Sustainability in a Changing Marine Market – Dow

 

 Overview

Company Name / Department Dow
Contact Person

Jurgen Willemsen
Location Eindhoven / Rotterdam
Study programme(s) –
Community –
Start Date 1 February 2021
Housing arranged by company Yes

Compensation 

€500 per month plus travel allowance

Company Description

Dow is a materials science leader committed to delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for customers in packaging, infrastructure and consumer care.

At Dow, solving humanity’s most pressing challenges requires commitment, a passionate drive to change the world, and the imagination to turn solutions into realities.

 

Project Description

Dow is facing 3 market/Global/Industry developments in the operating space of Bulk Marine Shipping and external Bulk Liquid Storage.

Sustainability

Dow, the International Maritime Organization (IMO)  and Europe through the European Green Deal are setting significant Green House Gas or CO2 emission targets.

Vessel Capacity

The global as well as European Chemical parcel tanker fleet’s capacity is forecasted to be retracting over the coming years, where demand is expected to increaes.

Terminal Tank Size

Dow’s external bulk terminal storage service providers, aim at building larger tanks, this does not fit our current Supply Chain model.

Hypotheses

Industry (Dow) can tackle these 3 big developments with one Supply chain network and philosophy change.

  • ship less frequent
  • greater volumes per product per shipment
  • less different products onboard vessels.

By this

  • Reduce Carbon emission
  • Balance the shrinking shipping capacity trend with better utilization

Have a better fit (cost and utilization position) @ bulk storage terminals

 

 

Goals of the Project

Combine societies sustainability challenges with Supply Chain optimization modeling and proof or reject the hypotheses

 

Deliverables

  • Investigate and quantify the theoretical optimal parcel size from a cost/Mt perspective, including shipping, storing and cost of capital/inventory
  • Investigate and quantify the optimal storage tank size from a terminal service providers perspective
  • Define/estimate the theoretical Marine capacity increase (utilization improvement) when Dow ships close to or at the above mentioned parcel sizes
  • Define/estimate the theoretical CO2 emission improvement or reduction one would gain in this new model.

Essential Student Knowledge

Modeling capabilities/techniques is a pre

More information: escf@tue.nl