Chemical Week Dow's Fitterling and ACC's Jahn on the state of the industry
10 snips
Mar 27, 2026 
Chris Jahn, CEO of the American Chemistry Council, outlines policy and trade priorities that shape industry competitiveness. Jim Fitterling, Chairman and CEO of Dow, covers supply shocks, Dow’s Alberta net‑zero cracker and strategic responses to market volatility. They discuss Middle East conflict impacts, scenario planning, decarbonization choices and trade and regulatory certainty.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Middle East Conflict Caused Major Petrochemical Supply Shock
- The Iran conflict shut off ~20% of low-cost global petrochemicals and ~40% of naphtha for Asian crackers, steepening the cost curve and creating a supply shock.
- Jim Fitterling said that combined shut-ins and rising feedstock costs pushed global operating rates from mid-70s to flat out and tightened logistics and availability.
Run Daily War Rooms And Scenario Models
- Keep daily war-room coordination and model multiple supply scenarios to manage feedstock and logistics disruptions.
- Fitterling described order allocation, customer engagement about Middle East run rates, and daily supply-chain updates to guide decisions.
Agility Replaces Stable Global Markets
- The industry has moved away from a global level playing field toward nationalism and repeated disruptions, so agility and controlling what you can control are essential.
- Fitterling said Dow runs multiple focused teams and leans on experience and gut to adapt to recurring shocks like COVID, trade and conflict.