Chemicals & Energy

Construction Labor, Chemical Industry Partner to Create Jobs

April 29, 2016

Sparks are flying between the chemical industry and organized construction labor - two groups which, by working together, could have a major impact on economic growth and job creation in our country.

RFID Technology Enables Energy Company to Manage Costly, Sensitive Tools

April 27, 2016

RFID Journal

German energy technology company SSC Wind is using passive ultrahigh-frequency and high-frequency RFID tags, in combination with GPS technology, to manage tools and equipment stored within containers and service vehicles on its job sites. In so doing, the company can better account for the tools and ensure their return at day's end.

Specialty Chemicals Industry Ends First Quarter on Slight Downturn

April 22, 2016

ACC

The American Chemistry Council's Specialty Chemicals Market Volume Index ended the first quarter of 2016 on a soft note, slipping 0.1 percent on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis in March after a revised 0.1 percent drop in February. Weakness in oilfield chemicals and mining chemicals, among other segments, weighed on overall volumes.

Iran Faces Numerous Obstacles to Ramping Up Oil Exports

April 22, 2016

Maritime Executive

Iran faces a struggle to increase oil exports because many of its tankers are tied up storing crude, some are not seaworthy, and foreign shipowners remain reluctant to carry its cargoes.

Despite Continued Cheap Diesel, Natural Gas Truck Sales Still Growing

April 20, 2016

ACT Research

U.S. and Canadian natural gas Class 8 truck retail sales improved modestly in February, after getting off to a slow start in 2016, according to a recent report from ACT Research.

Specialty Chemical Companies Successfully Align Supply Chains, Business Objectives

April 20, 2016

ChemInfo

Chemical companies are usually considered quite conservative. But according to McKinsey and Company research, the chemical sector is among the highest-performing industries. Total return to shareholders for chemicals is nearly double that of the world equity market, and the CAGR for the period from June 2008 to March 2015 for the chemical industry runs about 9 percent, compared to 6 percent for all markets. Clearly the industry has been doing something right.

It May Be the World's Biggest Traffic Jam

April 18, 2016

Maritime Executive

As ports struggle to cope with a global oil glut, huge queues of supertankers have formed in some of the world's busiest sea lanes, where some 200 million barrels of crude lies waiting to be loaded or delivered.

J.R. Simplot: Surviving the Perils of Multitasking

April 12, 2016

SupplyChainBrain

The vertically integrated agriculture and food producer takes on the job of overhauling its supply, demand and logistics-planning systems, while opening a major new production plant.

Have Oil, Gas Companies Done Enough to Guard Against Cybersecurity Risk?

April 7, 2016

BCG Perspectives

Across industries, companies have been intensifying their focus on cybersecurity. This is a direct consequence of the expanding role that digitization is playing in their business and operating models and the demonstrated potential for significant damage resulting from a successful cyberattack.

First Solar: Challenging the Norm in Supply-Chain Management

April 4, 2016

SupplyChainBrain

First Solar sets out to create a centralized network that will allow it to share forecast data with suppliers upstream, and customers downstream. Systems analyst Cameron Sulfaro describes the initiative, and what it has achieved to date.

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.