SPECIAL FOCUS : ACHEMA 2012
Process industries on the move P
The process industries are on the move in more than one respect. New players have to be taken into account, and the need for cross- industry communication is now increasing. Dr Kathrin Ruebberdt reports.
Les industries de transformation sont en pleine évolution sur bien des aspects. Des nouveaux joueurs doivent être pris en compte, et la communication intersectorielle devient indispensable. Selon le Dr.Kathrin Ruebberdt.
Die Prozessindustrien befinden sich in mehr als einer Hinsicht im Umbruch. Es sind neue Akteure zu berücksichtigen, und der Bedarf an branchenübergreifender Kommunikation steigt. Dr. Kathrin Ruebberdt berichtet.
ublic debate is currently centred on technological issues with an unprecedented intensity. Political and
social movements have joined economic forces in setting strategic guidelines for industrial development. The energy turnaround,
a shift towards bio-based products, the globalisation of production networks with the accompanying requirements for IT and logistics – the process industries are on the move in more than one respect. This development brings formerly clear-cut disciplines closer together as cooperation along value chains intensifies. “We have been asked
into which additional industries ACHEMA plans to expand in 2012,” says Professor Kurt Wagemann, Executive Director of DECHEMA, organizer of the triannual event. “The truth is that we are not so much expanding, but the process industries are evolving.” Biotechnology is a good example for
the overlap and at least partial fusion of disciplines: In the public perception, the biotechnology industry consists mainly of small start-up enterprises active in medical biotechnology. But biotechnological processes are
Fig. 1. A bustling atmosphere triggers ideas.
widely employed in the chemical industry and biotechnology suppliers are ‘traditional’
equipment manufacturers as well. The same applies for the increasing overlap between process engineering, energy generation and the electronics and automotive industry. The development of innovative
technologies for energy storage for mobile applications requires the cooperation along the whole value chain, from the original energy source (like biomass, solar or wind energy)
to the storage medium (such as hydrogen, methanol or as an electric charge in a battery) and
the conversion into movement. Thus, the industrial
landscape is becoming ever more complex. By integrating new players and the established community, global events like ACHEMA play an even more important role in initiating new contacts and cooperations.
“A lot can be achieved by e-mail, phone
conferencing and webinars, but face-to- face interaction is still necessary especially during the initial phases when possibilities for cooperation are explored and the right contacts have to be identified.” says Dr. Thomas Scheuring, Head of the Exhibition- Congresses Department at DECHEMA. ACHEMA 2012 accounts for this by
introducing a partnering system where exhibitors and visitors can register well ahead of the event. They can then search the database for potential partners and send them meeting enquiries before they even set off for Frankfurt. The intelligent combination of face-to-face
meetings with supporting technologies will become even more important in the future. However, Dr. Scheuring is convinced that
one will not replace the other: “After all, the human brain is not a super computer. Our ideas are triggered by the atmosphere of a buzzling event where we gather a wealth of new impressions. I don’t think this can ever be shifted to the virtual world.” ACHEMA 2012 will take place at
Frankfurt Messe, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. ❒
Enter 17 or ✔ at
www.engineerlive.com/ece
Dr Kathrin Ruebberdt is with DECHEMA, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
www.dechema.de
17 ECE
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