A special edition from

Worldwide NewsChina’s Chemical Industry:Only Change Is Certain 6

Slip Hazard Ahead forEngineering Projects 14

Crisis Management:How to Prepare 18

1|2019

All You Need toKnow: AchemAsiaVisitor Infomationon Page 8

document7579375740671417018.indd 1 04.03.2019 11:24:19

Worldwide News

A special edition from PROCESS 3

EDITOR’S PAGE

Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet orInternet of Things (IoT)—no mat­ter which buzzword you are using,

the digital transformation processour industries are currently under­going is tremendous. The full poten­tial of digitalization is nowhere nearexhausted.Same as other industries the pro­cess industry has a long way to goto fully deploy the potential of IoT:Artificial Intelligence and (big) dataanalytics are on hype right now andseem to be the answer to almostevery question in business develop­ment (to be honest: mostly it’s farmore complex); cloud computing isbuilding the backbone of modernglobalized companies; virtual rea­lity and augmented reality is in­creasingly used to enhance B2C aswell as B2B services. The important5G technology is just showing up to accelerate even more the ex­change of data, including those generated in worldwide industrialsites. While all companies are currently looking for possibilities tointegrate IoT approaches and further digitalize their processes,starting flagship projects and evaluating use cases, other bigthings are already showing up.Taking a glimpse into supply chain management, which is stillnot as efficient as it could be, feeling the desire for trust andsecurity within global partner networks and listening to the de­mand for integrated and standardized data models makes me fi­nally look at distributed ledger technology (DLT), for the most peo­ple better known as blockchain. Actually, blockchain is only onetype of DLT.Experts often talk about standardized datamodels along the valueand supply chain. So why not make use of DLT, which allows greatinteroperability of data and increasing transparency while havingan eye on data security? Security and trustworthiness will alwaysbe on the agenda of integrated supply chain networks, especiallyin asset­ and IP­driven industries such as the process industry. DLTcould create trust between (unknown) players along the completesupply chain as well as address several challenges of supply chainmanagement: just think about record keeping or tracking and tra­cing of products. Another example, where you need to managereliable information to e.g. address reporting needs would beREACH. Of course, DLT is still under development, but it looks to bebetter automized and more secure than current databases can beas well as more reliable and overall less costly. DLT could increaseefficiency along the supply chain and decrease the risk of losingproducts while eliminating middlemen and intermediaries alongthe supply chain. So, it looks like the technology is either an enemyor savior. How do you think about it?

BLOCKCHAIN AND BEYOND

n DR. BJÖRN MATHESMember of the Executive Boardof DECHEMA Exhibitions n

document2493335838874641047.indd 3 04.03.2019 11:25:10

A special edition from PROCESS 5

3 Editor’s Page6 Only Change Is Certain

A look at the chemicalindustry in China

8 AchemAsia 2019—VisitorInformationAchemAsia is setting out fornew horizons

12 Combining the Best of TwoWorldsInterview: China plays animportant role in Covestro’sbusiness

14 Slip Hazard Ahead forEngineering Projects?Engineering projects inChina—between hope andanxiety

16 First AnnouncementThe ACHEMApavilion @Tatarstan Oil & Gas Forum

18 Crisis Management: Howto Prepare?What are the factorsfor successful crisismanagement?

20 Future Production and theHuman FactorDon’t underestimate the roleof non-technical barriers indigitalization projects

22 International EventsOrganized by DECHEMA

22 Imprint

n ACHEMASIA 2019Be optimally prepared foryour visit to AchemAsia/Shanghai. (Page 8) n

CONTENTS

n INTERVIEWCovestros Chief Technol-ogy Officer Dr. KlausSchäfer, chairman ofDECHEMA, explains whydigitization and climateprotection will be moreimportant for the compa-ny’s future business inChina. (Page 12) n

Cover: ©chungking - stock.adobe.com

Worldwide News

document3479088883083563049.indd 5 04.03.2019 11:27:50

Worldwide News

6 A special edition from PROCESS

On the one hand, there is the tradedispute with the USA, which is be­ing followedwith concern not only

in the two countries affected. BDI (TheVoice of German Industry) President Die­ter Kempf warned last September: “Thenew tariffs will also affect German com­panies as part of global production andvalue chains. The spiral of protectionismis affectingmany other countries—espe­cially trading nations like Germany.”

ONLY CHANGE IS CERTAIN

ment. At the same time, the growingmid­dle class is placing demands on socialinfrastructures such as health care, andin the near future the question will ariseof how to care for an ageing populationwithout children and grandchildren whoare replacing a state pension system.

Best Conditions forForeign Investors

China has set itself a lot of goals with its“Made in China 2025” strategy—and im­plementation requires a strong andmod­ern chemical industry, also with support

However, the fact that China’s econom­ic growth has slowed is not only due tothe US President and his trade policy.Other factors also play a role: Consumerconfidence has declined sharply, whichis particularly noticeable in the automo­tive industry. There are no major invest­ment programmes in sight, such as inearlier slowdowns, because China mustkeep its debt within bounds. Concernsabout a possible real estate and creditbubble in China’s largely unregulatedcredit business also contribute to anoverall deterioration in economic senti­

Source:©

merklicht.de,©juliars

­stock.ado

be.com

;DECHE

MA

The figures are impressive: The Chinese chemical industry achieved sales of €1.3 billion in 2017 and hada 40% share of the world market. According to Germany Trade & Invest, the Chinese market is largerthan the European and US markets combined. But in recent months, uncertainty has grown as to how theindustry will develop in the future. A large number of partly contradictory influences are making them-selves felt. It is difficult to say which of these will prevail in the end—but one thing seems certain: thechemical industry in China will change fundamentally.

