Evergreens and hot topics
ACHEMA preparations shift into high gear
The countdown is on: from 15 to 19 June 2015 the doors will open on ACHEMA 2015. Over 3,100 exhibitors have already registered but, as in 2012, the organisers anticipate around 3,800. Moreover, the congress programme is shortly to be released. Already a clear trend is emerging: besides the three focal themes BiobasedWorld, Innovative Process Analytical Technology (PAT) and Industrial Water Management, the hot topics of the world forum of the process industry are energy efficiency, materials and materials testing, and safety technology.
The number of papers submitted for the congress in these areas is gratifyingly high. In terms of exhibition groups, first and foremost there has been the traditionally keen interest in Instrumentation, Control and Automation Techniques, Mechanical Processes, Laboratory and Analytical Techniques, while to meet the unprecedented demand, additional space has already had to be mobilised for Pharmaceutical, Packaging and Storage Techniques.
The decision not to reserve a separate exhibition area for the three focal themes BiobasedWorld, Process Analytical Technology (PATand Industrial Water Management was deliberate. “What distinguishes focal themes is that they impact and shake up the process industry as a whole”, explains Dr. Thomas Scheuring, CEO of DECHEMA Ausstellungs-GmbH. “The development of new technologies and solutions thrives on the interplay of different sectors and disciplines.” Consequently, the exhibitors involved in these themes can be found in very diverse areas. This holds for industrial water management and similarly for PAT which encompasses not only suppliers of laboratory equipment but also of process control systems.
BiobasedWorld is a striking example of the cross-sectoral nature of the focal themes: in the biobased economy the spectrum ranges from process development to sensors, from suppliers of stainless steel fermenters to processors of biobased packaging materials.
To promote the exchange of views between users and suppliers, the organisers have devised a range of new formats: the ACHEMA PRAXISforums, addressing topics such as Single-Use Technologies, Pharmaceutical Production, Components and Equipment, Mixing and Separation, Safety and Plant Control. New developments from practice will be introduced in mini-presentations in the direct vicinity of the exhibition halls concerned.
The complete ACHEMA congress programme will be published in February. Participants will be struck by the large number of guest and partner events. And last but not least, on four of the five days of the event there will be a panel discussion or plenary lecture on key themes like the implications of the shale-gas boom for the bioeconomy, future trends in chemical production, the impact of the energy turnaround, and developments in industrial water use.
