Chemical Logistics Vision 2020: The Next Decade’s Key Trends, Impacts and Solution Areas

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The chemical industry is an important driver of the global economy, with estimated global annual sales of €1871 billion in 2009. The EUremains a leading chemicals production area, valued at €449 billion and accounting for 24 per cent of world chemicals production in2009. Europe‟s share of the global chemicals production dropped however from 32 to 24 per cent between 1999 and 2009, due tostronger growth in other parts of the world.

Logistics are a key aspect of the chemical industry as production and consumption locations are mostly separated. Efficient, competitive and sustainable logistics are therefore of great importance for its future development. Logistics are typically quite agile,flexible and adjustable and as such, provide opportunities to respond to market changes quickly and effectively.

This report is the final output of a review initiated by the Strategy Implementation Group Logistics (SIG Logistics) of Cefic to create a vision of European chemical logistics over the next decade. This review started with a workshop on 18 October 2010, attended by 15 logistics managers from key players in the chemical industry and facilitated by Deloitte. The scope encompassed chemical logistics by all modes of transport in Europe. The future was depicted from three different perspectives: the chemical industry, the logistics industry and external factors (i.e. sustainability and regulations). The output from the workshop was then combined with the findings from the Deloitte Chemicals 2020 studies.The resulting draft report was reviewed at meetings of the Cefic SIG Logistics in February and June 2011.

The present report gives an overview of likely key trends in the next decade impacting chemical logistics as a whole. The solutions proposed provide food for thought to trigger further discussion on these issues. Likewise, it will help logistics managers in the Chemical and Logistics industry along the road towards 2020.