The CHEMUK 2020 speaker programme will present over 100 speakers, providing 35 hours of ‘free to attend’ expert intelligence, case studies, best practice and tech-insight ‘snapshots’, to inspire and assist next level investment , as well as guide technical and operational strategies for attending industry groups across the UK chemicals & chemical product sectors.

Packed this year with specialist highly topical contributions from 25+ separate trade, technical or professional bodies, three government departments, multiple centres of research/tech transfer, together with an exciting cross-section of leading chemical suppliers, technology partners & specialist service & consultancy groups, CHEMUK 2020 brings together an unrivalled blend of topical content & industry personalities.

Big Picture intelligence

Reflecting the sector’s current BREXIT transition status, as well as wider global trends & pressures, CHEMUK 2020 gives a platform for key national chemical association heads to address the most pertinent and current issues, challenges and opportunities facing the UK’s chemical and chemical-user industries.

Confirmed keynotes include Chemical Business Association Chief Executive, Peter Newport, Chemical Industries Association Chief Executive, Stephen Elliott. Additional ‘association & federation ‘executive-level’ keynotes can be heard from the likes of UKLA, BCF, EEMUA, TSA, IPA and others.

At government level, feature sessions from both Defra and BEIS provide insight and Q&A around latest industrial strategy & sector policy making. The Department for International Trade (DIT) will be returning to discuss their work through the DIT global network in helping businesses to find new export markets and capitalise on trade opportunities in markets such as China and India.

Centre stage will be critical themes such as process innovation, improvement & intensification, sustainability & responsible care, digitisation, new technology, plant & supply chain management, process safety & regulatory landscape, global trade, sector skills, Brexit and more….

Digitisation will feature heavily as the sector increasingly moves towards digitally based operational models. ABB Energy Industries will be discussing how to implement an effective digital project and why technology alone is not enough. Accenture will be hosting daily feature sessions including ‘The Digital Reinvention of Operational Risk Management’ and, together with Dupont, discuss ‘Connected Industrial Workforce’ (CIW) in a DuPont European manufacturing facility. Siemens will be presenting on both days, considering the security challenges of industrial digitisation plus discussing ‘Evolution of a digital twin’. One of the ‘digital’ track highlights is the GAMBICA -hosted ‘panel session’ titled ‘The drive towards digitalisation – The future of digitalisation in UK process industries’. With wider topics including digital asset management, condition monitoring, proactive maintenance and more…

Process Innovation, Improvement & Intensification will be core to the 2020 programme. Process Intensification Network (PIN) & PI Group at Newcastle University are hosting daily feature sessions exploring ‘Process Intensification’ key themes. Tom Higley of Calgavin, presents ‘Retrofit heat transfer solution improves product retention’. Peter Brown of Maelstrom Advanced Process Technologies talks on ‘Overcoming Inline Mixing Challenges’. Other topics on the 2020 agenda include innovation in catalysis, thermoplastic valves, vacuum system technologies, closed returnable chemical systems, minimising waste in chemical formulation and more…

Dr Zsuzsanna Gyenes of the IChemE Safety Centre will be contributing to the process safety theme – ‘Maximising your process safety metrics!’. Carolyn Nicholls, Operations Director of RAS Ltd, will be presenting ‘Confusion Over Risk Criteria’. Other notable contributors across the HSE & Regulatory/Compliance landscape include the National Chemical Emergency Centre (NCEC), Newson Gale, REACHLaw and Method Process Safety.

Sustainability and the move towards a circular economy remain a critically important theme. BASF will be leading a dedicated panel entitled ‘The Materials Circularity and Recycling Opportunity’. Dr Sarah Hickingbottom, CEO of BioVale will be hosting a Green Chemistry panel discussion entitled ‘Tackling the plastic pollution challenge? Dr Peter Clark from The KTN presents on ‘What are the critical technologies we need to deploy in order to make chemicals for a Net Zero World and do we have the capability in the UK to scale them?

CHEMUK 2020 welcomes The HazChem Network who will be contributing to the supply-chain management, operational and logistics programme, expected to cover such themes as regulation interpretation, COMAH warehousing and the obligations of the consignor. Executive Director for the Tank Storage Association, Peter Davidson, will be discussing ‘Cyber Security for Senior Managers’. Rodney Steel, Chief Executive at The British Contract Manufacturers and Packers Association (BCMPA) will be discussing the business case for contract processing, packing and fulfilment in the chemicals sector.

Supporting the Skills, Training and Professional Development theme will be The Royal Society of Chemistry who will be presenting on both days and running their CV checking service. Head of Workforce Development at Cogent Skills, Neil Smith, will be joined by representatives from the HSE and Environment Agency presenting a feature session around process safety management competence. CATCH will be discussing the skills gap in the chemical industry highlighting the importance of school engagement, apprenticeships and upskilling.