Industry: Specialty chemicals

The global chemical industry struggled in 2025, with total shareholder returns lagging broader markets over both five- and ten-year periods. Looking ahead to 2026, this gap is expected to widen as oversupply meets soft demand and rising trade and regulatory pressures continue to weigh on the sector. While lower inflation and selective feedstock advantages offer […]

In the February 2026 edition of the ADI Chemicals Newsletter, Dow expands propylene glycol capacity in Thailand as specialty demand grows. M&A activity progresses with ADNOC and OMV advancing their Borouge transaction, and Fertiglobe, Covestro, and TA’ZIZ strengthening ammonia and sustainability collaboration. Europe continues to rationalize capacity, with Dow, TotalEnergies, and the Covestro–LyondellBasell JV announcing […]

At the 2026 ADI Forum, Uday Turaga, CEO of ADI, provided a cross-segment outlook on the energy and chemical value chains. He highlighted the firm’s focus on the strategic interfaces between upstream production, global gas markets, and power generation, emphasizing how infrastructure and geopolitical shifts are reshaping global commodity flows. Key themes included a shift […]

At the 2026 ADI Forum, Jonatas Melo, President, Baystar; Badrish Krishnan, Director of Specialty Polymers, SK Geo Centric; and John Uhran, CEO, Locus Fermentation Solutions joined Uday Turaga, CEO, ADI Analytics for the Chemicals and Plastics panel. Key themes discussed were the industry’s ongoing struggle with global overcapacity and margin compression, the wave of asset rationalizations […]

In the January 2026 edition of the ADI Chemicals Newsletter, we explore how the global chemicals industry is entering a period of cautious stabilization. ADI’s 2026 global chemicals outlook highlights modest demand growth trailing GDP, continued overcapacity driven by Chinese additions, and an acceleration in strategic M&A as companies reshape portfolios for resilience. Questions remain […]

ADI Analytics has officially released its chemicals outlook for this year, detailing a landscape defined by cautious recovery and significant structural shifts. As the global industry navigates a “low growth, better mix” environment, companies are pivoting away from aggressive expansion toward operational excellence and portfolio high-grading. The following ten points summarize the key findings from […]

In the December 2025 edition of the ADI Chemicals Newsletter, we explore how AI in energy and chemicals is moving from hype to reality. Successful adoption depends on practical, bottom-up implementation rather than top-down mandates. Companies like Aramco, Suncor, and Clariant are using AI to augment operations, not replace human expertise. This edition also highlights […]

In the November 2025 edition of the ADI Chemicals Newsletter, we begin by examining how chemical industry demand is no longer moving in step with GDP growth. Structural forces such as demographic decline, material efficiency, recycling, and substitution are reshaping the market. Additionally, we highlight reliability as a critical differentiator in refining and chemicals—beyond its […]

The dominant news in the chemical industry is the painful reality of excess capacity. Supply is so high that it’s crippling profitability, especially for European producers. But behind this supply crisis is an even more crucial question: What’s happening with chemical industry demand? There’s a growing sense that chemical demand growth is increasingly divorced from […]

In the October 2025 edition of the ADI Chemicals Newsletter, we begin by examining how POE and POP demand growth will continue in automotive, packaging, and renewable applications. Global demand for polyolefin elastomers (POE) and plastomers (POP) has grown steadily, driven by expanding use in packaging, polymer modification, and foam applications, with increasing adoption in […]

In the September 2025 edition of the ADI chemicals newsletter, we covered the major regulatory changes impacting plastics recycling in the U.S., which are creating both opportunities and challenges. This issue also highlighted several recent plant startups, including an ammonia plant by Cronus Chemicals in Illinois and an alkoxides facility by Evonik Industries in Singapore. […]

Last week, the annual Digitalization in Oil & Gas conference rolled into Houston, and I was grateful for the opportunity to speak at this always-excellent event hosted by our friends at the Energy Conference Network. The panel was charged to talk about building a digital-ready workforce, and I prepared by summarizing ADI Analytics’ consulting and research […]