Could you briefly tell us about the opening of the innovation center in Chennai?

In the water treatment space, a recent milestone for Buckman is the extension of our innovation framework to include a center of excellence at the International Center for Clean Water (ICCW) in Chennai, India. At this institute, we collaborate with various organizations, including the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), to develop innovations for the water treatment market; moreover, we merge this research with digital and smart technology because we believe that by combining conventional water technologies with digital solutions we can deliver better water treatment and new business insights to our customers.

Could you elaborate on the company’s digital transformation journey?

Our new tagline, “Chemistry, Connected” reflects the way we see the vital interplay between our experts, smart technology and chemical offerings. Our digital transformation journey started a few years ago, but the pandemic has since accelerated the need to implement this transformation which includes the ability to monitor and manage systems remotely.  We have thus made more proactive investments in this space, including the appointment of our Chief Digital Officer. During the pandemic, many of our front-line technical consultants could no longer work face-to-face with customers at the site, so we have leveraged our innovations to overcome the distance while keeping people safe. More than data and analytics, digitization is about turning that data into insights and creating value for customers, whether by informing decision-making or creating new efficiencies. One example of a digital transformation is through our smart inventory program which allows us to help our customers understand their inventories and the appropriate quantities for reordering; this way, our clients can optimize their feed rates, reduce costs and be more sustainable.

Could you give us some examples of how green chemistry innovations respond to customer needs?

Buckman remains committed to our four key segments- pulp and paper, packaging, water treatment, and leather. Within these key markets, our innovation is customer-led: for instance, we help customers in the packaging space meet their sustainability targets by offering solutions to make paper with less fiber. One such solution is our Maximize® fiber-modification enzyme technology that improves performance and sustainability while reducing costs for our customers in the packaging business.

Another example is Oxamine®, our monochloramine (MCA)-based biocide solution,  which uses smart chemistry to support a more stable water treatment biocide that is safer than competitive solutions  and offers a tough protection against microbiological fouling and infection; this is used as an alternative to halogen treatments which are harder on the environment as well as more costly.

What do you make of Buckman’s response to the pandemic?

Buckman reacted quickly by establishing three guiding principles to our pandemic response: to take care of our associates, our customers, and our company. These created the framework against which we coordinated, collaborated, and engaged over the past year. My impression is that we are more globally connected today as a result of working remotely. We also continued our CSR program through BuckmanCares, which is something we are all proud of and touched by.

What is Buckman’s approach to sustainability?

Buckman is deeply committed to sustainable business practices across our supply chain;  to support and to do right by our employees, our business, the communities we work in and the environment we live in. We publish biannual sustainability reports according to Global Reporting Initiative. Our targets for 2020 in terms of water, energy, emissions, and waste reductions have all but one been met compared to the 2015 benchmark. For instance, we have reduced in the last five years our direct energy consumption by 26% and our GHG emissions intensity by 21%. Through our BuckmanCares program, we have supported communities by over US$400,000 in 2019.

How do you see the outlook for the chemical industry in Singapore?

The chemical industry is so diverse that some segments struggle while others flourish. I believe Singapore will continue to see big investments, incentivized by the support of the EDB and government agencies. Multinational chemical companies chose to set up their regional HQ here also because Singapore is a very well-connected hub, with a reliable and efficient supply chain and trade links, as well as a stable currency and strict IP management. Moreover, Singapore enjoys a great support system for innovation and digitalization, which should bring in interesting developments.