During the opening of ACHEMA on June 10, 2024, Federal Minister of Economics Dr. Robert Habeck and leading figures from the financial sector, the chemical industry and the supplier industry discussed the strategic realignment of the process industry under the current global conditions. Their joint conclusion: the process industry plays a decisive role in the transformation of the economy and society. International cooperation is essential in order to successfully overcome the numerous challenges.
In his opening speech, Federal Minister of Economics Dr. Robert Habeck emphasized the role of the process industry as a driver of economic growth and social progress: "Chemical and pharmaceutical engineering, biotechnology and environmental technologies hold enormous potential for a more sustainable economy," said the Minister, citing examples ranging from the sustainable production of everyday goods to the development of new pharmaceuticals, from energy-efficient plants to digitalized but more efficient plants.
According to Habeck, the ACHEMA innovation topics of digitalization, sustainability, laboratory technology, pharmaceuticals, process technology and hydrogen illustrate the central importance of the process industry for the transformation of our economy and society as a whole: "These topics are not just buzzwords, but the foundation on which we are building the future," said the Minister.
Innovation lies in the THEN of the process industry
In his welcoming speech, Dr. Klaus Schäfer, Chairman of DECHEMA e.V. and former CTO of Covestro, addressed the challenges facing the process industry: increasing instability and in some cases protectionist tendencies in trade policy, the shift towards greater sustainability, the development of the hydrogen economy and efforts to secure raw materials. According to Schäfer, these developments touch on deeply rooted certainties and lead to some ducking behind established - albeit outdated - technologies and closing boundaries - including the boundaries of the mind.
"For our disciplines, however, ducking away has never been an option - innovation and thinking beyond boundaries is in our DNA. And you will find many outstanding examples of this in the exhibition and congress at ACHEMA 2024," said Schäfer.
The emerging hydrogen economy, as well as new concepts for energy production, use and storage or the vision of a circular economy, require even closer cooperation and shared ideas for our economic system. "Despite all the challenges we are currently facing, we need to find new ways of international cooperation. This must be based on trust, it must be fair and it requires mutually accepted goals. Fairness also means a level playing field in terms of legal and political framework conditions; setting common goals requires that we are aware of conflicts of interest and try to actively manage them."
Panel discussion addresses current and future challenges
In the subsequent panel discussion, Julia Schlenz, President of Dow Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Marcus Miertz, Member of the Executive Board of SAMSON AG, and Dr. Fritzi Köhler-Geib, Chief Economist of KfW Bankengruppe, critically examined exemplary challenges and discussed possible solutions.
"The transformation of the chemical industry to CO2 neutrality is a multi-layered and complex process. Many of the technologies required for this, for example to convert our production facilities, still need to be developed, scaled and implemented. At the same time, many of our products are essential for the transformation. That is why we are focusing strongly on innovation and are aware that a future-oriented process industry is the key to the success of the transformation," said Julia Schlenz, President Dow Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
At the same time, she advocated remaining open to technology, setting regulatory framework conditions in a targeted manner and giving the industry the opportunity and confidence to find the best technologies and processes to achieve the common goals.
Climate neutrality and digitalization require massive change
Marcus Miertz, Member of the Executive Board of SAMSON AG, was convinced that the future of the process industry will be strongly influenced by innovations in the areas of digitalization, sustainability and efficiency. The use of artificial intelligence will be crucial here. These technologies can help to increase efficiency, reduce errors and improve product quality. "Overall, we are confident that these developments will enable the process industry to take advantage of new opportunities and possibilities to develop and grow," says Miertz.
"Climate neutrality and digitalization require massive change and major investments in all sectors, but they also offer great opportunities for future growth and employment," emphasized Dr. Fritzi Köhler-Geib, Chief Economist at KfW Bankengruppe. Despite the challenges, we are in a good position in Europe thanks to our strong innovative capacity. "We must build on this," she urged.
Further information is available at www.achema.de.
