I am Siggi. I know the chemistry in Asia.
In chemical procurement, we do not have an idea problem. We have an execution problem.
There is no shortage of ideas. New product proposals from Asia. Input from sales. Impulses from workshops. And increasingly from AI. Everything sounds plausible. Everything could be relevant. This is exactly where the real problem begins.
Without a clear strategy, we lack a filter. Every idea gets discussed. Every option stays open. Time and resources get consumed, and in the end, very little is actually implemented.
The opposite extreme is just as dangerous. Acting without direction. Adding a product here, approaching a supplier there, simply because an opportunity appears. In Asia sourcing, this happens quickly. We react to market movements, availability, or short term price windows. It creates activity, but not a resilient portfolio.
What is missing is the connection between both.
Strategy in chemical procurement does not mean having a perfect plan. It means setting clear guardrails. Which segments matter. Which product groups truly support those segments. Which regions in Asia fit. And where we deliberately say no, even if it looks attractive in the short term.
Only then does execution become possible.
Then it is no longer “we need more products from Asia,” but:
This product for this segment.
This producer.
This next step.
This timeline.
That is not a grand vision. That is daily work.
I am convinced that the future of our industry is not about producing more chemistry. It is about distributing chemistry better. Selecting the right products from Asia, securing them properly, and integrating them into stable, relevant customer portfolios. This is not an idea topic. It is execution discipline.
Fewer ideas. Clearer priorities. More execution.
That’s the chemistry.
Siggi.
