In a digital era where the world is spinning faster than ever, business owners must quickly generate ideas that truly answer consumer needs in order to survive, thrive, and compete efficiently.

   When coupled with unforeseen crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a new normal, this new trend is giving entrepreneurs an important lesson and teaching them to stay alert, remain adaptable, as well as constantly develop products and services to meet consumer needs — and promptly at that, too.

   In order to develop products that are keeping with global trends in health and well-being, digitization, and sustainability, the last of which has gained traction with younger people in particular, every business must quickly develop innovations that best answer existing needs. For instance, to address environmental problems, which are among top priorities for plastic business operators, all parties across the value chain must quickly work to understand the life cycle of the product, develop it with the maximum value of the resources used in mind, and apply technology that helps transform post-consumer waste into new products, in line with the concept of circular economy, which is a major global concern at the moment. In tandem, entrepreneurs must collaborate with government, private and public sectors so as to efficiently drive the entire value chain.

Chemicals Business, SCG: Value creation and innovation development

   As an organization that always prioritizes technology and innovation development, Chemicals Business, SCG, constantly seeks opportunities to develop new innovations in order to deliver better products and services that meet the ever-changing needs of consumers and customers in a timely fashion as well as strives to improve the quality of life and cultivate eco-consciousness.

   In explaining the driving force behind the fast and efficient innovation development of Chemicals Business, Niwat Athiwattananont, CTO – Polyolefins and Vinyl, Chemicals Business, SCG, stated that in addition to internal research and development on technology and innovation, SCG is a strong believer of collaboration, whether it is between internal units or with external organizations and customers. During the past few years, SCG has shifted its goal and dedicated more of its expertise and resources to co-creation projects with customers and other parties in the value chain both in Thailand and overseas in order to develop new ideas and concept designs, with the ultimate goal of creating products that follow global trends and truly speak to new generations of consumers. This is because the key to innovation development that successfully keeps up with changes in the world is bringing together a diverse range of specializations of all parties involved.

   Furthermore, in an era where speed reigns supreme, SCG has adopted various digital technologies to accelerate innovation development and enhance precision in various processes, such as the collection of the voice of the consumer (VOC) with digital system, the use of technology to analyze and process data for product development, and prototype development via computer simulation. Therefore, no matter how fast the world will be changing in the future, SCG will be able to keep up.

i2P Center: The power of collaboration towards mutual success

   From this conviction arose i2P Center, which began its operation in late 2019. This center seeks to be a partner for customers, suppliers, and other organizations and bring expertise in various fields to support them in the development of new products and innovations that serve the needs of the future market.

Gateway to Collaboration

   The large gates of i2P Center are open for customers in all industries who are seeking new product ideas, new business opportunities, or a partner to help come up with solutions. At i2P, we start with sharing experience, knowledge, data, and insights in order to analyze trends in marketing, technology, and consumer needs from the present to the future, as displayed in the exhibit zone that showcase products that are success cases of Chemicals Business. Currently, it features innovations in health and well-being, online and digitization, and sustainability for the age of the new normal, in the hope of inspiring new business ideas for visitors.

Innovate

   Working together with the customer as a team, i2P provides support during every stage of the process, from finding new ideas to forming a project and co-developing products that cater to the demand of the market, as well as consultation on every aspect of the endeavor, from material formulation to engineering design and product design, to ensure the aesthetic quality and functionality of the resulting product.

   To help accelerate innovation development, i2P also offers the Application Development Center, an area for processing, equipped with machines for various applications where prototypes can be made under the guidance of experts, and the Application Lab, where a quality testing can be conducted. These facilities, therefore, expedite the production development process prior to actual manufacturing, enabling customers to fully develop ideas into real products.

Building Success Together

   Since its opening, i2P has collaborated with various organizations in government and private sectors across key industries, such as food packaging, automotive, agriculture, utilities, and energy industries.

   Equipped with not only expertise in material, technology, design, processing, and product testing but also facilities and SCG’s partnership network, i2P is a hub of business opportunities in an era where innovation is becoming the key to sustainable growth for businesses. For customers or organizations seeking new ideas or approaches to cater to future global trends, i2P is ready to be their partner for mutual growth.