AFPM ’19: Industrial recalibration to drive big changes for chemical industry

SAN ANTONIO (ICIS)–The trend of “industrial recalibration” which emphasises mass customisation and speed to the customer will drive big changes in the global chemicals and plastics industry in the coming years, a consultant said on Monday.

“Industrial recalibration is not just about reshoring, but flexibility in producing customised products quickly for customers,” said Paul Bjacek, chemicals research lead at consultancy Accenture.

“That means you need local production and short supply chains – raw materials are needed locally. It’s not so much about polymer line speeds but flexibility. Customers are willing to pay a premium for customisation,” he added.

Bjacek spoke to ICIS on the sidelines of this year’s International Petrochemical Conference (IPC).

Robotics and automation are enabling this industrial recalibration, he noted, citing recent moves by Amazon and Adidas to build factories that can customise products and ship them out quickly.

Online retailing giant Amazon received permitting to build a custom clothing factory in Norristown, Pennsylvania, US in November 2017. The facility features 48 industrial printers and 16 giant dryers for customised garments, according to an article in the Philadelphia publication The Inquirer.

In 2018, footwear company Adidas started up its “Speedfactory” in Atlanta, Georgia, US, which features robots, automation, 3D printing and computerised knitting to quickly produced customised sneakers.

The firm had already started up its first Speedfactory in Ansbach, Germany in 2016.

“These are automated, robotic, and can domestically ship product out,” said Bjacek, pictured.

Chemicals and plastics companies will thus need plants in close proximity to these types of factories to best serve them, driving “localisation” of the industry, he added.

Hosted by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), the IPC takes place on 24-26 March in San Antonio, Texas.

Top picture: Adidas’ Speedfactory in Ansbach, Germany
Pictures sources: Adidas and Accenture

Interview article by Joseph Chang