Global chemical manufacturer and materials supplier for packaging, automotive, and construction
Westlake is a large, publicly traded chemical manufacturer operating across olefins, vinyls, polymers, and building products with ~16,000 employees across North America, Europe, and Asia. The tech stack reveals a heavily operationalized business: SAP + JD Edwards for ERP, OSIsoft PI + LIMS for production monitoring, Kinaxis for supply-chain planning, and Workday for HR — the backbone of a mature, process-driven organization. Active hiring across manufacturing, engineering, and operations (slowing from peak) aligns with concurrent lean manufacturing and preventative maintenance programs, suggesting post-acquisition integration or capacity optimization rather than expansion.
Notable leadership hires: Shipping Team Lead
Westlake manufactures chemical intermediates and finished materials — polyethylene, PVC, styrene, chlor-alkali products — sold into packaging, healthcare, automotive, and construction end-markets. Founded in 1986 and publicly listed (NYSE: WLK), the company operates production facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia, with a workforce of approximately 16,000. The business is capital-intensive: current initiatives focus on lean implementation, preventative maintenance, demand strategy, and a five-year capital improvement roadmap. Recent hiring reflects manufacturing and engineering roles across multiple geographies (US, Canada, Germany, Spain, France), with organizational strength in operations and finance.
Westlake uses SAP and JD Edwards as primary ERP platforms, complemented by Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, supporting financial and operational workflows across global manufacturing and supply-chain functions.
Westlake uses OSIsoft PI for real-time operational data, LIMS for laboratory information management, Kinaxis RapidResponse for supply-chain demand planning, and Honeywell + Siemens PLC systems for distributed control and automation.
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