DR. KATHRIN RÜBBERDT*

* K. Rübberdt, Head of DECHEMA Communications

TRADE DISPUTE WITH US

Take over US business

Slowdown ofChinese economy

“MADE IN CHINA 2025”

Investment in foreignmachinery

Rise of localcompetitors MODERNIZATION &

HIGHER STANDARDS

Investment inforeign machinery

“NEW SILK ROAD”

Easier access tonew industrial hotspots

Closer relations toother suppliers

DECLINE INCONSUMER CONFIDENCE

Slowdown of Chinese economy

document8035246776303868929.indd 6 04.03.2019 11:28:49

A special edition from PROCESS 7

from abroad. Despite all the uncertaintiesmentioned, Germany Trade and Investstates in a report from November 2018that the conditions for foreign investorshave never been so good. The Chineseprocess industry is undergoing a series ofserious changes. On the one hand, over-capacities are still being removed fromthe market. At the same time, however,the wave ofmodernization is continuing:In order to implement the environmentalreforms and ensure greater safety, chem-ical plants are being closed or have tomove to industrial parks. Environmentalprotection requirements at these sitesare generally high, and infrastructure forwastewater treatment, waste disposaland emission controls is in place. In viewof the growing environmental problemsin the “old” industrial hotspots and thegrowing sensitivity of the population, it isnot only the central government that isexerting pressure, regional authoritiesare now also pulling their weight. For ex-ample, the provincial government ofJiangsu, a highly industrialized provinceon China's east coast, has announcedthat it will close 1,000 chemical plantswithin three years whose technology isoutdated or less than a kilometer fromthe Yangtze.Chinese and international companies

are planning huge investments in newpetrochemical complexes, above all inChina’s south in the less industrializedhinterland. BASF has announced the con-struction of a Verbund site in the Chinese

province of Guangdong for USD 10 billion.ExxonMobile is also planning a similarproject there. A Sino-Kuwaiti consortiumis already active and is building a refinerythat is scheduled to start operations in2020. The region has relatively littleheavy industry to date and is attractivefor investors for a number of reasons:land is comparatively cheap, labor costsare low and population density is low, sothat there are fewer acceptance problemsthan in densely populated regions withhigh industrial density anyway.

More than “Just”Modernization

But “Made in China 2025” is about morethan “just”modernization: The policy en-visages strengthening Chinese suppliersof robotics and automation technology insuch a way that by 2025 they will haveovertaken competitors from industrial-ized countries. China is already regardedas the technology leader in digital tradingplatforms, including the chemical indus-try. And China is also preparing to leaveWestern industrialized countries behindwhen it comes to digitization and artifi-cial intelligence. With the growing com-petitiveness up to technology leadership,however, the circle of those who demandto see China less as an emerging countrythan as a competitor at eye level—withall the resulting rights and obliga-tions—is also growing. In the CHEMoni-tor 2/2018, 45% of managers stated thatthe Chinese chemical industry will be a

strong competition for their own compa-ny in the future (interestingly, 86% of re-spondents saw strong future competitionfor the chemical industry as a whole).Particularly in view of the political devel-opments in China, voices are becominglouder calling for Germany and the EU toshow more self-confidence towardsChina.

54 Demands for Competition withChina

Last year, China experts noted a “re-ide-ologization” of state and economywith astronger tendency towards control. At thesame time, China is sending out liberali-sation signals with regard to Western in-vestments. However, this should not beoverestimated, experts say. At the begin-ning of January, the BDI presented 54 de-mands for competition with China; theyare summarized in a policy paper entitled“Partners and systemic competitors—how do we deal with China’s state-con-trolled economy?” China remains a driverof the global economy and an importantsales and procurement market for thechemical industry, said BDI PresidentKempf at the presentation of the paper.At the same time, however, the BDI is call-ing for a more ambitious EU industrialpolicy, more subsidy controls on importsand state-financed takeovers of Europe-an technology companies, and a coher-ent and long-term China strategy from theEU Commission and the German govern-ment. n

document8035246776303868929.indd 7 04.03.2019 11:28:55

Worldwide News

8 A special edition from PROCESS

ACHEMASIA 2019—VISITOR INFORMATION

Since its premiere thirty years ago,AchemAsia has become the lead-ing communication hub to China's

process industry.With a sharpened exhibition profile

covering process technology, pharmatechnology, industrial water manage-

Moving into its fourth decade, AchemAsia is setting out for new horizons: The Interna-tional Expo and Innovation Forum for Sustainable Chemical Production will take placefrom 21-23 May 2019 in Shanghai, China.

Special view toShanghai skyline

盈港东路Yinggang Ro

诸光路

Zhuguang

Road

Source:©

IakovKalinin-stock.ado

be.com

ment, plant & process safety and digi-talization the visitor may expect an over-view of current technologies and trendsfor the Chinese market. The new eventlocation in Shanghai provides the bestsetting and convenience for new insightsand new business contacts.

document3737335720934692610.indd 8 04.03.2019 14:04:42

A special edition from PROCESS 9

P7

P8

P

18

N

7.1

Yinggang Road (East)

涞港路

LaigangRoad

崧泽大道 Songze Avenue

北广场

南广场

北广

North Square

South Square

→Exhibition and Convention CenterThe highly modern NECC Shanghai is easily accessible through a developed trans-portation network: Just 1.5 km away from Hongqiao Transportation Hub, NECC islinked to Shanghai's Hongqiao International Airport and to the adjacent railwaystation via the city’s Metro Line 2.

