There’s a difference between fads and transformations. Fads wax and wane relatively quickly — whereas transformations leave a lasting mark. The digital revolution is the latter. Although the pandemic rapidly accelerated digital adoption, the writing has been on the wall for decades. Digital is here to stay, and even more than that, it’s the new reality for the chemical and manufacturing industry despite our industry’s hesitance and often outright unwillingness to adopt new technologies.

Like most big businesses, when chemical producers talk about growth, they’re usually talking about expanding market share by selling to more customers or even finding new markets. Simple math, right? More customers = more money. The thing is that finding new customers, while extremely important, also takes a lot of work.

After the last year, anyone who deigns to announce: “Digital is the way of the future!” will be met with an eye-roll and an incredulous “No kidding.” By now, everyone intimately knows that the pandemic forced the world to work remotely last year. Beyond that, we know businesses and consumers alike experienced a new version of what is possible for communications, e-commerce, and — when it comes down to it — managing the global supply chain.