Speaking Sunday at the opening ceremony of the fourth Petrofan 1404 conference, Hassan Abbaszadeh welcomed the continued organization of the event. He stressed that the conference does not belong solely to the Persian Gulf Holding but to the entire petrochemical industry, adding that it is a place where all stakeholders can work together to create value.

Abbaszadeh said the petrochemical sector’s research and domestic development efforts must go beyond their current scope. Because companies have long been absorbed by production and feedstock challenges, he said, they have overlooked technological solutions. He added that the Petrochemical Research and Technology Company should focus more on industry needs, noting it is fully prepared to address companies’ technology issues and that this process has already begun.

Global Market Forecasting and Development Modeling Through AI

The CEO pointed to global developments related to the environment, plastics and carbon, warning that major shifts are underway and that failing to keep pace will put Iran at a disadvantage. He noted that following the recent Geneva conference on a global plastics treaty, many countries are pushing hard due to marine pollution concerns. If such agreements are approved, he said, pollution-related restrictions and costs will fall heavily on major producers such as Iran, significantly affecting the country’s petrochemical market.

Abbaszadeh said artificial intelligence and digital transformation are no longer new to the world but still feel unfamiliar in Iran’s petrochemical sector. “We still don’t know exactly how to use AI in this industry,” he said. “Different groups approach us asking what we need, while we should be defining specific applications.” He identified two key areas: forecasting future markets and global trends, and modeling development decisions for new products.

He also noted that about $2 billion in foreign purchases are made in the industry each year—a major opportunity for knowledge-based and domestic manufacturers. However, companies continue to make purchases separately, preventing the creation of large-scale, consolidated procurement that could strengthen local production.

Avoiding Fragmented Decision-Making

Abbaszadeh said that while 95 percent of the petrochemical industry’s fixed equipment is manufactured domestically and significant progress has been made in rotating equipment, the sector remains behind in instrumentation and specialized equipment—areas that represent major opportunities for local producers.

He added that one of the industry’s biggest problems is fragmented decision-making by individual companies. “Sometimes companies do things that benefit themselves but reduce value for the entire industry,” he said. “This must change. Our goal is to increase the industry’s value added. We belong to this country, and decisions must be made in a unified way.” He also emphasized the need for integrated accounting, research and technology practices across companies, especially within major holdings.