March Madness of Jet-Setting and Speed-Dating

While nearly 100K fans traveled to Minneapolis to watch their favorite teams compete in the Final Four, the Agilis team hit the road to take part in two premier events for chemical supply chain professionals – LogiChem in Amsterdam and AFPM in Texas.

Both events offered great opportunities to connect with hundreds of industry players from around the globe. Both presented fantastic prospects for productive interactions and networking, participating in debates and workshops, learning from the industry leaders, and attending sessions covering vital industry topics. The interest in our solutions was overwhelming, and we now have a very busy few weeks following up with the companies we met and deals that were conceived. Here are some of the key takeaways from our very busy jet-setting March on the road:

LogiChem prides itself on offering its participants the most cutting-edge content - the latest trends and hottest topics in the industry. I was thrilled when they reached out to me and asked me to be one of the speakers. Upon arriving to Amsterdam, we were pleasantly surprised that European supply chain and logistics executives are far ahead of their American counterparts in their “digital journeys”. Many of the attendees that we spoke with have successfully conducted proofs of concept and are now well on their way of moving their products to digital platforms to optimize and streamline their operations.

I participated in a track called “Dragon’s Den”. For an hour, a panel of speakers, which included an Associate Director of Dow Dupont, Head of Supply Chain Innovation at BASF, and several digital and AI solution providers, discussed which new technologies held the most promise for the future of the chemical supply chain. The Agilis pitch was really well received, further validating our belief that our platform can truly help increase efficiency and transparency in the chemical distribution business and solve some very real and pressing problems that continue to plague even the largest and most advanced companies in this industry.

With barely enough time to recover from jetlag, we headed to the San Antonio River Walk in Texas to attend the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers’ conference. For three days, this Texan hot spot of restaurants, hotels, entertainment, art, and shopping was host to world’s largest and most prestigious conference for the petrochemical industry. This was our third time attending AFPM, and what a difference three years make in a life of a startup! It felt like for the first time we spoke the same language as many of the industry leaders there. We no longer had to convince chemical producers and distributors of the value of a digital platform – they were already sold on the concept! It was clear that the industry is ready to take the leap into the digital future.

The whirlwind of meetings and demos reminded me of speed-dating shows – when contestants have only a limited amount of time to impress the person sitting opposite them at the table. Our schedule was jam packed with meeting with leading producers and distributors who wanted to talk to us about what Agilis can do for their business. Many were interested in using Agilis as a platform for building their own private portal – preferring this approach to the expense and hassle of creating and maintaining their own ecommerce engines. Our method of integrating distributors into the process, rather than cutting them out, was met with great enthusiasm, suggesting that even the largest players in the industry prefer to keep their established value chains, even as they move their transactions onto a digital platform. Everyone we spoke to was happy to work with a company that understands the ins and outs of the chemical marketplace, and clearly stated that they prefer dealing with someone like Agilis, rather than a one-size-fits-all platform developer.

Back home now. Busy following up with the contacts we made at these two fantastic industry events and turning initial sparks of attraction into seeds for true and lasting partnerships. March Madness of travel and meetings is over for us, now the real work begins!

Want to learn more about Agilis? Visit: www.agilischemicals.com or email us, and we would be happy to get in touch.