Elements 6

A unique industry, with unique companies and unique news

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Elements Autumn 2013

Chemicals Northwest Awards 2013 16-page Education/ Training Special Environmental/ Climate Change Feature

European Road Freight Transport Specialists Since our foundation in August 2000, we have become recognised as a leading logistics provider of International road freight services to and from Italy and Western Europe.

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compliance with ADR and IMDG rules. Documentation checking service and advice from our on-site DGSAs. O Trailer groupage services to and from Italy, Spain,

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and finalist in 2012.

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FOR RATES & BOOKING CALL 0845 270 7734 Leestone Road, Sharston Industrial Estate, Manchester M22 4RB Email: email@ital-logistics.com

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MEMBERSHIP

Contents 4-8 10-13 17-33

36-37 38-43

44-45, 47 50 53, 55, 57 58-59

CNW Awards 2013 CNW Awards Feature Education/Training Feature Big Interview Environmental/ Climate Change Feature Innovation Q&A New Members Members Spotlight

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Welcome to the Autumn edition of Elements The Chemicals Northwest quarterly magazine brought to you in conjunction with Distinctive Publishing This edition has been published on the back of our 2013 Awards Dinner. Our successful “SOLD OUT” dinner took place on the 10th October 2013 at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester and was attended by over 250 people. Further details of this event can be found on pages 4-8.

Over the last quarter, the team at Chemicals Northwest have been busy with the July and September breakfast events, which were sponsored by The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and Cogent and the Royal Society of Chemistry. The members only REACH User Group, which is a topical discussion group and information sharing platform for any of our member companies who are involved in REACH. We have also held an event on Emergency Preparedness in conjunction with OAMPS and Bureau Veritas. Further details on all of these events can be found on page 60-61.

The annual Chemicals Northwest sector directory also in conjunction with distinctive publishing should also be hot on the heels of the Autumn magazine.

The directory will provide a comprehensive resource of our member companies plus the latest information from Chemicals Northwest. A list of companies in the chemical sector will also be published in the directory along with features and advertorials from companies involved in this vast sector.

Alex Heys Member Services & Event Manager

Membership of Chemicals Northwest Would your company benefit from joining an organisation that supports and promotes the chemistry-using sector in the Northwest? Do you want to understand more, and contribute to, the industry issues within the region?

Contact details John Roche Operations Manager Email: RocheJ@CIA.org.uk Alex Heys Member Services & Events Manager Tel: 01928 515678 Email: alex.heys@ chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk Advertising Anthony McKeown, Distinctive Group Tel: 0845 887 3810 Mob: 0755 702 6900 Email: anthony.mckeown@ distinctivegroup.co.uk Disclaimer

Distinctive Publishing or Chemicals Northwest cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur, individual products or services advertised or late entries. No part of this publication may be reproduced or scanned without prior written permission of the publishers and Chemicals Northwest.

n Support and assistance with regulation and other legislative issues n Access to additional member benefits including:

If you are a manufacturer, chemical user or offer a service to the sector, why not join us today?

• 25% discount off the REACHReady Gold Subscription

Benefits...

• Chemicals Northwest Buyers’ Club on a no savings, no fee basis

n Free/reduced entry to Chemical Elements and Breakfast Networking events plus the opportunity make a pitch!

• Discounted Insurance Rates • Free and Discounted Recruitment Services

n Discounted entry to co-hosted and other events n Free website profile to promote your business n Feature opportunities in the quarterly Chemical Northwest newsletter n Free entry into the annual Chemicals Northwest Sector Directory

For further details contact Alex Heys – Member Services and Events Manager, alex.heys@chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk or phone 01928 515678 or visit www.chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk/membership/ membership_benefits for benefits and prices.

n Discounted advertising rates for Chemicals Northwest Sector Directory and Website

Chemicals Northwest Sector Directory – coming soon Our 2013-14 sector directory should soon be arriving on your desks! The directory is due to be printed early November so we are expecting that advertisers and our member companies should have their “hot of the press” directories by mid/late November. We hope you find the directory a useful resource and continue to give positive feedback as we have received in previous years.

