Within the Petroleum, Chemicals & Energy Practice, our market assessment services are based on a consistent, integrated analysis of energy, the economy, supply/demand, and prices. Virtually every project assignment involves preparation of a supply/demand balance, whether it includes individual products analysis, market entry assessments, refinery optimizations or alternate feedstock evaluations.

During the past five years we have completed more than 100 projects dealing specifically with forecasting supply/demand/pricing trends for a particular product or combination of raw materials and products. These projects have included:

• Crude oil
• All refined products, including asphalt and lube oils
• Primary petrochemicals or petrochemical derivatives
• Bitumen and synthetic crude oils and fuels
• Natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
• Ammonia, urea, and methanol
• Refinery upgrading requirements to meet changed product demands

Our Approach
Specific competitive studies have been completed and market strategies have been developed for clients in the petrochemicals, refining, manufacturing, synthetic fuels, forestry and paper products, food processing and packaging, utility and power, and engineering/construction industries.

To provide recommendations for a particular product or market segment, we:

• Develop product demands consistent with economic activity and the products' intercompetition
• Examine the requirements for product supply
• Develop product differentials
• Develop historical product profitability
• Devise marketing schemes and characterize the general strengths and weaknesses of each
• Perform scenario planning with risk-adjusted forecasts
• Identify and provide detailed profiles of existing product marketers and assess the capabilities and fit of these marketers with each of the proposed marketing schemes

In addition to our confidential client projects, we have prepared forecasts on a global, regional, and local level as part of our subscription studies. Past studies have included:

• Pace Refining Outlook
• Pace Petrochemical Service
• Outlook for Refining: A Global Analysis
• California Refining
• Outlook for Distillates
• Residual Fuel Profitability
• Gasoline without MTBE: How Will You Cope?

Our forecasts have been an integral part of our refinery and petrochemicals-oriented projects for more than 40 years.