A Proven Strategy for Rapid Adoption of Digital Tools Driving Sustainability in the Chemicals Industry 

In this article, we present a case study demonstrating how Nobian, a leading chemical manufacturer, successfully adopted digital tools using a user-centric proven strategy, focusing on sustainability in the chemicals industry.  

In 18 months, using this method, they went from 0 to 550 users across seven sites in three countries. 

The Challenge: Empowering Teams to Make Real-Time Decisions 

Steve Jobs once said, “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back towards the technology – not the other way around.”

In today’s fast-paced digital world, every industry strives to optimise processes and improve productivity.

Implementing connected worker tools in the chemical and process manufacturing industries can empower teams to make real-time decisions, leading to time savings, cost efficiencies, waste reduction, and sustainable business growth. 

Chemical companies have recognised the need to embrace digitalisation, as evidenced by a 56% acceleration post-pandemic, according to the EY DigiChemSurvEY 2022 data.  
 
However, merely investing in technology and speeding up digitalisation is insufficient. 

The Solution: Putting Sustainability and Frontline Workers First  

Successful digital tool adoption and sustainability require a multifaceted approach that considers organisational culture, management style, and technology itself. Every company can work differently, respecting these aspects. It is crucial to take a user-centric approach involving frontline workers in the tool’s development.   

Instead of instructing workers on how to use a tool, involving them from the beginning leads to increased engagement and ownership, making the adoption faster and the benefits more sustainable. 

Through implementing the Cyzag platform in Nobian manufacturing sites, three powerful statements emerged as guiding principles for the change: Flexibility, Enablement, and Trust. 

Flexibility: Balancing Standardisation and Adaptability  

As Nobian operates across multiple sites and countries, flexibility was essential to drive immediate engagement while keeping autonomy and allowing for stabilisation over time.  

Initially, achieving buy-in was prioritised over standardisation. The tool’s ability to provide flexibility while maintaining standard processes was crucial in driving adoption and facilitating a quick rollout across teams.  

As the number of use cases increased, adding more structure, and adhering to existing standard processes became necessary. The team developed templates based on use cases identified by workers, enabling horizontal deployment, and scaling up the tool. A central team played a crucial role in connecting sites, assisting with technical questions, and bridging the gap between users and Cyzag. 

Enablement: Empowering Frontline Workers 

During the initial implementation, frontline workers were not instructed on what, how, and where to use the platform. Instead, they were allowed to explore the tool’s possibilities and discover their motivations for using it.  
 
This approach empowered frontline workers to build successful use cases tailored to their specific needs, under the guidance of the central team who helped them bring their ideas to life, fostering higher engagement and ownership, which were critical to the tool’s success. 

Trust: Fostering Collaboration 

Trust between central teams and individual sites was fundamental in successfully implementing Cyzag digital tool. This trust-sanctioned users to practice and become proficient in using the tool while fostering collaboration among groups. The central team demonstrated their willingness to listen, support simplifications, and show the interconnectedness of different processes within the organisation. 

The Impact: Driving Sustainability in the Chemicals Industry 

The successful adoption of the Cyzag platform in this case study resulted in numerous benefits that contributed to the sustainability of the organisation’s operations. This includes: 

• Fixed Cost Reduction: related to software licenses. The implementation of Cyzag simplified the technology landscape, leading to €220,000 in savings, with the potential for further reductions. 
• Variable Cost Avoidance: related to early detection of process disturbances. Cost avoidance of steam losses equivalent to €980,000/year was identified.  
   
  The Cyzag platform allowed plant staff to adopt Short Interval Control (SIC), based on process data and contextual information. Operators were able to spot the change immediately and solve the issue together with their engineering team, removing the root cause.  Numerous examples of this can be identified frequently on the shop floor. 
   
  Furthermore, the real-time capabilities of the tool enabled the identification of process disturbances as soon as they arose, preventing waste of raw materials and unnecessary energy consumption, directly impacting costs and their carbon footprint. 

• Data friction removal: the creation of a sole source of truth. The tool made work more efficient by consolidating work processes and data in one place. Previously, when Excel files were used, the information flow throughout a process was often interrupted, resulting in incomplete information, more rework and waiting time. 
• Data quality and decision-making improvements: the tool’s implementation increased data quality, enabling better-informed decision-making processes. 
• Centralised data and project pipeline: by consolidating data in one system, the organisation could drive overall plant improvements and create a data-driven project pipeline. 
• Positive impact on employee engagement in work processes: The Cyzag platform allowed people to show their knowledge and practice autonomy. A particular situation observed was the tool facilitating the shop floor workers in executing safety procedures like behaviour-based safety observations (BBS). 

Conclusion 

Implementing digital tools in the chemical industry requires a user-centric approach that prioritises sustainability and involves frontline workers from the outset. Balancing flexibility and standardisation is key to achieving buy-in and long-term adoption.  

The case study of Cyzag’s digital platform implementation in Nobian highlights the importance of flexibility, enablement, and trust in driving successful digital tool adoption. By empowering workers, fostering collaboration, and leveraging technology effectively, organisations can achieve significant sustainability improvements in the chemicals industry. 

Learn how other chemical manufacturers achieve their targets using Cyzag’s platform here. 

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