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Chemicals Northwest Awards 2013

Chemicals Northwest Awards 2013

The fourth Chemicals Northwest Award dinner took place on 10th October 2013 at the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester.

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The dinner was, as in previous years, a “sell out� success with over 250 people in attendance.

North West region. All sizes of organisation were considered for each of the awards.

The Awards were open to all Chemicals Northwest member companies and all other North West companies, organisations and institutions or sites operating independently within the

The evening began with a drinks reception sponsored by ITAL Logistics.

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Chemicals Northwest Awards 2013

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The Awards The evening’s award trophies were the result of collaboration between CNW and one of our academic members, Wirral Metropolitan College.

We asked the college if their design or art students would be interested in developing trophies for our annual awards event. The students studying a BA in Fine Arts accepted the challenge under the guidance of Vincent Lavell, Head of Fine Arts and Stephen Hitchen at Wirral Metropolitan College. In keeping the remit as simple as possible, we did not ask for the trophies to exactly match a specific category or theme, but to produce a modern art sculpture utilising industrial materials.

The material used in the trophies for 2013 is Jesmonite. We hope to run a follow-on piece on this in the next newsletter.

It was a great opportunity for the students to work to a commission specification and to a defined budget. Our thanks for producing a diverse set of awards go to: (see photo opposite) We wish them the every success with their studies.

We would also like to give special thanks to Solvay Interox Ltd who sponsored the award trophies

From left to right: Rebecca Murray, Bill Fletcher, Andrew Coady, Helen Howard. (Andrew Coady is an ex-fellowship student.)

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Chemicals Northwest Awards 2013

Sebastian Mariner (Kelly Services), Martin Morlidge (STFC), Charlotte Thompson (STFC), Mark Edmondson (Host)

Tim Hughes (William Blythe), Peter Hannah (Hertel)

Collective awards winners

The awards featured nine categories which were designed to showcase the world-class chemical and service companies in the region and fly the flag for the industry and the talent in the UK. The winner of the Business Improvement Partner award sponsored by Chemical Industries Association was PICME. The judges said “there were many examples in the entry from PICME for this award that collectively, illustrated successes in helping their customers achieve operational success. Much of this is now embedded in the company’s “Clear Advantage” programme designed to deliver improvements through engagement of all people within the client organisation.”

“We are really pleased to have won and over-the-moon about the way the North West is massively progressing in the Chemical Industry. It is great to have third party recognition for the work we do daily for our clients” Jason Barclay, picme The Chemical Services Provider award sponsored by Kelly Services was awarded to STFC-ITAC. The judges commented that “the provision of ‘state of the art’ chemical technology and equipment, in particular to start-up companies made STFC-ITAC stand out as our choice for this award. The unique range of services is also proving to be a major attraction for investment in the UK by overseas businesses.”

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“We are ecstatic to be a winner for the second consecutive year of the Chemicals Northwest Awards and we believe that this helps to cement our place in trying to support the Chemical Industry in the North West and provide access to word-leading utilities, expertise and equipment.”

Martin Morlidge, STFC Innovations Technology Access Centre The winner of Engineering Business of the Year award sponsored by William Blythe went to Hertel UK. The judging panel said “Hertel UK is a small business with such a dedicated growth strategy based on the needs of the local chemical industry. Purposebuilt engineering facilities and national recognition of their dedication to developing and employing engineering apprenticeships gave them the edge in this very competitive category.”

“It is absolutely fantastic to win this award, we’re so pleased. It is huge achievement as a company and tonight is a huge achievement for all of those in the North West.”

Peter Hannah, Hertel UK

The Health Safety & Environment award sponsored by Link Associates International was awarded to FMC Chemicals. The judges commented “An amazing journey of continual improvement in health, safety and environment performance made this entry outstanding. Success centred on FMC Chemicals’ major commitment to employee engagement which has delivered significant positive results in reducing incidents and making the business more sustainable.”

“We see the Health, Safety & Environment Award and Operational Excellence as closely linked and it is an honour to win on behalf of everyone at FMC Chemical Ltd. It is our commitment to improvement which makes this possible.”

