The Chemical Show: Where Leaders Talk Business – Details, episodes & analysis

Ep 179 Show Notes  

Geopolitical shifts, economic challenges, and sustainability goals are reshaping the global chemical industry. John Richardson, senior consultant at ICIS, joins host Victoria Meyer to delve into the market's uncertainties and logistical issues affecting Europe, the repercussions of the Russia-Ukraine war, and the potential of developing markets like India and Africa. John sheds light on critical issues such as the demand-supply imbalance for commodity chemicals, Europe's struggle with high energy costs, and China's evolving role from a dominant importer to a potential major exporter of synthetic resins. 

Victoria and John also explore the wider scope of sustainability within the chemical industry, examining Europe's pursuit of a circular economy amidst complex regulatory landscapes and fluctuating geopolitical risks. They discuss the impact of demographic changes on consumer behavior, and the shifting focus towards eco-friendly products. Tune in to gain a comprehensive understanding of the forces shaping the chemical market's future, from rising sustainability efforts to adapting strategic decisions in a dynamically changing global landscape. 

Join us to gain insights on the following topics this week: 

1. Chemical markets in the 2nd half of 2024 and leading into 2025 
2. Overcapacity and supply-demand imbalance 
3. China's economic slowdown and demographic changes have significantly impacted global chemical demand. 
4. The rising middle class in developing countries, including China, India, and others, has driven increased demand for chemicals and plastics 
5. Geopolitical tensions have disrupted supply chains, increased energy costs, and created uncertainty in the market 
6. Circularity struggles - infrastructure, regulatory hurdles, and feedstock availability 
7. 10 interconnected forces shaping the new global chemical landscape 
8. Big commodity chemicals winners and losers 

***Don’t miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player. 
***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review.
***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com 

Sponsored by Newry. Newry helps you uncover growth where you're built to win - fast.
Visit newrycorp.com and see the Newry team at The Chemical Summit. 

Ep 178 Show Notes - How Collaboration, Customers, and Community Contribute to Sustainability

Uncover the impactful stories behind the winners of American Chemistry Council’s 2024 Sustainability Leadership Awards, as host Victoria Meyer dives into projects from Celanese, PPG, and DuPont. Kevin Norfleet from Celanese shares insights on their Carbon Capture and Utilization Project, a breakthrough in emissions reduction that won them the Circularity Award. Meanwhile, Garry Grant from PPG discusses their climate-friendly innovations in automotive coatings, a project that earned the Climate Award. 

Mary Reinthal from DuPont highlights their Clear Into the Future grant program, showcasing how DuPont is fostering community engagement and social responsibility across the globe. From land restoration in Michigan to urban forestry in Seoul, their initiatives reflect a deep commitment to societal and environmental betterment.  

Join us to gain insights on the following topics this week: 

• The why behind Celanese's CCU project, winner of ACC's Circularity Award 
• Fitting into the circular space with CO2 circularity 
• How PPG is reducing the energy intensity in the automotive paint shop with their new paint line, winning ACC's Climate award 
• Opportunities to reduce power usage and CO2 production by taking it a different approach to paints and coatings and adhesives that go into automotive processes. 
• Dupont's Clear into the Future project funding nonprofit organizations to work on sustainable development initiatives in the communities, winner of ACC's Social Responsibility and Community Engagement Award 
• Creating community and local connection as employees of a Global company 

Additional Links: 

ACC’s 2024 Sustainability Leadership Awards Episode Part 1: Driving Innovation in Recycling: Inside ACC’s Sustainability Awards with Cyclyx and EFC Gases 

Chris Jahn: Sustainability Starts with Chemistry with ACC CEO Chris Jahn 

Michael Heinz: BASF CEO Michael Heinz on Sustainability, Energy, and Leadership 

Bonny Tully: Achieving Success in Chemicals: Sustainability and Leadership with Bonnie Tully of Evonik 

Daryl Roberts: Careers, Care, and The Future of Chemicals with Daryl Roberts of DuPont 

Kevin Norfleet: Carbon Capture and Customer Value with Kevin Norfleet of Celanese

***Don’t miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player. 
***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review.
***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com 

Sponsored by Newry. Newry helps you uncover growth where you're built to win - fast.
Visit newrycorp.com and see the Newry team at The Chemical Summit. 

Wondering how a unicorn startup in the chemical industry is changing the business of chemicals? Join host Victoria Meyer as she speaks with Gaurab Chakrabarti, co-founder and CEO of Solugen, to explore innovative approaches that challenge the traditional paradigms of bigger, more efficient assets. Their conversation delves into alternative solutions for reducing carbon intensity, emphasizing the importance of local supply chains and circular feedstocks.

Gaurab Chakrabarti is a force in the chemical industry, renowned for his unique journey from aspiring medical doctor to pioneering entrepreneur. A Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, Gaurab's passion for studying pancreatic cancer led him to uncover parallels between cancer biology and chemical processing, ultimately inspiring him to co-found Solugen. Alongside his best friend Sean Hunt, Gaurab is committed to decarbonizing the chemical industry through innovative enzymatic catalysts and scalable, high-yield processes.

Learn more as Victoria and Gaurab discuss the following topics:

• An unconventional start to a career: from physician to scientist to Forbes 30 under 30
• Solugen's framework of decarbonization
• Growing into a 2 billion company and the expectations that arise
• How receiving a DOE loan creates an inflection point in growth
• Workforce and cultural evolution of Solugen
• Gaurab's career insights and advice

–Gaurab Chakrabarti

***Don’t miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player.
***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review.
***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com 

Sponsored by Newry. Newry helps you uncover growth where you're built to win - fast.
Visit newrycorp.com and see the Newry team at The Chemical Summit. 

