EPCA has long recognized the importance of Logistics & Supply Chains, and the “Supply Chain 4.0 and the Chemical Industry: Are We on the Right Track?” session did not disappoint. Prof. Ann Vereecke, partner and faculty Dean of Vlerick Business School presented the preliminary outcomes of the study on “The impact of digitisation on the Petrochemical Supply Chain” conducted by her team in cooperation with EPCA, investigating the digital technology “appetite” and digital innovation good practices amongst EPCA’s member companies. The results of their study found that “Three out of four [respondents of EPCA study] acknowledge that the petrochemical sector is lagging behind other sectors in terms of digitisation.” Luq Niazi, Global Managing Director, Chemicals & Petroleum Industries at IBM then shared his perspective on the key success factors for Supply Chain digital transformation, not only in terms of adopting breakthrough technologies but also in terms of new approaches to partnerships & collaboration – important areas for the industry to address. A panel discussion concluded the session with the keynote speakers joined by two industry leaders: Dr. Frithjof Netzer, Chief Digital Officer, BASF SE and Klaus Rud Sejling, CEO of Damco, further developing the discussions and engaging with the audience, encouraging agility in order to respond to new expectations arising from more collaboration and more co-creation as a result of digitization.
EPCA have announced the 52nd Annual Meeting will take place in Vienna, Austria from 7th – 10th October 2018 and aims to deliver even more opportunities to meet, acquire knowledge and share experiences.