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Employee Scheduling for Manufacturing: A Best Practices Guide

As demand continues to surge for many chemical manufacturers, ensuring adequate staffing to meet daily volume targets is a top-of-mind issue for plant managers. Read the guide to discover the best practices of employee scheduling you can leverage to improve the overall effectiveness of labor resources

Spotlight

India Glycols Limited, Delhi

India Glycols Limited (IGL) is a Rs1500-crore diversified chemicals company. The company was established as a single mono-ethylene glycol plant in 1983.IGL’s flagship chemicals division started out with a path-breaking green approach to manufacturing ethylene oxide and derivatives. Using the molasses-ethyl alcohol-ethylene 'green route'​, the company is the only one of its kind in the world. With the emphasis now increasingly shifting to green manufacturing, the chemical division is well poised to meet industry’s need for environmentally responsible products and production techniques.

OTHER ARTICLES
Chemical Technology

Closing the loop: Real-time measurement of oil in water for process facilities

Article | July 14, 2022

When an oilfield’s reservoir pressure is depleted during primary recovery, additional oil can be recovered by recycling the produced water and injecting it back into the reservoir. Water management is critical for such water and water-alternating-gas (WAG) floods. In its Permian basin operations, Occidental recovers, recycles, and re-injects large volumes of water for its enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. With real-time monitoring of oil in water (OiW) delivering reliable and continuous data, Occidental identified a way to optimize the recovery process and is working with NOV to expand the use of OiW monitoring equipment.

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Chemical Technology

The Future of Supply Chain Management for Chemical Companies

Article | July 20, 2022

Individual consumers expect tailored products and services. Color, size, quantity, payment method, and delivery channel options abound. The chemical sector is also now following this suit of action. The global chemicals supply chain has grown steadily for three decades. Chemical businesses are improving their supply chain capabilities to handle complexity and meet client demands. This includes implementing advanced data-driven and cloud-based technologies that enable faster, more flexible, and tailored customer interactions. Areas of innovation for chemical companies Living Segmentation Living segmentation can help chemical businesses better serve clients and satisfy their expectations. This entails adapting supply chain capabilities to each customer's needs. Asset-light Network An asset-light network involves developing an ecosystem of partners to add capabilities and value to your supply chain beyond standard co-manufacturing, co-packing, and third-party or last-mile logistics providers. In addition, it should include technology partners that help chemical businesses innovate and be adaptable. Data and Applied Intelligence Improving speed, agility, and efficiency in global supply chains demands comprehensive visibility and the correct information. Data provides visibility and insights. The key to providing excellent customer service is gathering the appropriate data and using it strategically to get important insight. The industry generates a ton of data, which is excellent news. In response to last year's supply chain delays, corporations are building supply chains with geographically spread shipping/supplier choices. Real-time visibility and enhanced analytics can be used to track delays by providing revised ETAs and analyzing downstream implications. Data-driven insights can alert organizations of a delay almost immediately and help them acquire raw materials from another supplier to reduce the domino impact downstream. Chemical businesses must rethink their supply chains to implement living segmentation, asset-light networks, data, and AI.

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Chemical Technology

Southeast polyolefins demand growth could be negative again in 2021

Article | July 20, 2022

BEFORE the pandemic, GDP growth rates in the developing world were always higher than in developed economies.And because developing economies had much lower levels of petrochemicals consumption than their rich counterparts, it meant that the multiples over GDP were higher than in the rich word, where consumption was pretty much saturated. For instance, polyethylene (PE) demand in a developed country such as Germany might have grown at 0.3% times GDP whereas in Indonesia the growth could have been one or more times higher than the rate of growth in GDP.But as The Economist wrote in this 11 July article: “In 2021 the poorest countries, which are desperately short of vaccines, are forecast to grow more slowly than rich countries for only the third time in 25 years.” Might the multiples over GDP growth also be adversely affected in the developing world, trending lower than the historic norms? They will almost certainly remain higher than the rich countries. But here is the thing: as millions more people are pushed back into extreme poverty by the pandemic or are denied the opportunity to achieve middle-income status, I believe that developing-world multiples may well decline.Escaping extreme poverty means being able to, say, afford a whole bottle of shampoo for the first time rather than a single-serve sachet, thereby raising per capita polymers consumption.

