Getting more value from chemistry
I love coming up with solutions to complex problems and I’m a firm believer in mutually benefitting synergies. These days we are working on developing new business models that focus on value-based selling. This means getting away from just looking at price and moving towards a holistic approach to bigger savings. We can utilize our chemistries to treat more with less. And we can utilize our technologies to optimize that treatment with less, too. Value is not in the lower cost of the chemistries, it’s in what those chemistries do. My request to our customers is to ask more from your vendors, ask us for proposals that will save you money. With this type of business model, we can create new value and do more for our customers.
I’m a firm believer in mutually benefitting synergies.
Roderick Abinet
A wider view to help the environment
I got into water chemistry because I like helping people and the environment. Back home I love to be out in the mountains and when you see what pollution does it’s devastating. So one of the important things for me is how we respond to environmental concerns. Again, we look at more than just the chemistry. For example, we’re focusing on how we can reduce our overall traffic footprint in big cities. Using our digital platform, we’re able to optimize our logistics. By controlling the routes, and because we can see the tank levels across a customer’s entire network, we can often use just one truck to serve different locations. This generates overall savings for our customers and ourselves, and in the bigger picture helps us reduce the amount of traffic and greenhouse gas emissions.
Eutrophication of our oceans, lakes, and rivers is also a major concern for me. This is why Kemira is developing several real-time monitoring and instrumentation control systems that are designed to help maintain effluent permit requirements (such as phosphorus). As humans, we leave a notable footprint. We must be more responsible for our planet.
The circular economy
Although less immediately visible, Kemira has always been involved in the circular economy and in creating these types of mutually benefiting synergies where we add value and help the environment. For example, at Kemira, we have a lot of experience in taking byproducts from other processes – such as spent pickle liquor from the steel-making industries – and turning it into usable materials that can help the environment. We’re also currently looking at ways to recycle and recover valuable nutrients like phosphorus while at the same time reducing energy consumption and producing drier cake solids.
Seeing the power of data
We are looking to establish synergistic connections with our customers so we can together turn data into value. This can be very powerful if utilized the right way. With access to real-time data, we may even be able to offer new procurement methods like “live performance tendering”. We are already analyzing sludge data and using machine-based learning and algorithms to automatically recommend optimum dewatering chemistries.
Sludge data can change daily, especially in industry. But conditions also change due to the environment. For example, water treatment plants can face low water levels due to droughts, or excess water from hurricanes and flooding. With digitization, we can use real-time data from sites and systems to respond to these kinds of situations quickly
The opportunity is here now – we need to push for new business models and services as quickly as possible.
We need to aim higher
To make more of an impact, we need to reach customers at a higher level. We should sit with key stakeholders and ask, “How can we do this together? How can we help you reach your company’s goals?” We should be selective and talk to customers with similar ideals and strategies. And we must move faster. Access to free information, new software, and e-commerce has changed the way transactions are done.
We know how to make and sell chemicals. These are tangible things. Virtual sales are different. Things like digital services, clouds, servers and machine-based learning are hard to define, hard to explain and even harder to sell. We all have some new competencies to develop. But, the good news is that digitalization is still fairly new to our industry. We have an opportunity to make an impact here.
