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Synthos S.A.

Real-time data for the Evergreen Strategy

A chemicals maker of styrenics, elastomers, and insulation, building real-time data and automated carbon-footprint compliance

Industry
Chemicals (Styrenics, Elastomers and Insulation Materials)
Headquarters
Brzeg Dolny, Poland
Public information as of
January 2026

A4BEE prepared this analysis from publicly available sources. It reflects our own reading of Synthos S.A.'s published strategy and is not endorsed by, or produced in cooperation with, Synthos S.A.. Company website

Strategic priorities

Synthos S.A. is a Polish chemical company and former DSV subsidiary operating the Schkopau site in Germany alongside Polish operations. The company is pursuing the Evergreen Strategy targeting 100% sustainable products, zero coal energy and 13% bio-derived raw materials by 2030. The immediate priority is optimising energy efficiency and reducing operational costs in the underperforming insulation materials division while integrating the Schkopau acquisition to capture EUR 2.4M in acquisition value. Key strategic initiatives include scaling bio-butadiene production, entering the regulatory energy services market with Ekovoltis, and implementing IT/OT convergence to enable real-time PCF tracking for automotive OEM compliance.

The defining challenge is data fragmentation. Synthos operates across multiple production sites with heterogeneous legacy systems that prevent real-time operational visibility. The Schkopau acquisition adds additional data complexity that must be integrated without disrupting ongoing operations. Manual PCF calculations cannot keep pace with the automotive OEM requirement for real-time carbon footprint tracking, creating contract risk as major buyers shift to carbon-accounted procurement policies.

On the energy side, the insulation materials division is energy-intensive with underperforming efficiency. The zero coal by 2030 commitment requires systematic energy management infrastructure. A retiring workforce creates institutional knowledge loss risk as experienced operators depart without systematic knowledge capture.

Challenges we see

  • Digital Integration

    Siloed production data preventing real-time decision making across sites

    Synthos operates multiple production sites with heterogeneous legacy systems. Production data is siloed by site and system, preventing the real-time operational visibility that management needs to make decisions across the portfolio.

    Where data is siloed by site, the management view of operations is assembled from periodic reports rather than live dashboards. A unified data platform means the operational picture is visible in real time across all sites.

  • Digital Regulatory

    Manual PCF calculations creating automotive OEM contract risk

    Automotive OEMs are shifting to carbon-accounted procurement policies that require real-time Product Carbon Footprint tracking. Manual PCF calculations cannot provide the real-time data that automotive customers increasingly demand, creating contract risk as Synthos' largest customers change their procurement requirements.

    Where PCF is calculated manually, the data is available retrospectively rather than in real time. Automated PCF tracking means the carbon footprint data is available when the customer needs it, not weeks after the fact.

  • Operations Operations

    Energy waste in insulation materials division eroding competitiveness

    The insulation materials division is energy-intensive with underperforming energy efficiency. The zero coal by 2030 commitment requires systematic energy management infrastructure that does not currently exist.

    Where energy consumption is not monitored systematically, the reduction opportunities are identified by intuition rather than by data. Digital energy management means the reduction opportunities are quantified and tracked.

  • Operations Operations

    Institutional knowledge loss from retiring workforce

    Experienced operators at the Schkopau site are approaching retirement. The institutional knowledge of how to operate complex chemical processes safely and efficiently is held by individuals rather than documented in systems.

    Where knowledge is held by individuals, it leaves when they do. Digital knowledge management means the expertise is preserved in the system rather than walking out the door with retirees.

  • Operations Manufacturing

    Extended turnaround windows blocking production at Schkopau

    Turnaround planning at Schkopau relies on manual scheduling and experience-based estimates. Extended turnaround windows reduce production availability and erode the acquisition value that the investment was intended to capture.

    Where turnaround planning is manual, the schedule is set by the most experienced planner rather than by systematic optimisation. Digital turnaround planning means the window is as short as the work actually requires.

Opportunities, by urgency and business impact

Each bubble is one opportunity, numbered to match the list below. Further right means it bites sooner; higher means a bigger effect on the business. A bigger bubble means a bigger implementation effort.

Source: A4BEE analysis of public sources

  1. Cross-site production data integration for real-time operational visibility

    Siloed production data across multiple sites prevents real-time operational visibility. Management decisions are based on periodic reports rather than live dashboards, creating response latency to production events.

    Deploy a cross-site production data integration platform that consolidates data from all sites into a unified operational picture, enabling real-time decision-making across the Synthos portfolio.

    • Synthos operational assessment, 2025

  2. Automated PCF tracking platform for automotive OEM compliance

    Manual PCF calculations cannot provide real-time carbon footprint data that automotive OEMs increasingly require. Major customers are shifting to carbon-accounted procurement, creating contract risk for Synthos.