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Chemical Management

The pandemic, climate change, plastic waste and the great divide: the world in 2025

Article | June 13, 2021

NOBODY SHOULD be surprised that the developing world has fallen behind in the battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as the region is a long way from recovering from the pandemic.Evidence to this effect emerged last week in comments made by Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). “In many emerging and developing economies, emissions are heading upwards while clean energy investments are faltering, creating a dangerous fault line in global efforts to reach climate and sustainable energy goals,” said Birol. At the current rate, carbon dioxide emissions from developing countries largely in Asia, Africa and Latin America are set to increase by 5bn tonnes/year over the next two decades, according to the IEA, as access to power increases.At present, around 785m people worldwide have no access to electricity. There are also 2.6bn people without access to clean cooking options.

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Chemical Technology

Future-Proofing the Chemical Industry with Digitalization

Article | July 14, 2022

When an oilfield’s reservoir pressure is depleted during primary recovery, additional oil can be recovered by recycling the produced water and injecting it back into the reservoir. Water management is critical for such water and water-alternating-gas (WAG) floods. In its Permian basin operations, Occidental recovers, recycles, and re-injects large volumes of water for its enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. With real-time monitoring of oil in water (OiW) delivering reliable and continuous data, Occidental identified a way to optimize the recovery process and is working with NOV to expand the use of OiW monitoring equipment.

Read More
Chemical Technology

Ways Your Chemical Company Can Benefit From Digitization

Article | July 20, 2022

Individual consumers expect tailored products and services. Color, size, quantity, payment method, and delivery channel options abound. The chemical sector is also now following this suit of action. The global chemicals supply chain has grown steadily for three decades. Chemical businesses are improving their supply chain capabilities to handle complexity and meet client demands. This includes implementing advanced data-driven and cloud-based technologies that enable faster, more flexible, and tailored customer interactions. Areas of innovation for chemical companies Living Segmentation Living segmentation can help chemical businesses better serve clients and satisfy their expectations. This entails adapting supply chain capabilities to each customer's needs. Asset-light Network An asset-light network involves developing an ecosystem of partners to add capabilities and value to your supply chain beyond standard co-manufacturing, co-packing, and third-party or last-mile logistics providers. In addition, it should include technology partners that help chemical businesses innovate and be adaptable. Data and Applied Intelligence Improving speed, agility, and efficiency in global supply chains demands comprehensive visibility and the correct information. Data provides visibility and insights. The key to providing excellent customer service is gathering the appropriate data and using it strategically to get important insight. The industry generates a ton of data, which is excellent news. In response to last year's supply chain delays, corporations are building supply chains with geographically spread shipping/supplier choices. Real-time visibility and enhanced analytics can be used to track delays by providing revised ETAs and analyzing downstream implications. Data-driven insights can alert organizations of a delay almost immediately and help them acquire raw materials from another supplier to reduce the domino impact downstream. Chemical businesses must rethink their supply chains to implement living segmentation, asset-light networks, data, and AI.

Read More
Chemical Technology

How Leading Chemical Companies Protect Customer Data Online

Article | July 20, 2022

BEFORE the pandemic, GDP growth rates in the developing world were always higher than in developed economies.And because developing economies had much lower levels of petrochemicals consumption than their rich counterparts, it meant that the multiples over GDP were higher than in the rich word, where consumption was pretty much saturated. For instance, polyethylene (PE) demand in a developed country such as Germany might have grown at 0.3% times GDP whereas in Indonesia the growth could have been one or more times higher than the rate of growth in GDP.But as The Economist wrote in this 11 July article: “In 2021 the poorest countries, which are desperately short of vaccines, are forecast to grow more slowly than rich countries for only the third time in 25 years.” Might the multiples over GDP growth also be adversely affected in the developing world, trending lower than the historic norms? They will almost certainly remain higher than the rich countries. But here is the thing: as millions more people are pushed back into extreme poverty by the pandemic or are denied the opportunity to achieve middle-income status, I believe that developing-world multiples may well decline.Escaping extreme poverty means being able to, say, afford a whole bottle of shampoo for the first time rather than a single-serve sachet, thereby raising per capita polymers consumption.