Stephen Lewis, FMC Chemicals Ltd

The winner of the Innovation award sponsored by ABB Consulting was Syntor Fine Chemicals Ltd. “Congratulations were in order; this was a tough category with a large number of very high quality entrants.” The judges were particularly impressed with “The collaborative research activity involving our universities and the construction of multi-product, scale-up facilities. Syntor’s technology has enabled highly efficient

Chemicals Northwest Awards 2013

Stephen James (Link Associates), James Birch (FMC Chemicals), Stephen Lewis (FMC Chemicals)

Claire Haycock (ABB Consulting), Simon Knowles (Syntor), Andy Freer (Syntor)

Clive Drinkwater (UKTI), Rob Garrett (Ames Goldsmith), Larry Mcghee (Ames Goldsmith)

Steve Bennett (Wickland Westcott), Rowena Sellens (Lucite), Simon Davies (Lucite)

Sean McDonagh (Siemens), James Birch (FMC Chemicals), Stephen Lewis (FMC Chemicals)

Martin Hold (HTS Engineering), Mark Sullivan (Solvay)

coating of components in technical downstream sectors such as automotive and aerospace, with a much reduced impact on the environment.”

into exporting and can show clear signs of growth.

Chemicals’ manufacturing process, along with more traditional techniques for improving manufacturing excellence, has led to substantial improvements in equipment effectiveness and vessel occupancy levels. So much so, that the Bromborough site now plays a greater strategic role in corporate manufacturing planning.”

“Syntor are delighted to receive the Innovation award in 2013. The awards panel recognises Innovators within the Chemicals industry, and appreciates the importance of innovation in a changing marketplace. The region has a strong identity and reputation internationally for manufacturing and innovation, and Syntor would like to further enhance the reputation of the North West Chemicals industry as we expand into new markets.

We believe UK manufacturing can compete internationally, and we are currently seeking to expand our UK capabilities. Our success and growth is attributed to our teamwork, flexibility and focus on innovation and launching new products.”

Andrew Freer, Syntor The judging panel also believed that the Bouygues UK entry to this category was also worthy of a special commendation.

“Recognition has been given to the innovative combination of several ‘state of the art’ chemical processes that should see the development of a new bio-refinery technology come to fruition.”

The International Trade award which was supported by UKTI was won by Ames Goldsmith. The judges agreed that the Ames Goldsmith approach to exporting fitted the profile of newer, smaller UK businesses that seek to go

“We are thrilled to win the International Trade Award and believe it shows that commitment of the workforce and investing in Environmental Health and Safety brings its rewards when trying to grow the business internationally.

Larry McGee, Ames Goldsmith UK Ltd The winner of the Manufacturing Business of the Year which was sponsored by Wickland Westcott went to Lucite International. The judges noted “That in improving production performance through reduced unit fixed costs, process efficiency and overall productivity, Lucite International had clearly demonstrated why they won this year’s award. Coupled with employee buy-in to a comprehensive ‘downturn plan’, such success in manufacturing operations has led to a more sustainable business.”

“We are very pleased to win the award as it shows recognition for everyone on site for the tremendous contribution over the past year to achieve fantastic manufacturing performance.”

Simon Davis, Lucite International Operational Excellence sponsored

by Siemens was the next award of the evening and was won by FMC Chemicals. The judges commented that “Close management of ‘pinch points’ and bottlenecks in the FMC

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The Young Achiever Award sponsored

by HTS Engineering Group Ltd went to Mark Sullivan from Solvay. The judges were impressed with the positive contribution made to the business though a focused approach to processbased, project management. This is in addition to the external representations Mark regularly undertakes for the good of science education and his profession.

“It is a real honour and a pleasure to win this award this evening.Two of my colleagues were also nominated so I am extremely proud.”

Mark Sullivan, Solvay

We wish to thank all of our entrants for the awards, plus our sponsors and guests who attended the event. You have helped to make the 2013 awards dinner another outstanding success.

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Chemicals Northwest Awards 2013

To find out more please come along to our “Showcase of Good Practice� event featuring our award winners and some of the Innovation entrants. On 28th November at the Heath Business park, Runcorn - www.chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk/events

We would also like to take this opportunity to once again thank our sponsors of the event.