VenueNECC Shanghai – National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)No. 168 Yinggang East RoadQingpu District / 201702 Shanghai / PR China

Opening Hours21 May 2019: 9.30 a.m. – 05.00 p.m.22 May 2019: 9.30 a.m. – 05.00 p.m.23 May 2019: 9.30 a.m. – 04.00 p.m.

18

Legend:

Visitor Registration

Venue Gate No. 18

Metro Line 2

P7 Bus parking area

P8 Car park

Taxi

P7

P8

document3737335720934692610.indd 9 04.03.2019 14:04:46

Worldwide News

10 A special edition from PROCESS

Airport

Shanghai HongqiaoInternational Airport

Shanghai HongqiaoRailway Station

Shanghai - Chengdu G42Expressway

NECCEast Xujing StationLine 2

Shenyang-HaikouG15

Expressway

Shanghai -

Chongqing

G50

Expresswa

y

NECCZhu Guang Lu StationLine 17

NECC - National Exhibition andConvention Center (Shanghai)

Attracting professionals from all overChina and South-East Asia, AchemAsiahas now matured and developed its ownprofile based on the “hot topics” in theChinese and Asian market:• Process Technology• Pharma Technology• Industrial Water Management• Plant and Process Safety• Digitalization“We are putting the growth and core

sectors of China’s process industry in thecentre of the event’s focus, with sustain-ability as anchor theme,” says ThomasScheuring, CEO of DECHEMA Exhibitions.The move from Beijing to Shanghai alsofollows the lead of the industry. The exhi-bition will be accompanied by a congressjointly organized by DECHEMA and her

→How to arrive?

By Planea. Pudong International Airportb. Hongqiao International Airport

By Shanghai MetroTake Line 2 towards East Xujing,get off at Exit 4, 5 or 6 of East Xu-jing Station and walk to West En-trance of National Exhibition andConvention Center.Head to hall 7.1

By BusBus lines to East Xujing Station(near West Entrance of National Ex-hibition and Convention Center)are No.197, 706, 710, 865, XujingLine 1, Xujing Line 2, Xujing Line 4,Baixu Line, Qingxu Line, ZhuxuLine, Qingfengxu Line.

There are connections fromdifferent Metro stations as well:From Jiuting Station (Metro Line 9):Bus No. 706, from Zhongshan ParkStation (Metro Lines 2 / 3 / 4) andZiteng Road Station (Metro Line10): Bus No. 776 and from JinjiangPark Station (Metro Line 1), Caohe-jing Hi-Tech Park Station (MetroLine 9), Shanghai Zoo Station (Met-ro Line 10): Bus No. 865

If you travel by taxi, bus or cardirect to Yinggang East Road.There is a dedicated entry and visi-tor registration leading you directlyto hall 7.1 where AchemAsia 2019exhibition and congress will takeplace. Bus and car parking is avail-able south of hall 7 via YinggangEast Road (P7, P8, limited space).

Chinese partner organizations. The indi-vidual sessions are closely integratedinto the exhibition, guaranteeing a highrelevance for the audience active orinterested in the Chinese process indus-try.

Visitor ServiceAll foreigners must obtain an entry visabefore proceeding to China. In order toassist you in preparing your visa applica-tion you can request a personal invitationletter on the AchemAsia website atwww.achemasia.de/visa-invitation.Get yourself prepared before the event

by locating targeted exhibitor booths,identifying suitable suppliers andexploring the conference programme atwww.achemasia.de.

Visit www.achemasia.de/tickets, regis-ter online and download your personalentry ticket for easy access without wait-ing a long queue at the exhibition ground.Visitor registration counters at NECC arelocated at the entrance of hall 7.1 and atWest Hall.

→Who should attend?

• Engineers• Technicians• Sales persons• Scientists• Manufacturers / brand owners• Agents, distributors• Investors• Students

document3737335720934692610.indd 10 04.03.2019 14:04:47

A special edition from PROCESS 11

High Speed Train

Shanghai PudongInternational Airport

MetroLine 2

Inner Ring

Outer Ring

MetroLine 2

People‘s Square

OrientalPearl Tower

HuangpuRiver

N

→Why should I visit AchemAsia 2019?

• See the latest product innovations and technical trends in the process industries.• Find suppliers for equipment and components.• Meet potential cooperation partners for your next project.• Communicate face-to-face with experts from all relevant industry sectors.• Get to know trendsetters and decision makers.• Learn from senior speakers about new scientific results andinnovative problem solutions in the accompanying conference.

• Participate in the ongoing development of new technologies and markets.

Last but not least, we will give yousome tips how to plan your sightseeingtour. If you want to get a closer look atShanghai's highlights, plan a city tour orjust know what's on please refer tothe official Shanghai travel website:www.meet-in-shanghai.net. You will find

useful information, e.g. on the Top 20 at-tractions in Shanghai.The organizers DECHEMAAusstellungs-

GmbH and CIESC Chemical Industry andEngineering Society of China look forwardto welcome you at AchemAsia 2019 atNECC, Shanghai! n

document3737335720934692610.indd 11 04.03.2019 14:04:48

Worldwide News

12 A special edition from PROCESS

COMBINING THE BESTOF TWO WORLDS

→Biography Dr. Klaus Schäfer

Dr. Klaus Schäfer is member of the Covestro Board of Management since 2015. Heis Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and responsible for production and technologyas well as all chemical production sites.

