Ketjen, a provider of advanced catalyst solutions and technical expertise for the refining industry, has announced a partnership with Imubit, an industrial AI software company, to give refiners real-time, actionable catalyst intelligence for fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) and hydroprocessing (HPC) units.
The partnership combines Ketjen’s deep reservoir of catalyst expertise (encompassing proprietary models, laboratory data, and technical analysis) with Imubit’s closed-loop, real-time digital platform.
By integrating these capabilities, the companies aim to bridge a longstanding gap in refinery operations: the lag between catalyst performance data and the operational decisions that depend on it.
Through Ketjen’s iKet Connect portal, part of the company’s expanded digital services portfolio, refinery teams will gain access to process and catalyst data alongside near-real-time, expert-driven insights and analytics.
The collaboration is intended to help refiners make informed decisions based on guidance tailored to current operating conditions, rather than relying on periodic reports or delayed post-analysis.
“Ketjen has unmatched expertise in catalyst performance, strategy and optimisation,” said Henri Tausch, Ketjen’s chief commercial officer.
“Through our partnership with Imubit, we are connecting that expertise to refiners’ live unit data so customers can make timely, informed decisions that improve stability, performance and profitability.”
Imubit’s platform provides secure, continuous connectivity to refinery systems and uses artificial intelligence to monitor process behaviour, detect deviations, and quantify their impact on operations.
Ketjen’s technical teams integrate advisory models and domain knowledge into the platform to guide operating adjustments, catalyst strategy, and unit optimisation, creating what both companies describe as a continuous feedback loop between catalyst science and live production data.
“Imubit’s platform is designed to continuously learn how complex refining units operate from live data,” said Gil Cohen, Imubit’s chief executive officer.
“Paired with Ketjen’s catalyst expertise, refiners gain earlier visibility into performance changes and clearer guidance on how to respond.”
For refiners, the practical stakes are significant. FCC and hydroprocessing units are among the most complex and economically critical assets in a refinery.
Catalyst performance directly affects yields, product quality, and energy consumption, making timely intelligence a competitive advantage.
By combining Imubit’s continuous monitoring capabilities with Ketjen’s proprietary models, the partnership is designed to surface performance changes earlier and translate them into concrete operational guidance.
Pilot deployments are currently underway with refinery customers in North America and Europe, with plans to expand to additional sites and regions in 2026.
Both companies indicated the rollout will include ongoing integration of Ketjen’s technical expertise directly into the platform, rather than as a separate advisory layer.
