David Dunn, marketing director of SAP global chemical industry, stressed that chemical companies need to focus on the practice of industry 4.0
Chemical manufacturers have the opportunity to embrace digital and industrial 4.0 practices as they wish before it deteriorates dramatically into viral uncertainty in 2020. No more. The impact of the cowid-19 pandemic has increased the urgency for chemical manufacturers to inject industry 4.0 capabilities into their operations and supply chains.
With the increasing pressure of obtaining new efficiency, increasing supply chain flexibility, making more intelligent decisions and obtaining flexibility, chemical companies are accelerating their digital efforts and turning to various technologies and methods of connecting Internet of things (IOT) and data-driven. By doing so, they have gained advantages in several key areas, which in turn enables them not only to better cope with the recent changing business environment, but also to flourish in the “new normal” of the chemical industry, no matter what it looks like in the end. These areas include empowering people, smart products, smart factories and smart assets.
This pandemic strongly reminds us that people are as important as technology in the digital transformation. By integrating a greater degree of automation into operations, manufacturers reduce the risk of human error, keep more workers away from harm, and obtain more real-time data as the basis for decision-making.
Digital tools also give employees the freedom to focus on high-value jobs that drive differentiated competition: serving customers and innovating through new business models and revenue streams. Finally, they can help manufacturers strengthen measures to ensure the safety and health of employees during health crises, enable them to conduct health screening, monitor compliance with social and physical distance policies, and track employee interactions in the workplace.
The pandemic did not curb the demand for high-performance customized products. Now, more than ever, the focus of chemical manufacturers should not just be on providing products to customers, but on providing positive experiences and results to customers.
With the advanced prediction tools provided by the data of soil content, climate and other factors, agrochemical producers can quickly and intelligently simulate and develop herbicides, fertilizers and other products suitable for specific areas or even specific fields. Through a collaborative digital platform, producers can cooperate with customers to develop customized products. It has acquired the ability to provide mass production and personalized products.
Intelligent digital core, operating assets and supply chain connection, a chemical company can optimize the production process to create more materials and energy-saving operations, and be agile enough to respond to unexpected changes in supply and demand in real time.