Previously, Schäfer was head of Production and Technology in the Polyurethanessegment, was the Country Representative in China for predecessor company BayerMaterialScience, and Managing Director of German site operator Currenta, whichprovides services to Covestro at the Dormagen, Krefeld-Uerdingen and Leverkusensites.

Born in Bruehl, Germany, in 1962, Schäfer studied physics at the city’s university.After obtaining his PhD, he worked for Erdölchemie and BP before joining theBayer Group in 2001.

Source: DECHEMA

China plays an important role in Covestro’s business. Covestros Chief Technology Officer Dr. KlausSchäfer, chairman of DECHEMA, explains why digitization and climate protection will be more importantfor the company’s future business in China.

• Dr. Schäfer, Covestro is very active inChina.What role does China play for yourcompany?SCHÄFER: Since the start of the 2000s,we havemade huge investments in Chinaand are now generating around a fifth ofour company’s turnover here. Measuredin terms of sales, this means that Chinais our biggest single market.

• You recently announced a cooperationwith domestic appliance manufacturerHaier. What are you hoping for from thiscooperation?SCHÄFER: Haier is one of the leadingmanufacturers of domestic appliances inthe world, andwewant to further expandour cooperation that goes backdecades.In our planned joint digitalization labo-

ratory, we will take advantage of ourextensive knowledge of poly-

urethane and foaming technologies,while Haier will contribute its expertise inindustrial automation and in the analysisof large data volumes.

• With this type of project, which is alsowith the context of the digitalizationstrategy of Covestro, will you benefitfrom the developments in China in thisfield?SCHÄFER: Partnerships generally make alot of sense in many areas, as you canoften combine the best of several worlds.One thing we are seeing a lot of in Chinaand other Asian countries is enthusiasmfor new technologies. Of course, this ac-ceptance helps us to implement our digi-talization strategy—as well as enablingus to push aheadwith newworkingmeth-ods and try out new business models.Our own flagship store on the platform of

document2231647531092671058.indd 12 04.03.2019 11:38:16

→Covestro in Greater China

• Covestro is a leading producer ofadvanced polymers and high-per-formance plastics around theworld.

• Business activities are focused onthe manufacture of high-tech poly-mer materials and the develop-ment of innovative solutions forproducts used in many areas ofdaily life.

• The main segments served are theautomotive, electrical and elec-tronics, construction as well aswood & furnitures industries.Covestro has been in China for along history.

• A sound sales, marketing, produc-tion and R&D network has been setup in China, providing high perfor-mance material and innovative so-lutions to meet the customers’needs.

online marketplace specialist Alibaba isa good example.

• How do you think that China is goingto develop in the near and medium fu-ture?SCHÄFER: We expect continued dynamicand positive developments for Covestroin China. In my time as a manager in Chi-na, I experienced a particular skill of theChinese up close: the will to make plansand then rigorously implement them.There is increasing focus on the topic ofclimate protection—both in industrialprocesses and in relation to topics likeurbanization and e-mobility. We can andplan to profit from these megatrends.

• The BDI recently pointed out that Chinahas now evolved into a competitor andthat a strategy is needed so that Europecanmeet this competitor on equal terms.Do you see a risk that China is carving outadvantages over Germany and Europethrough unfair boundary conditions?

SCHÄFER: It is clear that Chinese compa-nies have now reached a respectable sizeand that they have taken on leading rolesin the global competition. We thereforeneed to have a discussion in Europeabout the exact form a European indus-trial policy should take so that competi-tive conditions are created for industryand disadvantages are avoided. This willbe the only way to ensure that Europeancompanies can have a leading position inthe global marketplace.

• Where do you think that Chinese indus-try has the most catching up to do?SCHÄFER: Well, I don’t really feel it is myplace to discuss any need to catch up onthe part of Chinese industry in general.One project that makes a lot of sensefrom my point of view is the recentlylaunched initiative to consolidate manysmall and decentrally distributed compa-nies in chemistry parks. The aim is to im-prove environmental protection and en-sure better safety. n

document2231647531092671058.indd 13 04.03.2019 11:38:17

Worldwide News

14 A special edition from PROCESS

RUSSIA

TURKEY

SAUDI ARABIAINDIA

MALAYSIA

INDONESIA

JAPANCHINA

Hit the ground running: BASF’s new-ly appointed CEO Martin Bruder-müller thinks big. A new Verbund

site is next in line—but not in Europe northe US. Guangdong, PR China, was cho-sen as the location for the chemical gi-ant’s next worldscale integrated produc-tion plant, centered around an all newone million tons per year ethylene steamcracker. Total costs: A whopping 8.7 bil-lion Euros. Various plants for consumer-related products will follow. No doubt:The chemical industry has set its sight onChina. The People’s Republic is responsi-ble for 40% of global chemical produc-

SLIP HAZARD AHEAD FORENGINEERING PROJECTS?

tion. But the economic powerhouse isstuttering. Growth has reached its lowestlevel in 28 years (6.6% yoy). In Jiangsu,Eastern China, several hundred chemicalplants were idled, the Financial Post re-ports. This darkens the prospects for sup-pliers and engineers in Japan and Ger-many, as Chinese plant manufacturerstake the opportunity to tackle the world’smarkets. For the first time, the GermanEngineering Summit identified Chinaas the most important competitorfor plant engineering pro-jects—ahead of firms fromWestern Europe and the USA.

