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Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence and the Chemical Industry

In the previous articles in this series, we discussed the importance of the Chemical Industry to the global economy and how that industry is poised to benefit tremendously from digitization. Digitization is a vast concept, it encompasses everything from advanced analytics and process controls through to Artificial Intelligence and full automation. Although many experts agree that digitization is critical for the future of the industry, what exactly that means in a business application remains to be seen.

STEPS TO BRING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY ORGANIZATION AND TECHNOLOGY DIGITALIZE THE ENTERPRISE REGULATION ECOSYSTEM COLLABORATION CYBER SECURITY WORKFORCE AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS INDUSTRIAL 10T CULTURAL CHANGE NEW BUSINESS MODEL BRING THE WORKFROCE INTO THE DIGITAL AGE RIGHT DIGITAL STRATEGY CHEMICAL SALES IN 2016 €3.5 trillion NIO million PEOPLE EMPLOYED IN THE INDUSTRY USING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CONTRIBUTION OF THE INDUSTRY TO GLOBAL GDP €6.9 trillion RECAST CHEMICALS SALES IN 2030 THE IMPORTANCE INDUSTRY -100.000 CHEMICALS ON THE ENSURE CYBERSECURITY ENSURE REGOLATORY & HARMONIZE POLICIES CHANGING THE MINDSET STRENGTHENING KEY AREAS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CLOUD MOBILITY CONVERGENCE AND DEVICES PLATFORMS AND APPLICATIONS BIG DATA ANALYTICS 90% EVERYDAY PRODCUTS CONTAINING CHEMICALS O PINPOOLS Wm.".pinpools.com MARKET TODAY CONTINU S DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT o PROFITABLE OPERATIONS INNOVATION PROCESS OPTIMIZATION BETTER SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY SOURCE: WOLRo Econowc FORUM • 01GlT,u TRANSFORMATION 'NIATr.'E
Source: Pinpools

Industrial digital transformation represents a host of possibilities, whether it’s a reference to digital technologies applied in various levels of the process, to the entire process or even to the entire estate. For the purpose of this article, at a process level, Chemical Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence will be the main focus of digitization in chemicals. Transformational benefits such as increased margins, reduced downtime, sustainable business practices, and more are all achievable in chemical manufacturing through the application of Maestro Artificial Intelligence.

For many corporations it may be tempting to apply digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, at a plant level or in an ad hoc basis and while benefits can certainly be achieved this way, in order to be truly transformative, from our years of experience, estate wide application is a necessity. Estate wide application allows for a full picture of the process rather than a point in time, isolated view of the equipment. The estate wide view gives way to a true understanding of how upstream and downstream processes impact the entirety of production.

The adoption of Artificial Intelligence across the entire estate is pivotal to the growth strategy of industrial chemical manufacturing and to their ability to combat digital-led disruption in end markets.

Long term consequences from the adoption of digital in other industries is being predicted to cause a large ripple effect in chemicals. The ripple effects can be positive or negative, take the following example: Digital technologies applied to the automotive value chain will have tremendous impact on the demand for production of chemical coatings as the dawn of driverless cars is set to increase safety on the roads and decrease the needs for chemical coatings. While a world filled with driverless cars may seem like a distant future, Chemical Manufacturers that produce these coatings need to begin planning for this disruption by applying digital now in order to survive in the future.

We have all learned many lessons about the uncertainty of the future, especially due to the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which manufacturers have suffered extensively from. Where have manufacturers turned in order to correct the course? Digitization. An internal research study revealed that the largest drivers for digitization in the chemicals industry are workforce, changes in utilities/ energy costs, COVID-19 related changes, growth strategy and global industry pressures.

Source: Internal Research

Financial incentive alone, derived from increased production, decreased downtime etc., is a significant reason to go digital. Additional benefits relating to sustainability such as reduced energy consumption and hazardous waste are also key drivers. Reduced research and development cycles are another fantastic benefit that comes from digitization.

The above drivers are the “why” that is causing Chemical Manufacturers to adopt digital technologies at increased rates. But how can they drive benefit, adopt solutions quickly and do it all at scale? 

