Advanced Materials and Chemicals

Turning complexity into performance, transformation and value

The chemicals industry is navigating a period of fundamental change. Structural overcapacity, shifting global cost positions, volatile feedstock and energy markets, increasing regulatory requirements and changing ownership structures are putting established business models under pressure.

At the same time, these disruptions are creating opportunities to reshape portfolios, improve performance and build more competitive businesses.

A&M combines deep chemicals industry expertise with an investor and operator mindset. We work alongside management teams, boards and investors to address the issues that matter most to enterprise value – from operational and cost performance to transformation, portfolio decisions and transactions.

Our work is centered around three areas:
PERFORM

Improve performance and translate operational gains into financial impact

We help chemicals companies improve EBITDA, cash generation and return on capital by addressing performance at its source – across operations, organization, procurement and the broader value chain.
Our approach goes beyond traditional operational excellence. We connect operational improvements directly to their economic impact and focus on benefits that can be measured in the P&L, cash flow and balance sheet.

Typical areas of support

  • Full Potential Analysis and performance diagnostics
  • Manufacturing and Operational Excellence
  • Cost and organizational efficiency
  • Procurement and supply chain optimization
  • Working capital and cash improvement
  • Maintenance, reliability and turnaround optimization
  • Commercial and growth performance
  • Performance management and benefits realization
     
TRANSFORM

Reshape businesses for a structurally different chemicals environment

Incremental improvement is not always enough. Changes in cost positions, demand patterns, regulation and global competitiveness increasingly require more fundamental transformation.

A&M helps management teams move from identifying the need for change to delivering it. We combine strategic direction with hands-on implementation, focusing on operating models, cost structures, asset footprints and organizations that are fit for the future.

Typical areas of support

  • Enterprise-wide transformation programs
  • Business model and operating model redesign
  • Organizational rightsizing and restructuring
  • Asset footprint and network optimization
  • Cost transformation
  • Transformation Office and implementation management
  • Interim management and execution support
  • Performance improvement in challenged businesses
TRANSACT

Use portfolio and ownership change to unlock enterprise value

For many chemicals companies, the next phase of value creation will come not only from improving existing businesses, but from reconsidering where assets belong.
We support corporates and investors across the transaction lifecycle – from portfolio strategy and full-potential assessment through due diligence, carve-outs, integrations and post-deal value creation.
Our investor and operator perspective is particularly relevant in complex chemicals transactions, where asset economics, site interdependencies, stranded costs, standalone requirements and operational improvement potential can materially influence value.

Typical areas of support

  • Portfolio and ownership reviews
  • M&A strategy and target screening
  • Operational Due Diligence
  • Full Potential and Value Creation Planning
  • Carve-out and separation
  • Standalone and RemainCo optimization
  • Post-Merger Integration
  • Day 1 and 100-day planning
  • Post-deal performance improvement
     

Why A&M

Chemicals businesses cannot be assessed from spreadsheets alone.

Their economics are shaped by asset configuration, feedstock and energy positions, integrated production networks, utilization, maintenance requirements, product and customer mix, and increasingly by the question of whether an asset sits with the right owner.

A&M brings together industry expertise, transaction experience and hands-on operational execution. We look at businesses through both an investor and an operator lens – identifying where value can be created and working alongside management to deliver it.

Perform better. Transform decisively. Transact for value.

 

Featured Insights

Endgame for Europe's Chemical Industry

The European chemical industry is facing a historic turning point: declining demand, cost disadvantages, and global overcapacity are forcing tough decisions—from plant closures to the restructuring of entire portfolios.

How Germany’s Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry Is Competing Globally

Explore key trends shaping competitiveness in Germany’s pharmaceutical industry, from strategic partnerships to automation and shifting global dynamics.

FIX–SELL–CLOSE framework: Reshaping Portfolios and Equity Stories in the Chemical Industry

The European chemical sector faces mounting challenges: high energy costs, global overcapacity, and tightening regulations have eroded competitiveness and investor confidence. Explore how our FIX–SELL–CLOSE framework can transform challenges into opportunities.

Deadline 2050: How Chemical Companies Can Navigate the Energy Transition

Chemical businesses are one of top three carbon-emitting industries, and among the most difficult to decarbonise. There is, however, growing pressure on companies to quickly find routes to a low carbon future. Emissions disclosure is becoming stricter, with the focus shifting to indirect upstream and downstream emissions (Scope 3), which for chemicals represent around 75% of their total emissions. 

The Road Ahead: Navigating the Multiple Challenges Facing European Chemical Companies

The European chemical industry is grappling with severe market headwinds as well as structural changes driven by net-zero demands.

Europe – A tough playground for chemical manufacturers

As the global chemical industry experiences unprecedented challenges, European manufacturers find themselves in the grip of a prolonged downturn. A sharp decline in market share, a plunge in business confidence, and soaring energy costs have cast a shadow over the once-steady growth.

Chinese Firms Urged to Adjust Supply Chains Amid Trade Barriers

The increasing likelihood of Trump's return to the White House ominously signals further disruptions to Chinese supply chains, many of which have already been impacted by recent geopolitical exchanges.

With A&M as your partner, you can confidently navigate the complexities of the Advanced Materials & Chemicals industry, from operational improvements to strategic growth initiatives. 

Contact us today to discover how we can help you unlock the full potential of your business.

Contact Us.

I acknowledge that A&M will process my personal information in accordance with its Privacy Notice.
FOLLOW & CONNECT WITH A&M