Source:©

theseamuss-stock.adob

e.com,Verkehrsm

eister-stock.ado

be.com

,angelha-stock.ado

be.com

Has the Asian boom cooled down? The economic wonderland in the Far East will keep the chemical indus-try on its toes: While some companies have investments worth billions in the pipeline, others fear for Eu-rope’s competitiveness. And then there’s the looming trade war between China the US and the veering ofAsian key markets … Engineering projects in China are thus caught between hope and anxiety.

China sets the pace in a boomingAsian engineering market.

DOMINIK STEPHAN*

* D. Stephan, Editor of PROCESS.Contact GROAB, the project database for internationalmajor plant engineering and construction:Phone +49-931-418-2927

This means “a turning point to which theindustry must respond”, Thomas Wald-mann, Managing Director of the VDMA’sEngineering Workgroup, says. No easytask, as companies simultaneously havetomanage the digitization, establish newcontract models and find, hold and em-power qualified employees. Internalmanagement structures are not left un-touched: “We must replace traditional,hierarchical leadership with knowledge-

PLANT PROJECTSIN ASIA 2018South Korea

Turkey

Oman

Thailand

Indonesia

Saudi-Arabia

Japan

UAE

India

China

8991213151617

3137

Source:G

ROAB

document3724088928978949344.indd 14 04.03.2019 12:52:28

based teamwork”, explained MarcelFasswald, CEO of Thyssenkrupp Indus-trial Solutions. The company commis-sioned the first plant for polylactide bio-plastic in Changchun in October 2018.The People’s Republic has long ceased

to be a mere workbench for production,the decision by Covestro and Haier to setup a joint laboratory for digital solutionsin Qingdao shows.Merck also announceda new competence center in the Guang-zhou Special Economic Zone. The trendtowards relocation of sensitive areas hasinterest groups worried about the indus-try’s future viability: German engineeringassociation VDI sees the increased relo-cation of R&D from 21% to 34%, informa-tion technology (25% to 33%) and ser-vices (33% to 54%) as a cause for con-cern. “R&D in emerging markets is pur-posefully promoted by local politics, bu-reaucratic hurdles are significantly lower,and development is much faster,” saidClaas-Jürgen Klasen, President Asia Pa-cific North at Evonik Degussa. Of course,the Chinese government is also investing

heavily in the development of new tech-nologies. A protectionist policy makesthe construction of own production fa-cilities in the China increasingly attrac-tive. Against this background, the inter-est of companies in on-site production inAsia is increasing: While for large chemi-cal companies China is already the sec-ond most important investment targettogether with North America (46% each),according to recent surveys, the share ofchemical companies is less than 500 Em-ployees planning to invest in China overthe next 12 months doubled to 23%.While projects in China are increas-

ingly being realized by one companyalone, classic joint ventures are still at-tractive. BASF and Sinopec e.g. plan anjoint steam cracker with a capacity of onemillion tons. In the meantime, Clariantwas able to commission two new additiveplants at Zhenjiang. Akzo Nobel, mean-while, has started production of a newpowder coating line in Changzhou, whichis to become the world’s largest with atotal capacity of 46,000t. n So

urce:G

ROAB

PLASTICS ANDPOLYMER PLANTPROJECTS BOOMIN CHINA

10

12

2

6

11

1

Polymers Refinery

Specialties-/Dyes

Water/Waste Water

OtherTechnical Gases

Pharma/Food

Basic-/Bulk Chemicals

document3724088928978949344.indd 15 04.03.2019 12:52:30

Worldwide News

16 A special edition from PROCESS

Few regions of economic relevance arebeing left rather unattended in thehighly globalized economy of today.

Regions which require—and reward—apioneering approach.When talking aboutcountries which are not on everybody’sradar yet have economic potential, richresources, a qualified workforce and fa-vorable political frame conditions … onlya handful remain.One such country is Tatarstan, a semi-

independent Russian Republic whichstayed, after the decomposition of theSoviet Union, under the political admin-istration of Russia. Thanks to abundantfossil resources, the Republic of Tatarstangained economic self-determination butremained, in terms of laws, currency orforeign politics, underMoscow’s umbrel-la.From the process industry’s viewpoint,

this region is where the action is in Rus-sia. No other Russian province offers asimilarly immediate access to fossil re-sources, together with well-establishedindustrial sites, special economic zones,and efficient logistics.

The ACHEMApavilion@ TATARSTAN OIL & GAS FORUM

Source:D

ECHE

MA

Source:D

ECHE

MA

Source:D

ECHE

MA

Source:D

ECHE

MA

First Announcement of the ACHEMA-pavilion @ Tatarstan Oil & Gas Forum(September 2–4, 2019, Kazan/Repub-lic of Tatarstan): unique opportunityfor technology suppliers in Russia’spetrochemical hub.

ACHEMA 2018 hosted a business delegation from Tatarstan, spearheaded by the Republic’sPresident, Mr. Rustam Minnikhanov (middle).

Visitors at the 2018 Tatarstan Oil & Gas Fo-rum

Tatneft experts were awarded the State Prizeof the Republic of Tatarstan.

