has made digital/analytics a key part of their mission and objectives. Siemens is another that has fully embraced analytics in their mission as evidenced by the tools that were on display. Efficiency was a core focus. It was also interesting to see other public/private initiatives such as Niimbl embrace data and analytics in their mission to help their members grow in this space.

Cyber-security Plays a Big Part of Digitization

As part of Digital Transformation and data analytics — Cyber-security was front and center in the evolution of technology and analysis. We learned how important the concept of cyber security is when implementing new processes and software, as even the smallest vulnerability can completely sideline an organization — both large and small.

Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Plant Operations

There was much discussion on and about ML/AI for plant operations in different applications including safety and SOPs (standard operating procedures). AI is being applied in the manufacturing processes in order to prevent quality failures and detect potential process failures. This is not a new concept — but one that is maturing and making headway in an effort towards making processes “Zero-Touch”. See Artificial Intelligence : Revolutionising the Manufacturing Industry for more background.

Cooperation and Conversations — The Best of All Conferences

Perhaps one of the best benefits of ChemTech2020 was not the presentations or panels, but the side conversations between the sessions. There was great dialog and discussion between private & public companies (producers and the vendors), nonprofits and government agencies focussed on the chemical technology space. This spanned things such as hiring the right talent, Industry 4.0, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Digital Transformation, and all the resources needed to support it. Any conference will have this dialogue — but it seemed to be richer in this setting, as the conference was focussed on the results of these advances.

We look forward to 2021 and seeing the results of some of the initiatives that have been invested in by the organizations in attendance. Since Delaware is arguably the birthplace of chemical operations, this seems to be a conference that will be established for future growth and discussions.