Chemical Companies Partnership with Data/Digitalization-Focused Companies

Developments in such areas as automation, monitoring, computation, sensing, modeling, and networking technologies should be immensely useful in chemical companies operations.   In order to take advantage of such advances, chemical companies likely need to partner with data/digitalization-focused companies that spearhead advances and develop capabilities in applying data and digitalization in manufacturing processes.  Five companies judged to have these capabilities are: 

Artificial Intelligence Global, a Saudi Arabia company, provides digital solutions to chemical companies.  Services incudes artificial intelligence, robotics, and blockchain.  Click here to go to Artificial Intelligence Global’s website. 

Aveva, a British company, provides artificial intelligence and cloud services to improve chemical processes and operations.  Click here to go to Aveva’s website. 

Capgemini, a French company, provides digital manufacturing solutions.  The company has expertise in such areas as: artificial intelligence; cloud services; and digital manufacturing.  Click here to go to Capgemini’s website. 

Rockwell Automation, an American company, provides digitalization expertise for the chemical industry.   The company helps to make the chemical plant more interconnected with automation infrastructure.   Click here to go to Rockwell Automation’s website. 

Siemens, a German company, helps companies become “digital enterprises”.   Siemens assists companies to collect, understand, and use massive amounts of data.  Click here to go to Siemens’s website. 

The recently passed and signed “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” has several provisions in it that should be important to the chemical industry, including support for smart manufacturing (click here to read a Bergeson & Campbell article on those provisions in the act supporting the chemical industry).  The bill’s section pertaining to “smart manufacturing” is consistent with data-digitalization efforts that have been going on in the European Union for several years.  For example, read a blog entitled “Germany’s Chemical Industry Embraces Industry 4.0 and Digitalization” by clicking here.

 

Japan’s Program of Using Hydrogen as a Major Energy Source

Japan has embarked, as a national policy, on the use of hydrogen as a main and substantial energy source for the country.   Click here, here, and here to read information on the Japanese hydrogen policy. 

To better understand what has been accomplished to date related to this national policy, I extensively searched the Internet to identify Japanese public companies that have reported in their annual reports activities related to this national policy.   The following are fifteen Japanese public companies that were identified along with brief descriptions of activities they refer to in their annual reports related to the national policy: 

• Asahi Kasei (a chemical company) has been developing alkaline water electrolysis systems for producing hydrogen. 
• Chiyoda (an engineering and factory construction company) has participated in demonstrating the successful storage and ocean transport, from Brunei, of the hydrogen carrier methylcyclohexane. 
• Eneos Holdings (an energy company) has been investigating supplies of hydrogen and opening and operating hydrogen fueling stations. 
• INPEX (an energy company) has been producing hydrogen from natural gas. 
• Iwatani (a gas company) has opened several hydrogen refueling stations in Japan. 
• Jera (an energy company) has been verifying the safe use of hydrogen at their power stations and selecting optimal hydrogen carriers (e.g., ammonia; liquified hydrogen; and methylcyclohexane). 
• J-Power (an energy company) has been producing hydrogen from brown coal in Australia, capturing and storing the emitted carbon dioxide, and shipping the hydrogen to Japan. 
• Kawasaki Heavy Industries (a manufacture of industrial equipment) has been developing cargo containment systems for use in shipping liquefied hydrogen. 
• Marubeni (an investment company) has been investing in hydrogen production and supply chain companies, e.g., in transporting hydrogen from Australia to Japan. 
• Mitsubishi Chemical Company has built and evaluated hydrogenation and dehydrogenation plants needed when the hydrogen carrier methylcyclohexane is shipped. 
• MOL Mitsui OSK Lines (a shipping company) has been developing ocean shipping capabilities for hydrogen. 
• Nippon Steel Engineering (an engineering company) has been developing systems for safely suppling high-pressure hydrogen to vehicles. 
• NYK Shipping Company has contributed to the development of a hydrogen supply chain from hydrogen suppliers to hydrogen users. 
• Sumitomo (a conglomerate) has produced in Malaysia hydrogen using hydroelectric power and electrolysis for shipping to Japan. 
• Tahoka Electric Power Group has been testing the use of hydrogen for generating power at thermal power stations and also researching electrical grid stabilization by using hydrogen energy. 

It seems to me that this Japanese hydrogen energy goal is very unique in terms of its magnitude and potential consequences, both if successful and if a failure.  For example, if successful the implications for other countries with respect to approaches to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are important.   If unsuccessful, then negative consequences for Japan and others would be significant. 

Another aspect of the Japanese hydrogen energy goal is the management implication.   Because of the magnitude of the goal, if successful or not, understanding the success (or failure) should be useful in better managing other huge country-wide projects. 

Based on the descriptions provided above of Japanese public companies’ activities with respect to the Japanese goal, some conclusions are: 

• Many different and complex technologies are needed to be adapted, developed, and used for the goal to be successful, and 
• Much more than successful technologies are required.  For example, good systems analysis and management are necessary.  And successful cooperation and collaboration between Japanese, and other country companies, as well as with the Japanese government, are necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

Global Chemical Companies Digitalization Efforts Related to Supply Chains

 

Recent annual reports of several global chemical companies were reviewed for information on what those chemical companies might be doing to increase the digitalization attributes of their supply chains.  Here is some information found:

Asahi Kasei in partnership with IBM is developing the use of blockchain technology for tracking information on sold plastics that is needed for recycling decisions.

AkzoNobel has launched a project to better integrate its SAP software system with its supply chain.