Stand of the State Oil Company of the Azer-baijan Republic (SOCAR)

document5124468326017865594.indd 16 04.03.2019 11:39:39

A special edition from PROCESS 17

Source:CC-Stasyan117

Source:inthepublicdomain

→Quick FactsTatarstan Oil and Gas Forum

• Topics:Oil & Gas / Fluid Handling /Automation, Measuring & Control /Corrosion Protection

• Venue: Kazanskaya Yarmaka• 9,000+ attendees, mainly domestic /under the personal patronage of theRepublic’s President

Tatarstan• Total population 3.9 million(2.4 million working age)

• GDP € 30 billion• GMT + 3:00• Capital: Kazan50% of all Russian citizens livewithin 1,000 km of Kazan (!)

• 1st in the national ranking ofbusiness climates in Russia

→Contact

For further details please contact:

Ms Ekaterina Sherstobitova:ekaterina.sherstobitova@russia.messefrankfurt.comPhone +7 495 649 87 75 ext. 103

or

Dr. Thomas Scheuring:scheuring@dechema.dePhone +49 69 75 64 33 6

It is against this backgroundthat ACHEMA 2018, the lead-ing show for our industry, re-cently hosted a business del-egation from Tatarstan. Thedelegation was spearheadedby the Republic’s President, Mr.Rustam Minnikhanov—who wasquite impressed by the ACHEMA ingeneral, and by the exhibitors’ techno-logical competence in particular. Takingthis as starting point, DECHEMA’s man-agement, their long-term Russian coop-eration partnersMesse Frankfurt Russia,and Tatarstan authorities jointly came upwith the initiative to integrate anACHEMApresentation in their annual Oil& Gas Forum. This creates a unique op-portunity for ACHEMA exhibitors to pre-sent their know-how and technology di-rectly in the hub of Russia’s petrochemi-cal sector.Together with Messe Frankfurt Russia

and the fairgrounds operators in Kazan,we are now offering a package deal whichenables ACHEMA exhibitors to partici-pate in the 2019 Tatarstan Oil & Gas Fo-rum in the format of a dedicated ACHEMAgroup presentation:Please note: The ACHEMApavilion will

only be staged if a minimum of 25 exhib-itors commit to attend. n

Turn-keybooth packagesfrom € 3,330

for a 9 sqm stand

Media package € 473(incl. conference accreditation

for exhibitors, show catalogue entry,participation in all Forum events,

evening events, andexhibitor services)

document5124468326017865594.indd 17 04.03.2019 11:39:49

Worldwide News

18 A special edition from PROCESS

CRISIS MANAGEMENT:HOW TO PREPARE?

ment team and what responsibility theytake over?

Indispensable: A Crisis ManualWhat are the factors for successful crisismanagement? It is based on the princi-ple: Prevention of the crisis—Overcom-ing the crisis—Follow-up to the crisis in-cluding new prevention measures.This cycle illustrates the enormous im-

portance of crisis prevention. One of themost important tools that can (and has tobe) prepared is the “Crisis Manual”.Whether it is printed or kept in a digitalform is irrelevant. If both versions areavailable, both must be kept up to dateandmade accessible to the stakeholdersconcerned at all times.Regardless of whether your company or

institution operates in the industrial orservice sector, chapters on functions, re-sponsibilities, contact data and phonelists, rules for behaviour and exchange ofinformation and business processesshould be part of every crisis manual.However, further measures should also

be taken in advance. Clear role alloca-tions, clear allocation of responsibilitiesand reliable interface definition not onlysave valuable time in the case of a crisis,they also ensure competent and orderlyinternal and external communication.Regular training measures such ascamera and media training can create asolid basis for a confident appearance,thus giving the participants a certainroutine for such extraordinary situations.Preventive measures can eliminate crisisand risk factors as well as ambiguities inadvance. Corresponding crisis communi-cation plays an indispensable role inthis.

Communicating in a CrisisInterview situations for various mediasuch as television, radio and newspaperscan and should be practiced regularly bycompany spokespersons and manage-

• natural events: Extremeweather condi-tions (e.g. storms, heavy precipitation,high water, heat waves), forest fires,earthquakes, epidemics, also knownas Force Majeure;

• technical/human failure: system fail-ure (including under- and over-com-plexity in planning), negligence, acci-dents;

• terrorism, crime, war: attacks, assassi-nations, sabotage, civil war;

• cybercrime.Crises can affect companies and insti-

tutions from all sectors. However, onefact unites all those involved: if a crisisoccurs, there is no time for the develop-ment of strategies and definitions of re-sponsibilities; immediate actionmust betaken. You as amanager, plant or depart-ment manager or press spokesman arethen in demand. Do you already have astatement prepared for this case? Do youknow who is part of the crisis manage-

Source:©

Comofoto-stock.ado

be.com

Crises arrive quickly and unexpectedly. Companys need to be prepared and follow the slogan ofBenjamin Franklin: Don’t fail to prepare, or you are preparing to fail.

In case of an accident you have to be prepared.

