Inside AGC Chemicals Americas’ journey to a fully automated end-to-end supply chain
Headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, AGC Chemicals Americas (AGCCA) is a leading provider of fluorochemical technologies, compounds, and specialty materials. As a global subsidiary of AGC Inc, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of glass, electronic displays, and chemical products, AGCCA has access to a worldwide support network for R&D activities and emerging technologies.
With manufacturing operations in Pennsylvania, a state-of-the-art technology center, a regional sales office in Brazil, and warehouses across North America, AGCCA is on a mission to be the preferred global fluorochemical materials solutions provider. The company manufactures, markets, and sells a wide range of fluoroproducts, including Fluon+™ enhanced fluorinated materials and compounds, AFLAS® fluoroelastomers, as well as specialty chemicals like fluorinated solvents, resins, and polymers.
Over the last three years, AGCCA’s supply chain has experienced significant changes, from new processes and systems to AI implementations. To learn more about the company’s supply chain and its approach to ongoing innovation, we sit down with Donny Lombardi, Director of Supply Chain. “AGCCA is a multi-pronged business, but simply put, it is the chemicals division of the wider AGC group,” Donny opens.
“AGCCA can be divided into three key areas: chemical products, fluoropolymer products, and compound products. The chemical division, as its name suggests, is our portfolio of chemicals, solvents, and special coatings, which are used in a variety of applications such as coatings for textiles or paper products and as paint additives to prolong the life of industrial paints. Our fluoropolymer products are a range of different resins that are used in several applications and industries, including mobility, electronics, and energy.
Lastly, our compound products are made here in Pennsylvania using raw materials from across the group.
“When I first joined AGCCA, my mission was to build a professional supply chain team to drive change management and implement best practices,” Donny reflects. “If I think about whether me and my team have accomplished that mission, the answer is ‘absolutely yes.’ 2025 saw the culmination of different systems and strategies, such as our recently updated S&OP processes and a new ERP system, Dynamics 365, which we implemented in April 2025. We also significantly streamlined our inventory, particularly slow-moving inventory, and managed to reduce it by around $12 million.”
Embracing change
As Donny suggests, AGCCA is passionate about exploring and trialing innovative technologies that leverage AI to drive supply chain efficiency. “We’re currently using AI to address two critical areas of the supply chain: procurement and automation,” Donny says. “We engaged with an AI startup company called Didero back in 2024, and Didero’s AI agents effectively ‘talk’ to our systems to interpret and input data into our ERP system. We’re now using Didero’s AI agents to help us find new critical vendors and generate cost savings in our procurement activities. We provide the agents with specifications like applications or price range, and they will find all suitable raw material suppliers, refine the list, and present us with the top potential suppliers. My team still does the final part to vet suppliers and ensure they are the right fit for us, but our partnership with Didero has been instrumental in maximizing both time and resources. One of the early vendor changes suggested by Didero, for instance, has led to an annualized saving of around $75,000!
“From an automation perspective, we’re exploring ways AI can eliminate manual tasks,” Donny adds. “We’re using AI to read inbound container documentation, for instance, which automatically enters information into our ERP system, which was previously being done by our employees. We’re very excited about the impact AI is having on our supply chain, and there are still many areas to address. We’re currently evaluating several partners to implement AI in our customer service and demand forecasting operations, which we hope to do later in 2026.”
Innovative roots
Aside from implementing innovative technologies, AGCCA’s approach to R&D also has a strong impact on the company’s supply chain. “Half of our headquarters building here in Pennsylvania is dedicated to R&D, with multiple labs for each specific division,” Donny says. “One of the big innovations we’re currently working on is finding a suitable, PFAS-free alternative for our coatings. Following legislative changes around PFAS materials, we’re aiming to be a leading provider of new materials that are PFAS-free but don’t compromise quality. We’re also preparing to support the data center sector as it continues to grow, as our products are used in several infrastructure applications.
“In terms of our supply chain, we’ve been evaluating our overall procurement strategy in line with R&D activity to ensure we have a strong base of critical raw materials suppliers for new products. Moving forward, we’re working with the team in Japan to leverage their contacts, consolidate global suppliers, and identify secondary vendors.”
Our conversation with Donny clearly highlights the impact of automation on AGCCA’s supply chain. From efficiency gains to cost savings, this innovative strategy has paid off, and with Donny at the helm, AGCCA will undoubtedly continue to streamline its supply chain and achieve new goals.
“As we continue to embed automation in our operations, I envision a future where all manual work across my team is eliminated,” Donny concludes. “I want our systems to seamlessly connect and speak to one another, creating a fully automated end-to-end supply chain. Whether it’s reshaping the customer service team or automating inventory processes, there is no shortage of opportunities to reach this goal as our supply chain continues to evolve over the next few years.”