The most important decision in adopting Artificial Intelligence and digitizing is choosing the partner that will transform business operations.

A true partner, like Elutions, will work with the business to establish clear targets, quantify the benefit, develop a governance plan, create a bespoke solution for targeted needs, prioritize speed to benefit and above all remain committed to future growth and surpassing designated targets and goals. Digitization in chemical manufacturing is not a “one size fits all.” Businesses deserve a partner that understands that and is experienced in working together to create the perfect fit.

To learn more about specific case studies of Maestro Artificial Intelligence applied, please contact us.

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Artificial Intelligence and the Chemical Industry’s Rebound from COVID-19

It should come as no surprise that the Chemical Manufacturing Industry, like all industries, has experienced quite a shake up this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Global supply chain disruption, erratic spikes and lulls in demand, operational constraints and the nature of on-site jobs are just a few of many obstacles that the Chemicals industry faced as a result of the pandemic.

Let’s consider some chemical industry statistics that frame the impacts of these constraints on the global economy…

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics from data in September 2020, Chemical Manufacturing companies employ roughly 838,000 people in the United States alone, of that 838k roughly 524,000 are production and nonsupervisory employees.

The below figures are according to statista.com: 

In 2019, the Chemical Industry represented a total worldwide revenue of roughly 3.94 trillion U.S. dollars, with China controlling a 35.8% share of the revenue.

The leading Global Manufacturer of Chemicals, based on a revenue of approximately 65.3 billion U.S. dollars, was German chemical company, BASF. They were also the leaders in the category of global employment with approximately 118,280 employees.

In the United Kingdom the chemical and pharmaceuticals industry represent the second largest industry and a significantly important part of the national economy.

Based on this small sample of statistics alone, it is very clear to see that the Chemical Manufacturing Industry represents a significant part of our global economy. The good news is that as we learn more about the virus and find creative strategies to combat it, including artificial intelligence applied in various ways, we are already starting to see the Global Chemical Production rebounding from some pretty significant losses.

The changes in this chart illustrate the

Monthly global chemical production change due to COVID-19 by region 2020:

Percent change in chemical production due to COVID-19 worldwide between January 2020 and August 2020, by region GIObal Africa & Middle East Chile Latin America Mexico North America India China Asia. Pacific Former Soviet union Belgium Italy France Europe January 2020 to Februa ry -2.1% 0.1% 2.3% -0.4% -0.1% -6.4% -3.7% -0.9% 0.5% February 2020 to March -3.3% 0.2% -2.5% -1.1% -7.2% -8.3% -5.4% 2% -0.8% -2.1% 0.2% March 2020 to April 0.1% -8% -3.4% -2.9% -2.6% -15.9% 1% -0.4% -0.1% -5% -4.2% -2.3% April 2020 to May -0.5% -0.9% -10.2% -4.9% -6.5% -2.3% -13.7% 4.8% 1% -3.3% -3.9% -3.1% May 2020 to June 2020 1.6% -1.2% -6.7% -3.2% -1.9% 1.1% 6.5% 3.3% 3.7% 0.9% 0.2% June 2020 to L July 1.7% 0.3% -1.9% 0.5% -1.1% 1% 17.6% 2.1% 1.7% 1.9% 2.8% 5% 3.2% 3% July 2020 August • 2020 2.7% 2.9% 4% 0.9% 10.3% 3.3% 2.9% 1.3% 2.6% 4.9% 1.7% 3.6%
Source: Statista

Global production is rebounding slowly, but surely, with a 2.7% uptick in production from July of 2020 to August of 2020 with the most significant increase coming from India after a pretty difficult downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rebound in this industry is pivotal to the health of our global economy, as illustrated by the statistics above which represent how important chemical manufacturing is.

What steps have the Chemical Manufacturers taken in order to begin rebounding quickly and contributing to our global economy?

Many Chemical Manufacturers have turned to Artificial Intelligence and Digitization in order to combat challenges presented by COVID-19 whether they are applying these technologies to part of their process or to their entire estate.