    Implement automated PCF tracking that calculates carbon footprint in real time from production data, satisfying automotive OEM requirements and protecting key customer relationships.

    • Synthos automotive customer requirements assessment, 2025

  3. Digital energy management for insulation materials division

    The insulation materials division has underperforming energy efficiency with no systematic monitoring. The zero coal by 2030 commitment requires energy management infrastructure that does not currently exist.

    Deploy digital energy management that provides real-time energy consumption monitoring across the insulation materials division, enabling quantified reduction opportunities and progress tracking toward the zero coal commitment.

    • Synthos energy efficiency assessment, 2025

  4. Digital knowledge management for Schkopau operational expertise

    Experienced operators at Schkopau are approaching retirement with institutional knowledge held by individuals. The risk of knowledge loss is highest at the most complex and safety-critical operations.

    Implement digital knowledge management that captures, structures and preserves Schkopau operational expertise, ensuring the knowledge needed for safe and efficient plant operations is preserved in systems rather than individuals.

    • Synthos workforce capability assessment, 2025

  5. Digital turnaround planning for Schkopau production availability

    Manual turnaround scheduling creates extended windows that reduce production availability. The Schkopau acquisition value is eroded by turnaround time that exceeds what optimised planning could achieve.

    Implement digital turnaround planning that optimises the turnaround schedule based on work scope, resource availability and production constraints, minimising the turnaround window without increasing risk.

    • Synthos Schkopau integration assessment, 2025

What we'd propose

  • Digital CDMO

    Cross-site production data integration for Synthos real-time operations

    We design and deploy a cross-site production data integration platform for Synthos that consolidates data from all production sites — Schkopau, Polish operations and others — into a unified operational picture, enabling real-time management decision-making across the portfolio.

    • Site data standardisation and ingestion

      All sites' production data in one standardised platform

      Build data ingestion pipelines that standardise production data from all Synthos sites into a unified data model, enabling cross-site comparison and portfolio-level operational visibility.

    • Real-time operations dashboard

      Portfolio operations visible in real time from one dashboard

      Deliver real-time operations dashboards that give Synthos management live visibility into production status, energy consumption and quality metrics across all sites without requiring site-by-site report reviews.

    • Cross-site performance benchmarking

      Each site's performance benchmarked against others

      Implement cross-site performance benchmarking that identifies best practices from top-performing sites and surfaces them to underperforming sites, enabling systematic performance improvement across the portfolio.

    • Management decision-making improved by real-time visibility across all sites rather than periodic site reports.
    • Portfolio performance improved by benchmarking that identifies and transfers best practices.
    • Schkopau integration accelerated by shared data platform that both sites trust.

    We've done this before

    See how we do Digital CDMO
  • Digital CDMO

    Automated PCF tracking platform for Synthos automotive OEM compliance

    We implement automated PCF tracking for Synthos that calculates Product Carbon Footprint in real time from production data, providing automotive OEMs with the immediate carbon footprint data their procurement policies require and protecting key customer relationships.

    • Automated PCF calculation engine

      Carbon footprint calculated in real time from production data

      Build an automated PCF calculation engine that ingests real-time production data — energy consumption, raw material inputs, process emissions — and calculates Product Carbon Footprint continuously rather than retrospectively.

    • Automotive OEM data exchange portal

      PCF data available to customers in the format they require

      Implement an automotive OEM data exchange portal that delivers PCF data to Synthos' largest customers in the exact format and frequency their procurement systems require, satisfying carbon-accounted procurement requirements.

    • PCF reduction roadmap analytics

      Carbon reduction opportunities quantified and tracked

      Build PCF reduction roadmap analytics that identify the highest-impact carbon reduction opportunities across the Synthos product portfolio, supporting the Evergreen Strategy targets with quantified, trackable reduction pathways.

    • Automotive OEM contracts protected by satisfying real-time PCF requirements that manual calculations cannot meet.
    • Evergreen Strategy progress made measurable by quantified PCF tracking across the portfolio.
    • Customer relationship deepened by providing PCF data proactively rather than reactively.

    We've done this before

    See how we do Digital CDMO
  • Digital CDMO

    Digital energy management for Synthos insulation materials division

    We deploy digital energy management for Synthos' insulation materials division that provides real-time energy consumption monitoring, automated reduction tracking and progress visibility toward the zero coal by 2030 commitment.

    • Sub-metered energy monitoring across all division assets

      Energy consumption visible by process area and equipment

      Deploy sub-metered energy monitoring across all insulation materials division assets, providing granular visibility into energy consumption by process area, equipment and production campaign.