Read More
Chemical Management

The pandemic, climate change, plastic waste and the great divide: the world in 2025

Article | June 13, 2021

NOBODY SHOULD be surprised that the developing world has fallen behind in the battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as the region is a long way from recovering from the pandemic.Evidence to this effect emerged last week in comments made by Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). “In many emerging and developing economies, emissions are heading upwards while clean energy investments are faltering, creating a dangerous fault line in global efforts to reach climate and sustainable energy goals,” said Birol. At the current rate, carbon dioxide emissions from developing countries largely in Asia, Africa and Latin America are set to increase by 5bn tonnes/year over the next two decades, according to the IEA, as access to power increases.At present, around 785m people worldwide have no access to electricity. There are also 2.6bn people without access to clean cooking options.

Read More
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Spotlight

India Glycols Limited, Delhi

India Glycols Limited (IGL) is a Rs1500-crore diversified chemicals company. The company was established as a single mono-ethylene glycol plant in 1983.IGL’s flagship chemicals division started out with a path-breaking green approach to manufacturing ethylene oxide and derivatives. Using the molasses-ethyl alcohol-ethylene 'green route'​, the company is the only one of its kind in the world. With the emphasis now increasingly shifting to green manufacturing, the chemical division is well poised to meet industry’s need for environmentally responsible products and production techniques.

Related News

Chemical Management

LBB Specialties Announces Principal Partnership with Viscofan

PR Newswire | October 25, 2023

LBB Specialties (LBBS), a leader in specialty chemicals and ingredients distribution in North America, announces a new partnership with Viscofan DE, a global leader in collagen manufacturing. LBB Specialties will be Viscofan's preferred partner in the United States for their portfolio of premium collagen hydrolysates, including COLLinstant® and COLLinstant LMW®. "Viscofan has over 90 years of experience in the collagen market. We are excited to bring this expertise to our customer base, as these products meet global consumer demand for highly bioavailable ingredients with a major advantage over traditional collagen formulas," said Mike DeGennaro, Senior Vice President of LBB Specialties Food & Nutrition. Viscofan DE is the center of excellence for collagen products within the Viscofan group. Viscofan applies proprietary technologies and standardized extraction methods to process collagen from bovine skin for the development and industrial-scale production of novel collagen ingredients and biometrics. "LBB Specialties' technical expertise and dedicated commercial team is uniquely positioned to expand our innovative offerings in the US nutraceutical market," said James Murray, Business Manager at Viscofan. "Their existing portfolio of high-quality ingredients for health and wellness applications is the perfect complement to our COLLinstant® product line of collagen peptide alternatives." About LBB Specialties LBB Specialties is a leader in North American specialty chemicals and ingredients. It is a diversified supplier serving end-markets including care, food & nutrition, industrial specialties, and life sciences. LBB Specialties generates approximately $500 million in revenue annually and employs more than 110 commercial team members.

