ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE


AI for a sustainable industry: From data silos to connected intelligence


Martin Prinz, CEO, coac GmbH


Editorial summary Artificial intelligence is no longer an experimental add-on; it is fast becoming the foundation of industrial progress. In 2025, Boston Consulting Group identifies about 5% of companies worldwide as future-built organisations that have developed the critical capabilities to leverage AI. Not only for efficiency but for innovation and business reinvention. These 5% of companies are outperforming the competition and creating value by making better decisions with the support of AI (BCG, 2025). These frontrunners enjoy revenue growth up to five times greater than peers who remain in pilot or scaling phases. For most companies, closing this AI value gap swiftly is crucial. Engaging specialised AI partners is often the key to accelerating capability-building, ensuring AI initiatives move beyond pilots to deliver substantial, sustainable returns. For the chemical and lubricants industries, AI is also an opportunity to transforms compliance and sustainability obligations into new business models and growth accelerators - if organisations identify circular economies and sustainable industry as an opportunity. What once were static data silos are now evolving into “connected intelligences,” enabling real-time collaboration and smart supply chain operations.


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A new intelligence layer for the chemical and lubricant industries For decades, the sector’s information flows (formulation data, safety information, and regulatory files) remained trapped in isolated systems and PDF documents. Today, the best-performing organisations are integrating AI-driven software solutions that merge these fragments into smart business processes. Although many standards exist to help companies operate along the value chain, significant gaps remain, and regulation is a hurdle. Especially for the chemical industry. To address these challenges, companies are increasingly adopting AI approaches that not only enhance operational speed and compliance but also drive business growth. By leveraging digital solutions such as AI, digital twins, and blockchain, organisations can monitor low-carbon products more efficiently across the supply chain, uncover new value opportunities, and strengthen their competitive advantage in the transition to a sustainable economy (Deloitte, 2025). Future-oriented firms already plan a 26% rise in IT spending focused on automation, data quality, and model-based decision tools (BCG, 2025). These investments are laying the groundwork for scalable industrial intelligence.


LUBE MAGAZINE AR TIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DECEMBER 2025


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