Better Models Lead to Better Business Outcomes | Chemical Industry Brief

 The Chemical Industry Is Changing. Are Your Engineering Tools Keeping Up? 

With global chemical market growth hovering around 2%, there's little room for costly design iterations, unplanned downtime, or sustainability commitments that can't be backed by data. The engineers and teams that outperform in this environment are the ones whose tools let them get it right before anything is built, scaled, or commissioned -- and before failures surface in operating systems that can't afford them.

This brief, authored by Ana Khanlari, PhD, examines where the chemical industry stands today, how digital engineering tools are evolving alongside it, and how process simulation and hydraulic modeling fit into a smarter, more resilient operational strategy -- whether you're designing something new or keeping existing infrastructure running reliably.

Whether you're evaluating your current simulation toolset, scoping a greenfield project, troubleshooting a brownfield facility, or looking for ways to reduce waste and improve yields without additional capital investment, this brief gives you a grounded, practical framework for making the right call.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• The market pressures reshaping chemical manufacturing investment decisions in 2026
• How digital engineering tools reduce costly design iterations and accelerate scale-up across the full asset lifecycle
• Key criteria for selecting the right simulation solution for your organization
• When to use CHEMCAD, Fathom, Impulse, Arrow, and xStream -- for new designs and existing operations
• How simulation and hydraulic modeling help prevent surge, water hammer, and unplanned downtime
• How better models support energy efficiency, ESG reporting, and more defensible sustainability outcomes