When it comes to chemical prices, the China market has a big role to play. Their economy is at a halt, and no one really knows how long it will stay that way. Join Victoria Meyer as she talks John Richardson, a Senior Consultant at ICIS. Find out how China's Zero COVID Policy and the ongoing demand destruction are damaging the entire chemical market. Take a deep dive into the state of polymers across the continents of Asia and Europe, specifically Polyethylene and Polypropylene.  

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! http://www.thechemicalshow.com/

Sponsored by Newry. Newry helps you uncover growth where you're built to win - fast.
Visit newrycorp.com and see the Newry team at The Chemical Summit. 

There are changes in what matters to the customers in the chemical industry. Kevin Huntsman, President of Mastio & Company, shares these trends and how businesses must respond to these insights into the customer experience. Kevin specializes in survey design and data collection in the chemical and energy industries and does a lot of work in transportation and logistics. He has been helping provide data-based insights into customer value for over two decades. In this episode, he openly shares how they gather this data and its impact on how business leaders in the industry should look at their processes and operations. Join his chat with host Victoria Meyer as they discuss the customer perspective and share thoughts on the current state of supply chain challenges.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! http://www.thechemicalshow.com/

Sponsored by Newry. Newry helps you uncover growth where you're built to win - fast.
Visit newrycorp.com and see the Newry team at The Chemical Summit. 

Current technology and the power of the internet gave birth to an interconnected world. In this age of globalization, there are countless opportunities to build a global enterprise – only if you know the right strategies to do so. Victoria Meyer sits down with Yubo Li, who talks about transforming Jiahua Chemicals from a Chinese private company into a global enterprise group through a systematic global synergetic lean management. He discusses how they pulled this off while navigating a major market decline by working with research universities and prioritizing customer needs. Yubo also explains how they combine technology with chemistry and manage a global team composed of people from different cultures.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! http://www.thechemicalshow.com/

Sponsored by Newry. Newry helps you uncover growth where you're built to win - fast.
Visit newrycorp.com and see the Newry team at The Chemical Summit. 

Boron is the second strongest material in the elemental chart, only second to diamonds. Given its incredible resistance, it is found in almost everything: fiberglass, insulation, batteries, motors, and even carpets. Despite these applications, Boron usually sits in the background and is rarely used. But for J.T. Starzecki and their entire team at 5E Advanced Materials, it could be the next lithium. Joining Victoria Meyer, he talks about their sustainable mining operations integrated with a boron acid production facility, saving them time from digging and creating hundreds of jobs as well. J.T. also shares the biggest challenges their company has faced and the best characteristics of an ideal business partnership.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! http://www.thechemicalshow.com/

Sponsored by Newry. Newry helps you uncover growth where you're built to win - fast.
Visit newrycorp.com and see the Newry team at The Chemical Summit. 

All industries are challenging, especially the manufacturing industry. There’s a growing skill gap, a decline in effective leadership, and a growing challenge of how to approach the market. So what are the secrets of industry winners like AdvanSix, the fully integrated manufacturer of Nylon 6 resin, chemical intermediates, and ammonium sulfate fertilizer, in actually thriving in the market? Join us in this episode as Sarah Waller, the Vice President and General Manager of Nylon Solutions at AdvanSix, shares her journey with the company and how they’re approaching today’s markets!

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! http://www.thechemicalshow.com/

Sponsored by Newry. Newry helps you uncover growth where you're built to win - fast.
Visit newrycorp.com and see the Newry team at The Chemical Summit. 

The pandemic has forced the hand of several industries to speed up their development and move forward with digitalization. But how has this move impacted the “marketing DNA” of these organizations? Here to dissect the topic is Jonathan Copulsky. Jonathan is a Professor at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, serving as the academic director for business marketing strategy as part of their executive education program, and has been in the marketing industry for over 40 years. In this chat with Victoria Meyer, Jonathan explains the impact of the pandemic on the internal processes of sales and marketing within the chemical industry. He tackles the growing need for executive marketing roles and the use of technology to drive growth in the digital sphere. Jonathan also breaks down five iconic archetypes of ways that companies are great marketers in the B2B context. Tune in to learn more and get valuable insight to propel your business forward.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! http://www.thechemicalshow.com/

Sponsored by Newry. Newry helps you uncover growth where you're built to win - fast.
Visit newrycorp.com and see the Newry team at The Chemical Summit. 

Are you looking for a commerce platform where sourcing raw materials are simple, from search to logistics? In this episode of The Chemical Show, Scott Barrows, the CEO of BluePallet shares how they are building digital commerce solutions for the chemical industry. Scott also shares that they are studying what's happened in the past, not only the platforms in the chemical industry that have come and gone but also how technology digitization of commerce has affected other industries that have maybe a little bit further along. With the concerns about marketplaces creating a level of standardization that can take away the unique value that the company provides or that distributor provides to its customers, Scott explains how they turn that around and how that plays out. Tune in to this insightful episode to hear more about an end-to-end chemical commerce platform that provides solutions for search, logistics, transactions, and everything in between!

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! http://www.thechemicalshow.com/

Sponsored by Newry. Newry helps you uncover growth where you're built to win - fast.
Visit newrycorp.com and see the Newry team at The Chemical Summit.