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WARRANT GROUP

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Warrant Group offers Isotank service During 2013 Warrant Group broadened its chemical supply chain services as part of a new partnership with German based Leschaco Group.

The Port of Liverpool based supply chain specialist took over the operational and commercial operations of the Leschaco Group’s deep sea ISO tank container business in the UK during early 2013.

Warrant Group is widely known for its expertise in the packed cargo chemical sector and the new partnership enables it to build a strong presence in the liquid chemical sector.

actively promotes their joint capabilities to the UK’s liquid chemical sector.

Jarrad Bycroft, Export Director at Warrant Group, said: “Our partnership with the Leschaco Group offers both businesses the opportunity to grow market share in the liquid chemical supply chain sector of the UK.

The two companies are both members of Eurteam which is a strategic European alliance of supply chain specialists providing services solely to the chemical sector.

“For Warrant Group it’s a clear extension of our specialist chemical sector expertise and we will be talking widely with existing clients and potential new clients about the benefits of using our operations, expertise and in-depth knowledge.

Under the partnership Warrant Group handle all the operational import and export requirements of Leschaco’s customers within the UK but it also

Warrant Group is widely known for its innovative logistics which we believe will make us a very attractive proposition as we seek to broaden our services.”

THE RIGHT FORMULA FOR CHEMICAL SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS

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Our partnership with the Leschaco Group offers both businesses the opportunity to grow market share in the liquid chemical supply chain sector of the UK.

”

Warrant Group is one of the largest privately owned, supply chain management companies that designs, implements and delivers exact fit solutions on a global scale.

We are a founder member of Eurteam, a European Chemical Alliance, and with our collaborative partners we have created a dynamic network specialising in European and global supply chain solutions solely for the chemical sector.

Warrant Group has built up a loyal and diverse client portfolio each having different chemical sector complexities and a bespoke solutions requirement.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 0151 955 0670 OR EMAIL JARRAD.BYCROFT@WARRANT-GROUP.COM

WWW.WARRANT-GROUP.COM/CNW

92458_Warrant_Ad_180mmx130mm.indd 1

10/07/2012 15:21

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Chemicals Northwest Awards FEATURES

Chemicals Northwest award shows clear advantage of choosing picme as a business improvement partner programme, which is a structured, strategic approach to sustainable business improvement. The picme team are able to provide bespoke solutions by working together with their client’s Senior Management Team to define clear business improvement goals aligned to company financial targets; then develop a route map to implementation and achievement of those goals within appropriate timescales.

The programme comprises five clear steps: Strategy Development; Company Diagnostic; Strategy Deployment; Implementation; and Mentoring and Ongoing Review.

(L-R) Simon Marsh (CIA), Jason Barclay (picme) and Mark Edmundson (BBC)

Manchester-based picme have been instrumental in improving efficiency, productivity and profitability for chemical and processing companies ever since their formation in 2000. In fact their contributions towards business improvements have been instrumental in picme’s clients winning major industry awards, notably the CIA Manufacturing and Resource Award and Cogent Gold Standard Award. Now picme’s experience and expertise has been officially recognised in their own right, as winners of the Chemical Northwest Business Improvement Partner Award 2013. picme’s ability to deliver positive change and effective results within a short space of time was one of the deciding factors which impressed the judges. This is something which has been achieved through long term involvement with and understanding of the challenges faced by companies within the chemical arena coupled with picme’s ability to pinpoint business improvement opportunities through challenging the status quo. The improvement roadmaps picme put in place and their programme of mentoring, training and change management also ensure that the business improvement process continues to be successful into the future.

Another factor giving picme a unique advantage over their peers when working with the chemical and processing industries is that they are part of the Haden Freeman Group which also includes process safety experts, HFL

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Risk Services. picme can therefore work alongside HFL Risk Services in terms of developing and shaping approaches to process safety management, asset integrity, equipment reliability and human factors.

Examples of picme’s recent achievements include supporting a major UK film manufacturer to develop and deliver 7 figure cost reduction and 6 figure working capital improvement strategies; developing and driving a European supply chain optimisation project for a large global company; working with a major pharmaceutical company to develop and implement their approach to policy deployment and assist in their deployment of a Lean Management System; and engaging with a large multinational oil and gas company to support their corporate change programme.

