The European chemical industry is facing significant challenges. High energy and raw material costs, increasing international competition, and uncertain economic conditions are placing substantial pressure on companies. At the same time, the need to differentiate through innovative products, new business areas, and future-oriented solutions is continuously increasing. As a result, professional innovation management is becoming a key success factor for long-term competitiveness.
Currently, many companies are strongly focused on short-term efficiency improvements. Cost reduction, process optimization, and securing existing margins are at the center of strategic decision-making. This pressure is understandable, but it also carries the risk of losing sight of future developments.
For long-term competitiveness, the chemical industry must consistently focus on the future. It is essential to identify and systematically develop new business fields and products at an early stage that will be relevant in future growth markets. To efficiently bundle the resources required for this, a structured approach is needed that combines two perspectives: the development of megatrends and technological innovations.
Megatrends such as the transformation of the energy system play a central role in this context. Solar energy is already a key pillar of the energy transition today. At the same time, however, there is a strong dependency on Chinese value chains, particularly in silicon-based solar cell production. This presents a strategic opportunity for the European chemical industry: the development of perovskite materials can serve as a technological foundation for the next generation of solar energy. The chemical industry can drive technological development in this area, for example, by providing additives as well as precise and pure precursor systems. This applies not only to perovskites themselves, but also to related solutions, such as those for managing and recycling the lead compounds they can contain. This would not only contribute to the energy transition but also strengthen industrial value creation and technological sovereignty in Europe.
Why technology alone is not enough
This example clearly illustrates the core of an effective innovation approach: innovation does not emerge from technological excellence alone, but from the targeted combination of technology, megatrends, and real market demand. A technology is only relevant if it is embedded in a concrete market need and offers scalable business potential.
In addition to technology scouting, robust market research is therefore essential to better understand customer needs, market structures, and future demand developments.
Key questions include:
• What customer needs are emerging from key megatrends?
• Which applications offer the greatest growth potential?
• Which technologies can generate attractive revenue and margin opportunities in the future?
• Where is there a true fit between technological development and market demand?
• How exactly can the chemical industry contribute, and where can it play a key role?
This is exactly where Schlegel and Partner comes in. As an international B2B consulting firm, we support chemical companies in systematically identifying, evaluating, and translating innovation opportunities into concrete growth strategies.
Our service offering includes, among others:
• Innovation workshops to identify relevant future topics
• Technology screening across value chains and application areas
• Continuous technology and market monitoring
• Assessment of market potential and business opportunities
• Analysis of competitors, start-ups, and innovation ecosystems
• Development of robust innovation and growth strategies
From idea to growth strategy
By combining technology analysis, market understanding, and strategic evaluation, we create a solid foundation for investment and innovation decisions. This provides companies not only with transparency on emerging technologies, but above all clarity on which innovation fields truly enable sustainable competitive advantages and profitable growth.
A holistic innovation management approach therefore helps chemical companies to combine short-term efficiency requirements with long-term innovation capability, reduce risks, allocate resources more effectively, and sustainably strengthen competitiveness in a dynamic market environment.
Are you interested in further information?
Please do not hesitate to contact us:
Thorsten Leupold
Phone number +49 6201 9915 16
thorsten.leupold@SchlegelundPartner.de
Dr. Thorsten Bies
Phone number +49 6201 9915 77
thorsten.bies@SchlegelundPartner.de
Dr. Helmut Weldle
Phone number +49 6201 9915 52
Helmut.Weldle@SchlegelundPartner.de
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