ACHEMA 2012: Global solutions for global challenges
Many of the challenges discussed today on a national level can only be solved on an international scale. Global partnerships are called for. Dr Kathrin Rübberdt reports.Energy, rare earth metals, fossil resources - a glance at the global streams on a world map shows better than extensive explanations how intertwined global economies and industries are today.
Decisions made on energy supply in Europe or industrialisation strategies in Asia have worldwide impacts. Climate change doesn't stop at national borders, and know-how and resources are often located in different areas of the world; in order to put both to use, they have to be brought together.
The necessity for international exchange shows for example at the leading global event for the process industries ACHEMA that will take place June 18-22, 2012 in Frankfurt (Germany).
Eight months before the start of the event, exhibitors from 49 countries have already booked their stands; visitors from about 100 countries are expected to join in the interdisciplinary discussions on chemical engineering and biotechnology in the exhibition halls and the congress. The quota of international exhibitors shows that the global community is exchanging ideas and concepts, and contributions to the process come from all countries.
Thus, the ACHEMA is not only a showcase for technologies from one part of the world on offer for potential partners in other regions - it is a truly global display of the state-of-the-art.
An important driver for international cooperation is the global trend to shift towards renewable resources for the chemical and other processing industries.
The German Ministry for Education and Research sees the success of the bio-economy as based on an international division of work. This includes not only co-operations in research and development, but also concepts for an intelligent spread of value chains across the globe.
ACHEMA provides a platform for these discussions in form of the BiobasedWorld at ACHEMA. Exhibitors and speakers in the congress can share their experiences, findings and technologies. A partnering system enables the focused search for potential cooperation partners. But the bio-economy relies also on the transformation of concepts into business models; this will also be discussed from an international perspective, including potential financial investors.
Many Asian players are relatively new in the international markets and hesitant about the participation in a global event on the other side of the world. The hurdles especially for these companies have to be kept low in order to enable them to increase their visibility in the international landscape.
ACHEMA takes this into account by offering attractive opportunities for small and start-up companies. A special show on 'Innovative energy carriers and storage' is dedicated among others to solar energy generation and photochemistry as well as battery technology, a field where Asian, especially Chinese, research and development is among the global leaders. The special show is part of a larger focus topic that is also covered in dedicated sessions in the congress.l
Enter √ at www.engineerlive.com/asia
Dr Kathrin Rübberdt is with DECHEMA eV, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. www.achema.de