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Products and Technologies

Lygos & CJ FNT Partner to Deliver High-Performing, Sustainable Materials

Business Wire | October 19, 2023

Lygos, a sustainable specialty chemical company, and CJ Food & Nutrition Tech a global fermentation and biotechnology company and business unit of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang, today announced the companies have signed an agreement to support large-scale manufacturing of amino and organic acid precursors for Lygos’ Soltellus™ & Ecoteria™ products. CJ has over 60 years in the fermentation business with expertise in microbial fermentation and infrastructure to scale and optimize production processes. The partnership enables Lygos to utilize CJ’s state-of-the-art manufacturing capacity, and access existing technology and optimization tools from their newly formed precision fermentation CDMO (Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization) business. Lygos intends to execute additional plans for near and mid-term demand for product applications of Soltellus and Ecoteria, while CJ will provide critical technical and strategic optimization for process and production to support commercialization. “CJ’s innovative approach enables efficient technology development, leverages robust production capabilities across the value chain, and is a strong complement to our current and future commercial product offerings,” said Eric Steen, CEO of Lygos. “This partnership augments our commercialization strategy of Collaborate to Accelerate by providing access to CJ’s technology and optimization capabilities for fermentation processes as well as the potential to collaborate on new products.” “Lygos represents a standout partner for us that has developed technology and commercial plans that meet our objectives for future growth,” said Lance Choi, CEO of CJ FNT. “We believe their success combined with our technical capabilities will help accrue additional partnerships to our CDMO business.” Soltellus™ polymers are sustainable, biodegradable, and water-soluble with applications in home care, agronomy, and water treatment. Ecoteria™ malonates offer safety, sustainability, performance, and supply resiliency benefits in fragrances, coatings, agriculture chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other specialty applications. About Lygos Lygos is a pioneering sustainable specialty chemicals company, leading the world’s transition toward better, cleaner, and more sustainable products. We have built a proprietary and fully integrated platform of the most advanced technologies across synthetic biology, industrial chemistry, and application development to rapidly deliver market relevant solutions to some of the world’s biggest sustainability challenges. With a pipeline of high-performing, innovative solutions, Lygos is paving the way for generations of new sustainable solutions for our world.

Read More

Chemical Management

Sinopec NZRCC Selects Lummus' Polypropylene Technology for Large-Scale Plant in China

PR Newswire | October 17, 2023

Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced a contract from Sinopec Ningbo Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co. Ltd. (Sinopec NZRCC), a subsidiary of the Sinopec Group and its flagship refining and petrochemical company. Sinopec NZRCC will license Lummus' Novolen® technology for a new 500 kilo ton per annum polypropylene plant in Ningbo, China. "With this award, our Novolen business strengthens its position in China and globally, reinforcing it as the industry's leader and preferred process for producing high-quality polypropylene," said Romain Lemoine, Chief Business Officer of Polymers and Petrochemicals, Lummus Technology. "We look forward to supporting Sinopec NZRCC's project to build this highly competitive plant by providing timely, superior process design- and implementation services." Lummus' scope includes the technology license, basic design engineering, training and project engineering services. Today, Novolen is the industry's leading polypropylene technology and can deliver a sustainable route for polymers production, while maximizing the financial benefits of operations through lower CAPEX and OPEX. The technology is highly flexible, robust, energy efficient and allows production of a full grade slate of leading polypropylene products of all product families, including homopolymers, random copolymers, terpolymers, impact copolymers and rTPO's. About Lummus Technology Lummus Technology is the global leader in developing technology solutions that make modern life possible and focus on a more sustainable, low carbon future. We license process technologies in clean fuels, renewables, petrochemicals, polymers, gas processing and supply lifecycle services, catalysts, proprietary equipment and digitalization to customers worldwide.

Read More

Chemical Management

LBB Specialties Announces Principal Partnership with Viscofan

PR Newswire | October 25, 2023

LBB Specialties (LBBS), a leader in specialty chemicals and ingredients distribution in North America, announces a new partnership with Viscofan DE, a global leader in collagen manufacturing. LBB Specialties will be Viscofan's preferred partner in the United States for their portfolio of premium collagen hydrolysates, including COLLinstant® and COLLinstant LMW®. "Viscofan has over 90 years of experience in the collagen market. We are excited to bring this expertise to our customer base, as these products meet global consumer demand for highly bioavailable ingredients with a major advantage over traditional collagen formulas," said Mike DeGennaro, Senior Vice President of LBB Specialties Food & Nutrition. Viscofan DE is the center of excellence for collagen products within the Viscofan group. Viscofan applies proprietary technologies and standardized extraction methods to process collagen from bovine skin for the development and industrial-scale production of novel collagen ingredients and biometrics. "LBB Specialties' technical expertise and dedicated commercial team is uniquely positioned to expand our innovative offerings in the US nutraceutical market," said James Murray, Business Manager at Viscofan. "Their existing portfolio of high-quality ingredients for health and wellness applications is the perfect complement to our COLLinstant® product line of collagen peptide alternatives." About LBB Specialties LBB Specialties is a leader in North American specialty chemicals and ingredients. It is a diversified supplier serving end-markets including care, food & nutrition, industrial specialties, and life sciences. LBB Specialties generates approximately $500 million in revenue annually and employs more than 110 commercial team members.

