38 | Focus on AI: SMARTECH
AUTONOMOUS MANUFACTURING REVOLUTION
LEADING THE
As the wood-panel industry embraces the era of AI, SMARTECH now fully focused on its AI/ML platform under Hexion Inc, is emerging as a pioneer driving mills toward true autonomy, productivity, and sustainability. SMARTECH updates WBPI readers on its latest developments
I
n 2025, SMARTECH enters a bold new chapter. The company has re-split its operations, with the smart-systems business that created SmartWax and SmartMDI moving under Hexion’s portfolio, while SMARTECH now commercialises purely AI- driven solutions for industrial manufacturing. This transition comes as Hexion significantly increases its investment in innovation- tripling SMARTECH’s R&D team
over the past six months to accelerate the development of new AI modules and strengthen its position as the technological core of Hexion’s digital strategy. At the same time, a fresh leadership
team has been appointed to steer this transformation: Mercer Rowe, general manager, brings global experience spanning Fortune 500 and startup environments, turning AI innovation into sustainable
industrial growth. Brian Richmond, VP sales Americas, combines deep operational expertise from the wood products sector with advanced AI insight to enhance mill performance. Thibault Straumann, VP sales Europe, applies over 15 years in industrial automation to help manufacturers capture measurable value through digital optimisation.
This is a brand-new SMARTECH aligned with the future of autonomous and sustainable manufacturing.
FROM MATERIAL OPTIMISATION TO INDUSTRIAL AI To understand why this matters, it helps to look back at SMARTECH’s roots. The company built its reputation on Smart Systems such as SmartWax and SmartMDI (reducing wax and resin usage), delivering compelling ROI in panel-production plants. The innovations proved that technology could yield real raw material savings. Today’s challenge is deeper: mills face
growing pressure from margin erosion, labour shortages, tighter sustainability targets, and the need for ever-higher throughput without compromising quality. The question is no longer just how we save material but rather how to transform the way the mill operates– every cycle, every shift, every day. SMARTECH’s new focus is precisely that- applying AI to orchestrate machines, operators and processes into a self-optimising, adaptive system.
MANUFACTURING PLATFORM
Top: A control room operator Above: SMARTECH is playing a leading role in the AI evolution of the wood-based panels industry
WBPI | October/November 2025 |
www.wbpionline.com
At the heart of this transformation is the Autonomous Manufacturing platform - a globally recognized, multi-award-winning
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