Chemicals & Energy

Limited Number of Supertankers Affects Oil Sales to Asia

February 2, 2015

The window to sell Western fuel oil to Asia is starting to close as demand for a limited fleet of supertankers to store cheap crude pushes freight rates to multi-month highs, shipping and trade sources said.

Recycling Efforts Fail to Keep Up with Growing Worldwide Demand for Plastics, Report Finds

February 2, 2015

Worldwatch Institute

For more than 50 years, global production of plastic has continued to rise. Some 299 million tons of plastics were produced in 2013, representing a 4 percent increase over 2012. Recovery and recycling, however, remain insufficient, and millions of tons of plastics end up in landfills and oceans each year, according to Gaelle Gourmelon, communications and marketing manager at the Worldwatch Institute.

Chemical Industry Advised to Make Big Changes, Harness Digital Technologies

January 30, 2015

Strategy&

Chemicals companies can no longer afford to be passive about restructuring their business models or technological transformations.

Fueled by Cheap Natural Gas, Reshoring Predicted to Continue, But Pace Is Expected to Slow

January 27, 2015

Industry Today

Manufacturers typically evaluate seven critical areas when it comes to operational decision making: transportation and energy costs; market demand for their products; rising labor costs in China and other developing nations; access to talent, tax and regulatory policies; availability of capital; and currency trends.

5th Annual Oil & Gas Supply Chain Compliance Forum ~ April in Houston

January 23, 2015

Too Much Information? Not a Problem for Dow AgroSciences

January 19, 2015

SupplyChainBrain

Fundamental shifts in supply-chain management have significantly altered the planning paradigm. JP Swanson, global supply chain analyst with Dow AgroSciences, talks about how his company has adapted to the change, and improved planning across multiple levels of its supply network.

Achieving Excellence in Energy and Utilities Management

January 15, 2015

Katherine Hird, Product Marketer, AspenTech

Companies face constant pressures to make effective capital planning decisions. Complex businesses like running a refinery, chemical plant or power station are no different. Therefore, being able to see the bigger economic picture is vital in effectively managing operational maintenance, regulatory requirements, energy efficiency and sustainability goals.

Toyota Grants Royalty-Free Use of Thousands of Fuel Cell Technology Patents

January 9, 2015

Mashable

Toyota has rocked the auto industry by announcing that it is opening to the public 5,680 of its patents related to fuel cell technology for royalty-free use.

Energy Matters Likely to Command Much of Administration's Attention in 2015

January 8, 2015

Politico

President Barack Obama's administration will spend 2015 taking on energy controversies from fracking to smog, from interstate air pollution to coal-burning power plants - and in December, his negotiators will head to Paris to try to reach a global agreement on climate change. In between all that, he just might make a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline.

Reducing Cost Continues to Be Top Driver Behind Corporate Sustainability Initiatives, Study Says

January 7, 2015

Environmental Leader

Cost remains the top driver of sustainability management initiatives, followed by regulations and investor/stakeholder pressure, according to Ecova's second annual survey, 2015 Energy and Sustainability Predictions: Findings from Leading Professionals.

Chemicals & Energy

The latest supply-chain news, analysis, trends and tools for executives in the chemicals and energy industries. Learn how chemical and energy companies and their suppliers around the world are managing the flow of products across all channels of the enterprise. Experts sound off on forecasting and demand planning, supply-chain visibility, logistics outsourcing, inventory optimization, transportation management, warehouse management, supply-chain security, corporate social responsibility and more.