Industry: Chemicals & Plastics

The plastics processing industry is undergoing a profound transformation. As global markets demand more sustainable, efficient, and digitally integrated manufacturing, the machinery that powers this sector is evolving rapidly. From injection molding to 3D printing, each technology is being reshaped by innovation, regulation, and shifting customer expectations. Exhibit 1. Plastic machinery companies and strategic initiatives […]

The European chemical industry is in the midst of a significant transformation, driven by a perfect storm of weak demand, persistently high energy costs, lingering overcapacity, and the disruptive impact of geopolitical factors like new tariffs. These challenging conditions are forcing major players to make tough decisions, resulting in a wave of strategic divestitures and painful plant closures across the […]

Europe’s chemical industry is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, marked by a surge in divestitures and plant closures. This challenging environment, driven by weak demand, persistently high energy costs, lingering overcapacity, and geopolitical pressures, highlights the sector’s declining competitiveness. Indeed, a recent Cefic study revealed that in 2023 and 2024 alone, chemical companies announced the closure of over […]

Last week, I attended the 2025 Reuters Downstream USA conference, where a central theme resonated deeply across discussions: the critical importance of reliability in the refining and chemicals sectors. While chemical engineers often define reliability as a system’s probability of functioning without failure for a set time under given conditions, its broader, transformative impact on […]

The oil & gas and chemical industries are at an inflection point. For years, growth was a given, but a new era, one characterized by a structural decline in capital and operational spending, is starting to take shape. Recent trends of slowing oil demand growth, oversupplied markets, and shrinking chemical margins as shown in exhibit […]

Hydrogen is key to decarbonizing, and countries worldwide unequivocally recognize this, as seen from the widespread policies supporting hydrogen market development displayed in exhibit 1. Most European countries have developed hydrogen strategies and roadmaps, with targets for green H2 production capacity by 2030, including 5.0 GW in the UK, 10.0 GW in Germany, and 6.5 […]

The oil and gas industry has come a long way since the first mechanically drilled wells, which were roughly 69 feet deep. From Edwin L Drake’s team striking oil at 69.5 feet in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859, to today’s Permian Basin producers drilling wells over 3,000 feet in vertical depth and exceeding 25,000 feet in […]

At the 2025 ADI Forum, Rob Helwick, CEO & President, Meridian Chemicals, and Anahita Khanlari, Solution Marketing Director, AspenTech, joined moderator Panuswee Dwivedi, Project Manager, ADI Analytics. The group participated in the specialty chemicals panel. Discussion revolved around how the specialty chemicals market was experiencing significant shifts driven by regional demand changes, such as Asia-Pacific’s […]

At the 2025 ADI Forum, Rajeev Agnihotri, Advisor, Tech. Scouting, Innovation, ExxonMobil, and Carol Conomos, Advisor, Mainspring Energy, joined Panuswee Dwivedi, Project Manager, ADI Analytics for the innovation panel on chemicals day. The conversation highlighted AI and machine learning, especially generative AI, as key drivers for innovation in the chemical industry, despite slower adoption by […]

At the 2025 ADI Forum, Steve Brown, President, Chemstations, and Walter Breidenstein, CEO, GasTechno, joined moderator Uday Turaga, CEO, ADI Analytics during the Feedstocks challenges for chemicals panel. The US held a significant advantage in chemical feedstock due to abundant and affordable natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs), especially ethane. This abundance lowered production […]

At the 2025 ADI Forum, Sachin Sakhalkar, SVP, Teknor Apex, and Kristian Gubsch, Co-Founder, Mars Materials joined the engineered materials panel, moderated by Uday Turaga, CEO, ADI Analytics. Discussion centered around high-performance polymers in automotive applications. Steady across EVs and combustion engines was discussed. Additionally, they talked about high-performance polymers in automotive applications. Asia led […]

At the 2025 ADI Forum, Sachin Sakhalkar, SVP, Teknor Apex, and Kristian Gubsch, Co-Founder, Mars Materials, joined Uday Turaga, CEO, ADI Analytics for the engineered materials panel. During this discussion, the speakers delved into the world of engineered materials. They specifically focused on polymers in the automotive industry and beyond. Key insights included the continued […]