Trends such as consolidation and digitization are challenging the
traditional business model.
The traditional business model of chemical distribution is under pressure as never before. Industrial
customers expect increasingly clear positioning of their suppliers in select customer industries or value
chains, and are demanding from the chemical industry a corresponding sharpening of the business
portfolio and core competencies.
Investors are also driving the global transformation of business models, rewarding a more homogenous
alignment of the portfolio with business valuation markups. This reorientation is a major driver of
mergers and acquisitions in the chemical industry. Recent major mergers with downstream
reorientation into more homogenous individual transactions—such as the merger of Dow and DuPont—
are aimed at establishing appropriate global industry leaders; more chemical players will follow.
The digitization of the business model in chemistry is also driving changed functional requirements for
integrated, multidisciplinary product and service portfolios. The role of chemistry in the ecosystem is