Read More

Products and Technologies

Lygos & CJ FNT Partner to Deliver High-Performing, Sustainable Materials

Business Wire | October 19, 2023

Lygos, a sustainable specialty chemical company, and CJ Food & Nutrition Tech a global fermentation and biotechnology company and business unit of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang, today announced the companies have signed an agreement to support large-scale manufacturing of amino and organic acid precursors for Lygos’ Soltellus™ & Ecoteria™ products. CJ has over 60 years in the fermentation business with expertise in microbial fermentation and infrastructure to scale and optimize production processes. The partnership enables Lygos to utilize CJ’s state-of-the-art manufacturing capacity, and access existing technology and optimization tools from their newly formed precision fermentation CDMO (Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization) business. Lygos intends to execute additional plans for near and mid-term demand for product applications of Soltellus and Ecoteria, while CJ will provide critical technical and strategic optimization for process and production to support commercialization. “CJ’s innovative approach enables efficient technology development, leverages robust production capabilities across the value chain, and is a strong complement to our current and future commercial product offerings,” said Eric Steen, CEO of Lygos. “This partnership augments our commercialization strategy of Collaborate to Accelerate by providing access to CJ’s technology and optimization capabilities for fermentation processes as well as the potential to collaborate on new products.” “Lygos represents a standout partner for us that has developed technology and commercial plans that meet our objectives for future growth,” said Lance Choi, CEO of CJ FNT. “We believe their success combined with our technical capabilities will help accrue additional partnerships to our CDMO business.” Soltellus™ polymers are sustainable, biodegradable, and water-soluble with applications in home care, agronomy, and water treatment. Ecoteria™ malonates offer safety, sustainability, performance, and supply resiliency benefits in fragrances, coatings, agriculture chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other specialty applications. About Lygos Lygos is a pioneering sustainable specialty chemicals company, leading the world’s transition toward better, cleaner, and more sustainable products. We have built a proprietary and fully integrated platform of the most advanced technologies across synthetic biology, industrial chemistry, and application development to rapidly deliver market relevant solutions to some of the world’s biggest sustainability challenges. With a pipeline of high-performing, innovative solutions, Lygos is paving the way for generations of new sustainable solutions for our world.

Read More

Chemical Management

Sinopec NZRCC Selects Lummus' Polypropylene Technology for Large-Scale Plant in China

PR Newswire | October 17, 2023

Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced a contract from Sinopec Ningbo Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co. Ltd. (Sinopec NZRCC), a subsidiary of the Sinopec Group and its flagship refining and petrochemical company. Sinopec NZRCC will license Lummus' Novolen® technology for a new 500 kilo ton per annum polypropylene plant in Ningbo, China. "With this award, our Novolen business strengthens its position in China and globally, reinforcing it as the industry's leader and preferred process for producing high-quality polypropylene," said Romain Lemoine, Chief Business Officer of Polymers and Petrochemicals, Lummus Technology. "We look forward to supporting Sinopec NZRCC's project to build this highly competitive plant by providing timely, superior process design- and implementation services." Lummus' scope includes the technology license, basic design engineering, training and project engineering services. Today, Novolen is the industry's leading polypropylene technology and can deliver a sustainable route for polymers production, while maximizing the financial benefits of operations through lower CAPEX and OPEX. The technology is highly flexible, robust, energy efficient and allows production of a full grade slate of leading polypropylene products of all product families, including homopolymers, random copolymers, terpolymers, impact copolymers and rTPO's. About Lummus Technology Lummus Technology is the global leader in developing technology solutions that make modern life possible and focus on a more sustainable, low carbon future. We license process technologies in clean fuels, renewables, petrochemicals, polymers, gas processing and supply lifecycle services, catalysts, proprietary equipment and digitalization to customers worldwide.

Read More

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