Dow, Shell, Tata Chemicals and KBC Recognized for Industry Advancements
The latest developments across the global chemical industry highlight the sector’s accelerating investments in digital transformation, energy efficiency and sustainable manufacturing. From Dow’s certification of a U.S. facility for bio-circular isocyanates to Tata Chemicals’ AI-driven quality gains and KBC’s refinery efficiency partnership, companies are advancing projects that combine technology and decarbonization to drive long-term competitiveness. Read more on their developments below.
Tata Chemicals Mithapur Wins Double Gold for AI-Driven Quality Improvement
Tata Chemicals Ltd. said its Mithapur unit in Gujarat earned two Gold Awards at the CII National Competition on Digitalization & Artificial Intelligence for Quality Improvements 2025. The site’s machine learning projects ranked third and fourth nationally in the competition’s Machine Learning Implementation category, according to the company.
Organized by the CII Institute of Quality, the awards recognize industrial projects that use digital tools to improve productivity and operational performance. Tata Chemicals said the recognition reflects its continued focus on integrating AI and automation into production processes to improve efficiency, reliability and sustainability.
Shell Tops Global Lubricants Market for 19th Consecutive Year
Shell Lubricants retained its position as the world’s largest supplier of finished lubricants for the 19th consecutive year, according to the Global Lubricants: Market Analysis and Assessment 2025 report by Kline & Company. The report found Shell holds an 11.6% share of the global lubricants market, with sales split evenly between consumer automotive, commercial automotive and industrial segments.
Shell’s continued leadership was attributed to ongoing investment in high-performance products and emerging applications such as immersion cooling fluids for data centers. The company also upgraded its Shell Helix Ultra line to meet new API SQ specifications and expanded its Ecolibrium™ bio-circular lubricants portfolio, reinforcing its focus on technology-driven efficiency.
KBC Earns Energy Project of the Year Award for Refinery Efficiency Gains
KBC, a Yokogawa company based in Surrey, U.K., received the Gulf Energy Excellence Award for Energy Project of the Year (Downstream) for its Profit Improvement Program (PIP) implemented at Acelen’s Mataripe Refinery in Brazil. The multi-year program, launched in 2022, used digital and automation technologies to improve refinery margins, reliability and energy performance.
According to the company, the initiative delivered more than $100 million in cumulative annualized benefits and reduced flare emissions by 30%. Additional outcomes included a 10% reduction in energy use and a 6.5% increase in middle distillate yield — improvements achieved without major capital expenditure.
Dow Expands Bio-Circular Product Offering with ISCC PLUS Certification in Texas
Dow announced that its isocyanates manufacturing facility in Freeport, Texas, has earned International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certification, allowing it to produce bio-circular isocyanates through the company’s Ecolibrium mass balance process. The certification enables verified tracking of alternative, bio-based feedstocks throughout the production chain.
Dow said products produced under the new certification include polymeric MDI grades for insulation, coatings, foams and adhesives. The development expands the company’s sustainable product portfolio for North American customers seeking to reduce embodied carbon while maintaining material performance standards.
This piece was created with the assistance of generative AI tools and was edited by our content team for clarity and accuracy.