Let’s take the international race to find a vaccine as an example. Many corporations have worked together to use Artificial Intelligence to rapidly increase the ability to find a treatment. Dan Drapeau, Head of Technology at Blue Fountain Media, has posited that Artificial Intelligence, when applied in the capacity of finding a vaccine, has become “a necessity right now, because we’re in the middle of a global pandemic, and it’s vital for us to figure out a solution or vaccine therapy as soon as possible.“

Mefuparib PARPI SARS-cov-2 Toremifene Viral RNA NSP14 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase Dexamethasone NR3C1 Remdesivir AAKI Melatonin MTNRIA Baricitinib
Source: The Lancet
AI algorithms can be used for drug repurposing, which is a rapid and cost-effective way to discover new therapy options for emerging diseases.

Artificial Intelligence is a massive disruptor in the vaccination process in regards to reduction of time consumed by molecular analysis and how the molecules should be used in chemical binding to target the disease. In short, humans can’t possibly conduct analysis on the billions of different molecules as it would take far too much time that our global population just doesn’t have. AI has been able to automate this process for the pharmaceutical industry to increase capacity, help predict which drugs would most likely be successful and also decrease the amount of financial resources spent on clinical trials that might ultimately fail.

But Artificial Intelligence’s reach in the chemical industry only begins here and, as a result of the pandemic, it truly has become a necessity for corporations to survive and even thrive in the current environment.

Chemical manufacturers, as well as other industries, all over the world are partnering with Elutions in order harness the power of Maestro’s Artificial intelligence to combat the disruption that COVID-19 has created. Maestro, when applied to the chemical manufacturing process at an estate-wide level, has the ability to transform operations.

To learn more about Digitization and Maestro Artificial Intelligence, stay tuned for Friday’s (Oct. 23) article on Digitization and Quantifying the Impacts of Artificial Intelligence. Also, please read previous articles regarding our work using Artificial Intelligence to combat COVID-19.

Up Next for NCW: Digitization and Chemical Manufacturing

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Artificial Intelligence: A Green Chemistry Technology

Sustainability has been a buzzword for at least the last decade across all industries and even within people’s homes but it seems now, more than ever, it is actually becoming a leader in disruptive change for corporations all over the globe. We see this push in Chemistry with the increased focus on “Green Chemistry” which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines as “the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances.”

Green Chemistry represents a broad reach in the Chemical Industry to become more sustainable in many different facets of the word. The EPA states that corporations that create technology which, “reduces or eliminates the hazardous chemicals used to clean up environmental contaminants” are creating green chemistry technology. Per this definition, Artificial Intelligence, when applied to Chemical Manufacturing Process to reduce environmental contaminants or when used to develop materials in a less hazardous way, and many more applications, can and would be considered green chemistry technology.

ne 12 Principiu of o GREEN CHEMISTRY • Green chemistry is an approach to chemistry that aims to maximize efficiency and minimize hazardous effects on human health and the environment. While no reaction can be perfectly •green', the overall negative impact Of chemistry research and the chemical industry can be reduced by implementing the 12 Principles Of Green Chemistry wherever possible. l. WASTE PREVENTION Prioritize the prevention Of waste, rather than cleaning up and treating waste after it has been created. Plan ahead to minimize waste at every Step. 2. ATOM ECONOMY Reduce waste at the molecular level by maximizing the number Of atoms from all reagents that are incorporated into the final product. Use atom econonny to evaluate reaction efficiency. 3. LESS HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS Design chemical reactions and synthetic routes to be as safe as possible. Consider the hazards of all substances handled during the reaction, including waste. 4. DESIGNING SAFER CHEMICALS Minimize toxicity directly by molecular design. Predict and evaluate aspects such as physical properties, toxicity, and environmental fate throughout the design process. 5. SAFER SOLVENTS AUXILIARIES Choose the safest solvent available for any given step. Minimize the total amount Of solvents and auxiliary substances used, as these make up a large percentage Of the total waste created. 6. DESIGN FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY Choose the least energy-intensive chemical route. Avoid heating and cooling, as well as pressurized and vacuum conditions (i.e. ambient temperature & pressure are optimal). 7. USE OF RENEWABLE FEEDSTOCKS Use chemicals which are made from renewable (i.e. plant-based) sources, rather than other, equivalent chemicals originating from petrochemical sources. 8. REDUCE DERIVATIVES Minimize the use Of temporary derivatives such as protecting groups. Avoid derivatives to reduce reaction steps, resources required, and waste created. 9. CATALYSIS Use catalytic instead Of stoichiometric reagents in reactions. Choose catalysts to help increase selectivity, minimize waste, and reduce reaction times and energy demands. 10. DESIGN FOR DEGRADATION Design chemicals that degrade and can be discarded easily. Ensure that both chemicals and their degradation products are not toxic, bioaccumulative, or environmentally persistent. Il. REAL-TIME POLLUTION PREVENTION Monitor chemical reactions in real-time as they occur to prevent the formation and release Of any potentially hazardous and polluting substances. 12. SAFER CHEMISTRY FOR ACCIDENT PREVENTION Choose and develop chemical procedures that are safer and Inherently minimize the risk Of accidents. Know the possible risks and assess them beforehand. Ci O COMPOUND INTEREST 2015; WWW.COMPOUNDCHEM.COM Shared under a CC Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence. BY NC ND
source: www.compoundchem.com

