Industries · Energy and resources
Chemicals
How chemicals turn oil, gas and minerals into the materials in almost everything, why commodity and specialty chemicals are run so differently, why cheap feedstock in the Gulf and the US matters, and how capacity utilization drives the chemical cycle.
Key takeaways
- Chemical companies turn a small number of raw materials (oil, gas, salt, minerals) into thousands of products.
- In commodity chemicals, the cost of feedstock decides who wins.
- Chemicals cases usually ask why margins fell, whether to build or close a plant, or how a company should move towards specialty products.
- Explain the chemical value chain from feedstock to end market
- Tell commodity from specialty chemicals and say how each one wins
- Calculate a cost advantage from feedstock and the effect of utilization on cost per tonne
- Explain the chemical cycle and the forces behind it from 2024 to 2026
- Crack typical chemicals cases, starting with the right driver
Lessons
How the chemical industry works: commodity and specialty
From feedstock to plastic bottle, the difference between commodity and specialty chemicals, how each makes money, and the metrics that matter.
Chemical economics and operations: feedstock advantage, utilization and the cycle
Why an ethane cracker in the Gulf or the US can be far cheaper than a naphtha cracker in Europe, why utilization drives cost per tonne, and how integrated sites and logistics work.
Chemical players, trends 2024 to 2026, and how to crack the cases
Who the players are by region, the forces reshaping the industry, regulation basics, typical prompts, traps and drills.
Worked cases in this module
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Key terms