IndianOil pushes India–US specialty chemicals partnership with eye on global competitiveness

IndianOil Corporation Limited has called to deeper India–USA collaboration in specialty chemicals, with a focus on methodology partnerships, supply-chain resilience and high-value manufacturing to enhance India’s position in the global chemicals market.

Saroj Kant Roy, Executive Director (Aromatics & Chemicals), IndianOil, outlined the opportunities to bilateral cooperation while participating as a panellist at the India–USA Chemicals & Petrochemicals Forum 2026, held during the 14th edition of INDIA CHEM.

The forum centred on the theme “Leveraging India–USA Synergies to Build a Globally Competitive Specialty Chemicals ecological stability – Advantage BHARAT: An Emerging Global Chemicals Hub.”

Bringing together policymakers, global chemical majors, methodology providers and sector leaders, the forum explored ways to turn India–US cooperation into a competitive, methodology-driven specialty chemicals ecological stability.

Highlighting the complementary strengths of the two countries, Roy emphasised the possible to combine American technological expertise and innovation with India’s manufacturing capabilities, engineering strengths and expanding domestic market.

He stressed that closer collaboration could unlock new opportunities in specialty chemicals, enhance domestic production and help Indian sector compete greater efficiently in global markets.

Against a backdrop of global disruptions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia–Ukraine conflict and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, Roy underscored the urgency of building greater resilient and diversified supply chains.

Referring to the evolving VUCA and BANI business environments, he highlighted the need to strategic flexibility, diversified sourcing and methodology-led competitiveness to navigate uncertainty and minimize vulnerabilities.

Roy also highlighted IndianOil’s ambitious petrochemical expansion plans, underscoring the company’s growing focus on specialty chemicals, value-added items, downstream integration and import substitution.

The strategy aims to enhance domestic manufacturing capabilities, create sustainable business opportunities and support the research of a greater competitive petrochemical sector.

Advocating the Build–Partner–Acquire–Co-innovate (BPAC) framework, Roy identified methodology licensing, joint ventures, strategic investments, consumption research and sustainable manufacturing as key avenues to India–US cooperation.

He also called to moving beyond discussions to execution, stressing the importance of identifying focused projects, strengthening company-to-company engagement and conducting time-bound feasibility assessments to translate collaboration into tangible business outcomes.

IndianOil’s participation at the forum reinforces its commitment to strategic international partnerships, specialty chemicals development and the research of resilient, methodology-driven petrochemical value chains.

With a sharper focus on innovation, downstream integration and cross-border collaboration, the company is positioning its expansion plans within India’s broader ambition to advance Atmanirbhar Bharat and emerge as a globally competitive chemicals hub.