Kelly Dowling – ASUG

Kick-off each day with a message from your emcee.

Patrick Thompson – CIO, Albemarle

Learn about the Albemarle journey using SAP S/4HANA platform to deliver IT business digital transformation, which is helping achieve its mission to power the world through sustainable solutions. CIO Patrick Thompson will highlight the journey to SAP S/4HANA and how Albemarle is creating value through the following transformations:

A - IT Transformation
B - Business Transformation
C - Digital Transformation

Dr. Deepak Parikh – Chief Strategy Officer, Indorama Ventures

With the massive expansion of Indorama via M&As in the last decade, a lot of inconsistent business processes crept in, and there was a clear need for improving efficiencies and effectiveness. Hear how the company leveraged Accenture and SAP's experience and capabilities to embark on a digital transformation journey that unlocked new business values, reduced cycle times, and unleash significant savings and effectiveness.

Kimberley Reid – VP, U.S. SAP Solutions, Hitachi Vantara

As your chemical company plans its journey to SAP S/4HANA, there are many factors that will influence your overall project success. The areas that you thought would be very easy aren’t, and the tasks you thought would be more challenging get processed with ease. Based on a recent project go-live, we will share some essential lessons learned, including effective strategies to equip your team for a successful migration. We will also provide practical principles that can help to reduce your risk of failure and provide greater transparency into what it really takes to make the shift from ECC to SAP S/4HANA.

Larry East – VP, Business Transformation, Albemarle
Mark Broussard – VP, Finance, Albemarle
Armando Betancourt – Principal, Deloitte

When North Carolina-based Albemarle Corporation, a global specialty chemical manufacturer with customers in more than 100 countries, launched a massive business and technology transformation strategy, SAP S/4HANA was one of the cornerstones of its approach. A key tool in the transformation was Deloitte’s DCHEM, a preconfigured SAP S/4HANA solution specifically designed for the chemicals industry and including accelerators and pre-recorded scenarios. Join us at this event to learn about Albemarle’s transformation journey with SAP and Deloitte, and hear lessons and insights it holds for other organizations pursuing similar plans.

Eswar Patil – SAP Functional Lead and Solution Architect, LyondellBasell Industries
Gopi Nidjelli – Technical Lead and Architect, LyondellBasell Industries

Commodity pricing in the chemicals industry has specific price-management requirements due to the mechanics of the pricing agreements with customers and the nature of the products sold. Standard SAP price maintenance tools are deficient in commodity price maintenance, data governance, and associated workflow. Hear how LyondellBasell leverages the SAP Fiori-based UI technology in commodity price management in the context of enhanced user experience.

Thorsten Wenzel – VP and Global Head of Chemicals, SAP

Hear from SAP Global Head of Chemicals Thorsten Wenzel as he shares some perspectives on the stories we have heard so far today and what to expect later this afternoon.

Akif Rahman – Global Head of Enterprise Applications, Cabot Microelectronics
Jason Gillis – Managing Director, Global SAP Chemicals Lead, Accenture

In fall 2018, Cabot Microelectronics (CMC) acquired KMG Chemicals. Together, the combined entity consisted of 10 ERP systems across 40-plus sites in 12 countries. In 2019, CMC and Accenture partnered to develop CMC’s ERP vision and strategy as well as a road map to deliver its “Business Platform of the Future,” a multi-year journey to reimagine its processes, data, technology, and organization. Due to COVID-19, business simulation, training, cutover, and go-live were all executed 100% remotely. In this session, learn about CMC’s journey to date and what comes next.

Alamanda Balaji Kumar – ERP Finance Leader, AdvanSix Inc.

Automation allows for opportunities for efficiency, especially at large companies. One organization, a $1.3 billion U.S.-based manufacturer of nylon 6 resins, chemical intermediates, and fertilizers implemented automation to bring about business transformation across the enterprise. The treasury department was going through a rough phase prior to introduction of cash and liquidity forecast automation. Some of the major roadblocks the organization faced were unorganized data, inaccuracies in cash flow forecasting, along with the reliance on manual cash monitoring and reporting. Additionally, there was limited visibility to customer collections and dispute management due to lack of case approval workflows and the use of manual email communications. To tackle the situation, the organization refined its SAP environment with improved strategies and advanced technologies.

Moderator: Laura Tibodeau – CIO, AmSty
Jim Sullivan – Head, Global Sustainability Innovation Accelerator, SAP
Nitin Jain – Co-Founder, GreenToken by SAP
Andreas Henjes – Head of IT Business Partners, Covestro

Through innovative design, creation, processing, use, and disposal of substances, the chemicals industry plays a major role in advancing applications to support sustainability in a way that will allow humanity to meet current environmental, economic, and societal needs without compromising the progress and success of future generations. Hear from industry leaders on the steps they are taking towards a sustainable chemical industry.

Kelly Dowling – ASUG

Tune in for a recap of the day.