An accident on the factory premises,production has stopped, the clockis ticking, your mobile phone is

ringing uninterruptedly, but why yours ofall things? Shouldn't you call someone,too? But who first? Where is that emer-gency phone list, was it on the intranet oris it the slightly yellowed note on the bul-letin board, which has officially beenabolished? And if your servers are sud-denly down—would you prefer an out-dated server structure to a cyber attackas the cause? Yes, crises arrive quicklyand unexpectedly. And, to speak withBenjamin Franklin: “By failing to prepare,you are preparing to fail.” But how do youprepare for a crisis? First of all, take aminute, sit down and think about whatcould happen to your business.What crisis can occur? The German Fed-

eral Ministry of the Interior sees crisissituationsmost frequently caused by thefollowing:

MARINA KOROGODSKA*

document2730165745907988152.indd 18 04.03.2019 12:53:42

ment. However, this measure is only afraction of a successful crisis communica-tion.The following principles are decisive:• openness• transparency• credibility• dialogue orientation

These should be:• fast (active and early)• true (factual)• understandable(short, simple, pictorial)

• consistent(uniform, coordinated, continuous)

Many topics can and must also be pre-pared in crisis communication before acrisis occurs. This includes the establish-ment and maintenance of media net-works as well as information materialprepared in advance. The various inter-ests and needs of all those involvedmustbe taken into account. A distinctionshould be made between three sub-groups.

1. Internal target groups are your ownemployees. They are the most credibledialogue and multiplier group that youhave within reach through involvementbefore, during and after a crisis, becausethey are reliable information providers foroutsiders.2. external target groups, such as cus-

tomers, suppliers, themedia, sharehold-ers and the general public. Here a uni-form line of communication is crucial.3. participants in crisis management,

ministries, organizations, authorities.Ideally, all three target groups are pro-

vided with relevant information at thesame time. Contacts should be estab-lished and maintained in advance in or-der to be able to fall back on them in anemergency.

Social Media: Friend or Foe?Social media plays an important role incommunication with all three targetgroups. The enormous and lasting changein communication behaviour and mediause through social media must be takeninto account above all in crisis communi-

cation. The “one-to-many” principle, i.e.one or a few transmitters serve many re-cipients, is no longer in force.Today the following applies: “many-to-

many” communication, everyone can besender and receiver, the boundaries areno longer strictly defined, everyone isable to reach a large community with theirmessages through their social mediachannels.The speed of information distribution

should also not be ignored. The expecta-tion of being served with quick answersor statements round the clock is extreme-ly high among all target groups.Amonitoring system set up in advance

enables you to react more quickly in theevent of a crisis and thus curb the spreadof false reports. In addition, youmaintaina high level of interpretation of the situa-tion and thus reduce the extent of the cri-sis. In general—an open approach to thecrisis and the associated willingness tocommunicate promote the credibility ofthe company or institution. n

* M. Korogodska, DECHEMA Communications

document2730165745907988152.indd 19 04.03.2019 12:53:43

Worldwide News

20 A special edition from PROCESS

DR. KATHRIN RÜBBERDT*

FUTURE PRODUCTION ANDTHE HUMAN FACTOR

ment decisions are largely only based onrate of return. If you have five minutes topitch your idea to the board and secureyour investment, it all boils down to pay-back. You don’t have the time to commu-nicate some of the hard-to-quantify ben-efits, and there are certainly factors thatare difficult to quantify in a rate of returnway.”He and his company have recently

completed a collaborative research pro-ject led by Dutch research organisationTNO to develop a multicriteria decision-making tool that combines financial, en-vironmental and technical risks and ben-efits. It allows presentation of optionsranked against each other based on de-fined factors and also takes uncertaintiesinto account. “We found that the ap-

team have worked in several projects ondecision-making in the process indus-tries. One of the drivers was the EU’sneed to ensure the uptake of technolo-gies developed in EU-funded researchprojects. Talford says: “There are someobvious general issues around aware-ness—are we doing a good enough jobin making people aware of the potentialof technologies that have been devel-oped? But when you start to dig deeper,you face the cultural barriers. Investmentdecisions aremade based on the percep-tion of potential benefits versus risks. Ithink we need a more structured ap-proach in evaluating these benefits andanalyzing what new technologies offercompared to established technologies.”According to Mark Talford, the same ap-plies to investment decisions required toimplement new technologies: “Invest-

Source:©

krunja-stock.ado

be.com

Don’t underestimate the role of non-technical barriers in digitalization projects—without convincingarguments and the commitment of employees, many projects won’t even start.

The challenges for the introduction ofnew digital processes and businessmodels in the chemical industry are

manifold. But while the discussion fo-cusses on technical interfaces and stand-ardized data formats, other barriers areoften overlooked. We have asked indus-try experts what non-technical barriersthey see and how these could be over-come.

Mostly High Level Management isFocused on Payback

MarkTalford fromBritest Ltd. has noticeda deep-set risk awareness in companiesin the process industries. “It’s absolutelyright to be risk averse whenwe are talkingabout safety,” he says. “But it seems thatthismindset pervades beyond safety andaffects investment decisions based onfinancial or commercial risks.” He and his * K. Rübberdt, Head of DECHEMA Communications

When implementingdigital workflows, em-ployees need to be in-tegrated into a projectright from the start.

document3332081620715158070.indd 20 04.03.2019 12:53:11

A special edition from PROCESS 21

proach works quite well. But there is stillwork to do to get this into one slide topresent to the board,” says Mark Talford.