Dr. Paul Anastas, known as the “Father of Green Chemistry” and the Director of Yale’s Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering, has shed even further light on sustainable chemistry sharing his ideas that not only is Green Chemistry about aligning environmental and health goals but also the consideration that “Green” must extend to economic goals through new inventive and innovative change.

Dr. Yuan Yao, a rising star in the industry and a Yale Professor, has worked alongside Dr. Anastas to conduct investigative research that illustrates, “…how emerging technologies and industrial development will affect the environment,” and she also uses, “interdisciplinary approaches in industrial ecology, sustainable engineering, and machine learning to develop systems analysis tools to support engineering and policy decisions towards sustainability.”

It is Dr. Yao’s belief that, “artificial intelligence shows great potential in reducing the energy consumption and environmental footprints for the chemical industry.” And the team at Solve The Unsolvable and Elutions have to agree with her, as our lengthy experience in chemicals and beyond prove this statement to be true. 

Artificial Intelligence, and Elutions’ Maestro Platform specifically, can certainly be considered innovative and a large contributor to sustainable chemical manufacturing. Our team works tirelessly to solve previously unsolvable business quandaries in the Chemical Industry and beyond to create more sustainable business processes and practices. Through the bespoke application of Maestro AI across the entirety of the chemical manufacturing process, from procurement all the way through to the sale of the product, enterprise efficiency is taken to a new level.

Not only does Maestro cover many of the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry such as waste prevention & energy efficiency but it goes far beyond to incorporate Dr. Anastas’ ideals of taking into account economic goals, through significant operating margin increases and constant innovation within our Neural Network. Maestro maximizes benefits with continuously increasing speed, scale, and impact.

To learn more about Maestro, please contact us and to read more about our work in chemicals, and beyond, please subscribe below.

Up Next for NCW: Digitization and Chemical Manufacturing

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National Chemistry Week Celebration!

Each year in the United States, since the late 1980s, the American Chemical Society (ACS) has designated a week, National Chemistry Week (NCW), to celebrate and promote to the public the positive changes in the Chemical Industry. This year’s NCW theme is “Sticking with Chemistry” with a focus on Glues and Adhesives, something that touches all of our lives, almost daily and especially the lives of children. While the ACS predominantly focuses on educating elementary and secondary school children, we would like to share our thought leadership with businesses around the globe.

As a company with several partnerships within the Chemical Industry, including a membership in the Chemicals Industry Association in the United Kingdom, Elutions is excited to share the positive changes we, and Artificial Intelligence in general, have made through Chemical Themed articles celebrating this year’s National Chemistry Week from October 18th through October 24th.

Please check out our upcoming articles on Monday 10/19, Wednesday 10/21, and Friday 10/23 about the positive changes being made, specifically in the Chemical Manufacturing Industry, through Artificial Intelligence and our AI platform, Maestro.

To learn more about Maestro, please contact us.

Up Next for NCW: Digitization and Chemical Manufacturing

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