Arkema is reorganizing its information technology systems in order to improve its supply chain management.

BASF uses artificial intelligence to optimize its supply chain and logistics concepts.

Celanese is in the process of revamping its supply chain process.  It intends to use more intelligent systems for analyzing vast amounts of data leading to better optimization of its supply chain networks.

Clariant has a “big data” analytics initiative in various company operations including supply chain.  It seeks to incorporate machine learning, advanced analytics, and demand sensing in its operations.

Covestro is committed to pursuing digitization along its entire supply chain.  It has set up a Digital Solutions Laboratory.  The company is developing the use of blockchain to preserve confidential data on products for later use in recycling and reuse decisions.

Evonik is emphasizing digitalization and is looking for innovative ways to do so.   One goal is to use artificial intelligence applications to raise efficiency along the supply chain.

Mitsui, a strong supporter of the Japan’s DX Digitalization Initiative, is adopting IBM’s blockchain technology in tracking plastic products to consumption and recycling/reuse decisions.  (More information on Japan’s DX Digitalization Initiative can be found by clicking here.)

Sekisui has initiated a study of their supply chain system in order to increase digitalization.

Sumitomo is improving its supply chain management through digitalization innovations.  Sumitomo is a supporter of Japan’s DX Digitization Initiative. 

The information provided above suggests that several global chemical companies have decided to increased digitalization of their supply chains.  Likely reasons for this might include:

• The COVID pandemic focused the companies on their supply chains and their vulnerabilities and the need to improve the supply chains;
• Newly developed and improved technologies related to digitization, such as in the areas of the internet of things; artificial intelligence (including machine learning); blockchain technology; and robotics processing, provide incentives and technologies for increased digitalization of the supply chains (a Nexocode site discusses artificial intelligence with respect to supply chains – click here – and a Deloitte report discusses blockchain use with respect to supply chains – click here);
• The need for increased digitization to meet increased governmental and societal requirements and expectations related to sustainability, ethical, and environmental goals and the importance of supply chains in those goals; and
• The increased sizes of global chemical companies and the amount of data that is generated related to their operations and how digitalization of that data can lead to much improved decision-making using new data analytics technologies.

Nanotechnology Services and Products

In my previous blog, Products and Services Using Nanosensors (click here to read that blog), I identify five companies that have services and products using nanosensors. 

In this blog I am identifying ten large, global chemical companies that has services and products based on nanotechnologies (other than nanosensors).  The ten companies with a description of the services and products offered are: 

Arkema is developing nano-strength additives with unique properties needed in telecommunications networks. 

BASF researchers are investigating catalyst nanoparticles made of palladium and platinum. 

Dupont has a product, named FILMTEC, that uses reverse osmosis and nano filtration elements for water filtration and purification. 

Huntsman produces carbon nanomaterials for longer-lasting and better performing Li-ion batteries. 

Mitsui offers nano-size nonwoven fibers for use as filters. 

Nitto Denko offers polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) nano filters for air purification. 

Sekisui offers nano technologies to improve wastewater treatment.   Sekisui also applies nano-dispersion technology to create a glass film that suppresses double head-up displays. 

Shin-Etsu offers a nano-scale fluorinated layer for eyeglasses and smart phones that repels water and oil. 

Solvay has invested in PrinterPrezz, a company that uses 3D printing and nanotechnologies to manufacture next-generation medical devices. 

Toray offers services based on nanotechnology expertise that improves fiber, resin, and film discontinuous characteristics.

 

Nanotechnologies are expected to produce unique, valuable services and products.  For example, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry’s (IUPAC) “Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry” 2019 and 2021 lists have nanosensors and nanopesticides on the lists.  You can review these lists by going to a IUPAC’s website (click here). 

Also, the United States Government has established the National Nanotechnology Initiative, designed to support development of nanotechnologies.  Click here to read more about this initiative. 

It seems to me, based on this blog and my previous blog on nanosensors, that although products and services, based on nanotechnologies, are showing up, currently the development of these services and products are only in the early stages.

  

Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert – November 2021

The purpose of this blog is to identify chemical and metal shortages reported on the Internet.  The sources of the information reported here are primarily news releases issued on the Internet.  The issue period of the news releases is November 2021. 

Section I below lists those chemicals and metals that were on the previous month’s Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert list and continue to have news releases indicating they are in short supply.  Click here to read the October 2021 Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert list. 

Section II lists the new chemicals and metals (not on the October alert).  Also provided is some explanation for the shortage and geographical information.  This blog attempts to list only actual shortage situations – those shortages that are being experienced during the period covered by the news releases.  Chemicals and metals identified in news releases as only being in danger of being in shortage status are not listed. 

Section I. 

• Aluminum: global; production not keeping up with demand
• Chemicals produced from petroleum (petrochemicals): United States, European Union; production not keeping up with demand
• Construction materials:  United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom; production not keeping up with demand
• Magnesium: global; supply not keeping up with demand
• Paint: United States; production not keeping up with demand 

Section II.   Shortages Reported in November not found on the Previous Month’s Lists 

• Diesel exhaust fluid (urea water solution): South Korea; supply not keeping up with demand
• Glass: United States; supply not keeping up with demand 

Reasons for Section II shortages can be broadly categorized as:  

• Mining not keeping up with demand: none
• Production not keeping up with demand: none
• Sources no longer available: none
• Insufficient imports:  none
• Supply not keeping up with demand: diesel exhaust fluid; glass