Drawing a Line from Technology tothe Customer

Michael Dejmek from catalyst R&D pro-vider hte thinks that technology providersneed to explain the benefit of their prod-uctsmuch better. “Frommy point of view,regarding the implementation of techni-cal solutions there has hardly anythinghappened over the past years,” he says.Despite a large number ofevents and a great aware-ness of potential custom-ers for and interest in so-lutions for “industry 4.0”and “future production”,the benefit often remainsunclear. “There are needsthat could be fulfilled bythese technical solutions,but there is no one whocan help potential usersto identify which solutioncan fulfil their need: Is it atechnical solution, is itprocess technology or is itsoftware? How are theysupposed to know whichone of the many offeringsis the right one?” saysDejmek. At the sametime, he sees tremendouspotential if providers areable to draw a line fromtheir technology to theneeds of their customers.“It’s not enough to say I’mable to connect any de-vice to the IoT—they needto say why.” Even largecompanies struggle withthe identification of op-portunities, and smallerones refrain from anyinvestment without atangible solid businesscase.Here, the project Smart-

De’s@Work enters thepicture. The consortiumhas its eye firmly on “thehuman factor”: “We needto include employeesfrom the early stage on,”says Ulrich König, ProjectGroup Business Informa-tion Systems Engineeringof Fraunhofer FIT. “They

need to understand how they can benefitfrom the changes. A solid use case thatwe can discuss with the individual em-ployee is very helpful.” An example: Dataquality regarding maintenance at onecompany was poor. In discussions withmaintenance staff, the team found thatthe reasonwas that all data had to be en-tered into central terminals. Instead ofgoing there after every action, the staffperformed several tasks at different ma-chines and postponed documentation,resulting in gaps and erroneous informa-

tion. The solution:With the help of a port-able smart device, staff is now able toenter data on site right after the tasks areconcludedwithout interrupting their workand covering a distance to the terminal.“The staff even came upwith ideaswhichdata they could collect in addition,” saysUlrich König and sums up his experience:“If employees don’t get the impressionthat the aim is additional supervision,but experience a tangible benefit, theytake an active and very constructivepart.” n

document3332081620715158070.indd 21 04.03.2019 12:53:13

Worldwide News

Source:D

ECHE

MA

KETBIO, an initiative to transferresearch results to markets,has gone live with a novel on-line hub for key enabling bio-technology research. The high-ly interactive platform offers tothe biotech community an in-teresting onlinemeeting place,including the opportunity toprepare for market accesswithKETBIO’s core service: evalua-tion of commercial potential ofpromising biotechnology pro-jects.The platform is open to all pro-fessionals and scientists inthe various fields of biotech-nology.With their registration,participants will get access toa full range of opportunities:

• networking with peersand experts,

• showcasing project pro-files to a wide audience,

• search and offer spaces,

• market intelligence,

• self-designed webinarsand

• contacts with businesses.

High level representatives ofthe biotech industry are invit-ed to join in KETBIO’s Commer-cial Committee to exclusivelyreview the projects’ researchresults and to offer recommen-dations for commercialization.With an extra-promotion forpromising projects throughpresentations at industryevents, with additional coach-ing or licensing support, theKETBIO tech transfer expertsaim to bring research resultsfaster to markets.

→ Further information:www.ketbio.eu

Source:©

BrianJackson-stock.ado

be.com KETBIO—THE BIOTECH BOOSTER

FROM RESEARCH TO BUSINESS

→International Events Organized by DECHEMA

• June 11–14, 2019: 13th International Workshop on PolymerReaction Engineering—Hamburg/Germany

• June 16–20, 2019: 12th IWA International Conference on WaterReclamation and Reuse—Berlin/Germany

• June 23–27, 2019: 17th International Conference on CarbonDioxide Utilization—Aachen/Germany

• August 18–23, 2019: EuropaCat 14th European Congress onCatalysis—Aachen/Germany

• September 3–4, 2019: PRAXISforum Lab of the Future—Frankfurt/Germany

• September 9–13, 2019: EUROCORR 2019: New times, newmaterials, new corrosion challenges—Seville/Spain

• September 11–13, 2019: 12th International Particle ToxicologyConference—Salzburg/Austria

• September 12–13, 2019: German Conference on SyntheticBiology—Aachen/Germany

• September 15–19, 2019: 12th EUROPEAN CONGRESS OFCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & 5th EUROPEAN CONGRESS OFAPPLIED BIOTECHNOLOGY—Florence/Italy

• September 16–19, 2019: German Conference onBioinformatics—Heidelberg/Germany

• October 8–9, 2019: PRAXISforum Power-to-X—A vision movestowards application—Frankfurt/Germany

• October 27–20, 2019: EuroMOF 2019 3rd InternationalConference on Metal Organic Frameworks and PorousPolymers—Paris/France

→Further Information:

EDITORIAL STAFFEditor-in-Chief: Gerd Kielburger, +49-931-418-2536,

Dr. Jörg Kempf, +49-931-418-2173Editors: Anke Geipel-Kern, +49-931-418-2594

Dominik Stephan, +49-931-418-2192Editorial Assistant: Kristin Breunig, +49-931-418-2664Editorial Office: Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG,

Max-Planck-Str. 7/9,97082 Wuerzburg, Germany,Fax +49-931/418-2750,redaktion@process.dewww.process.de, www.process-worldwide.com

Layout: Cond. Daniel Grimm, +49-931-418-2247

SALESChief Sales Officer:Matthias BauerSales-Assistance: +49-931-418-2215, sales_assistance@vogel.de

MEDIA GROUPPublisher’s Address: Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG,

Max-Planck-Str. 7/9, 97082 Wuerzburg, Germany,+49-931-418-0, Fax +49-931-418-2750,A Company of Vogel Communications Group

Management Board: Matthias Bauer (Chairman), Günter Schürger

Copyright: Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG. All rights re-served. Reprints, digital processing of all kinds and reproduction only bywritten permission of the publisher.

IMPR IN T

dechema.de/veranstaltungskalender

document3887122251118275774.indd 22 04.03.2019 12:55:38