    • Energy efficiency benchmarking and anomaly detection

      Underperforming assets identified automatically

      Build energy efficiency benchmarking that compares energy consumption across identical equipment and production campaigns, automatically identifying anomalies that indicate maintenance needs or efficiency opportunities.

    • Zero coal roadmap tracking dashboard

      Progress toward 2030 commitment visible and measurable

      Deliver a zero coal roadmap tracking dashboard that shows Synthos leadership real-time progress toward the 2030 commitment, with quantified reduction trajectories and early warning of targets at risk.

    • Zero coal 2030 commitment made measurable and trackable through systematic energy monitoring.
    • Energy cost reduction opportunities identified through automated benchmarking across equipment.
    • Management confidence in Evergreen Strategy progress improved by quantified visibility.

    We've done this before

    See how we do Digital CDMO
  • Enterprise AI

    Digital knowledge management for Schkopau operational expertise preservation

    We implement digital knowledge management for Synthos' Schkopau site that captures, structures and preserves operational expertise from experienced operators approaching retirement, ensuring the institutional knowledge needed for safe and efficient plant operations is preserved in systems.

    • Operational procedure video documentation

      Expert operators' techniques captured in video format

      Build a video documentation programme that captures experienced operators performing complex procedures — startup, shutdown, abnormal situations — preserving the tacit knowledge that written SOPs cannot fully convey.

    • Competency management and succession planning

      Knowledge gaps and succession risks visible to site management

      Implement competency management that tracks knowledge transfer progress for each retiring operator, identifying critical gaps and triggering targeted knowledge transfer interventions before departures occur.

    • Expert search and knowledge retrieval

      Finding the right expert takes minutes, not days

      Build an expert search platform that indexes operational knowledge across SOPs, video content and incident reports, enabling less experienced operators to find answers to unusual situations without leaving the control room.

    • Critical operational knowledge preserved before experienced operators retire.
    • Safety risk reduced by systematic knowledge transfer rather than informal handover.
    • New operator training time reduced by self-service access to expert knowledge.

    We've done this before

    See how we do Enterprise AI
  • Digital CDMO

    Digital turnaround planning for Schkopau production availability

    We implement digital turnaround planning for Synthos' Schkopau site that optimises the turnaround schedule based on work scope, resource availability and production constraints, minimising turnaround windows and maximising production availability.

    • Turnaround scope digitisation and work package management

      All turnaround work digitised into structured work packages

      Digitise the turnaround scope into structured work packages with defined resources, durations and dependencies, replacing the manual scheduling that relies on the most experienced planner's judgment.

    • Optimised turnaround scheduling

      Schedule optimised for minimum duration within safety constraints

      Build optimised turnaround scheduling that uses constraint-based optimisation to minimise the turnaround window while satisfying all safety, resource and quality constraints, replacing experience-based estimates.

    • Turnaround execution monitoring

      Progress tracked in real time against the plan

      Implement turnaround execution monitoring that tracks progress against the optimised schedule in real time, providing early warning when work packages need resequencing and enabling dynamic schedule adjustment.

    • Production availability improved by shorter turnaround windows from optimised scheduling.
    • Schkopau acquisition value protected by maximising the days the site is available for production.
    • Turnaround execution risk reduced by systematic planning rather than experience-based estimates.

    We've done this before

    See how we do Digital CDMO

Digital maturity: today and target

Scored out of 100 across six dimensions. The target is what Synthos S.A.'s own published ambition implies — not a perfect score.

Source: A4BEE analysis of public sources
Cross-Site Data Integration 15 → 80
Production data is siloed by site and system. No cross-site data platform exists. Management visibility depends on periodic site reports.
PCF Tracking 15 → 85
PCF is calculated manually on a retrospective basis. No automated PCF tracking is deployed. Automotive OEM real-time requirements are not met.
Energy Management 20 → 80
No systematic energy monitoring is deployed for the insulation materials division. Zero coal 2030 commitment lacks the measurement infrastructure to track progress.
Knowledge Management 20 → 70
Operational knowledge is held by individual experienced operators. No digital knowledge management system is deployed. Knowledge loss risk is highest for the most complex and safety-critical operations.
Turnaround Planning 25 → 75
Turnaround planning is manual and experience-based. No digital turnaround planning or optimised scheduling is deployed.
IT/OT Integration 25 → 75
Schkopau IT/OT convergence is underway but not complete. Legacy Polish operations have limited IT/OT integration. Real-time production data is not available across all sites.

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This is an independent analysis prepared by A4BEE from publicly available information as of January 2026. It reflects A4BEE's own interpretation and opinion, is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or verified with Synthos S.A., and may be incomplete or inaccurate. All company names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To request a correction or removal, contact [email protected].