All have been realised through the active engagement of employees at all levels of the organisation – starting at the top. As General Manager, Jason Barclay, comments. “It’s an increasingly competitive marketplace so companies need to be able to deliver more with less. This means making the current situation work harder and more effectively in every aspect of the organisation by developing and delivering a coherent performance improvement plan aligned directly to current and future business goals.”

The route to success is laid out in picme’s new Clear Advantage™

Indeed, clients have found that engaging picme as a strategic partner has led to greater company-wide efficiencies across the board, rather than in an isolated area. Barclay adds “Having the support of the board from the beginning has meant that budget has been more readily available and continuous improvement has been written into overall company policy with a greater degree of accountability throughout the organisation.” The result: far-reaching tangible improvements to productivity, which are achieved more rapidly and facilitated by employee engagement and clear direction.

For more information about Clear Advantage™ and detailed case studies, please contact picme on 0161 304 5909 or jbarclay@picme.org or visit www.picme.org

Chemicals Northwest Awards FEATURES

Capper shortlisted shortlisted Capper two Northwest Chemicals in two Northwest Awards!

Chemicals Awards!

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An integral part of your business...

Cheshire based Capper Group has been shortlisted in two categories – Business Improvement Partner and Chemical Services Provider - in the prestigious Northwest ChemicalsChemicals Northwest Awards 2013. This recognises its exceptional delivery of industrial service solutions to partners in the Industrial, Health, Public and Domestic sectors.

Capper Group is a ‘one stop’ supplier of site maintenance services, incorporating six divisions which include Industrial Services, High Pressure Water Jetting, Construction Services, Drain Cleansing, Vacuum Services and Training.

Their Emergency call-out teams react quickly and effectively to crises whilst their cost-effective, Pre-Planned Maintenance option provides a scheduled and preventative solution to expensive repairs and replacement.

Capper Group lends assistance on an ad-hoc, back-up service or contracted partner basis. The company works closely with clients to create and develop intelligent solutions, tailored to their specific, exacting and changing requirements and to their budgets. Projects range from one-off, small scale assistance (to clean up minor issues) through to the daily provision of a combination of services to manufacturing plants, including the supply of on-site rapid response teams.

The company’s success is due in large part to the dedication and professionalism of its employees, all of whom are encouraged to enrol on a multitude of NVQ courses (including Water Jetting, Team Leading and Fork Lift Truck usage), apprenticeships and other training schemes.

John Fielding, Managing Director of Capper Group says,

“

We are committed to training everyone on our team as it equips them with the skills and knowledge required to meet industry standards, builds confidence and empowers them to deliver excellent customer service and to drive the company forward.

We offer two types of support – Emergency and Pre-Planned. Our Emergency call-out teams react quickly and effectively to crises whilst our tailored and cost-effective Pre-Planned option delivers a scheduled and preventative solution to expensive repairs and replacement.

Capper Group delivers exceptional service solutions to partners in the Industrial, Manufacturing, Health, Public and Domestic sectors.

Why choose Capper Group: Tailored and intelligent solutions Work to budgets and stringent time scales Experience, expertise and resources Superior client partnerships Accredited by major industry bodies Operations include: High Pressure Water Jetting Drain Cleansing Vacuum Services

“

This commitment was rewarded when the company won Cheshire West & Chester Employer of the Year, 2012.

Industrial Services

Capper Group also delivers professional training services to clients. With accreditations from ECITB to provide CCNSG Safety Passport courses and the Water Jetting Association to supply Water Jetting training, the quality of their learning programmes is assured. Designed to fit individual requirements, courses are conducted by experienced and knowledgeable instructors either on-site or at Capper’s training headquarters in Northwich. For more information on Capper Group’s services please telephone 01606 79118 or email info@cappergroup.com.

Construction Services

Training

Call: 01606 79118 www.cappergroup.com

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Chemicals Northwest Awards FEATURES

Driving innovation through cooperation FibrLec Limited recently identified the amazing work that was being carried out at The University of Bolton and felt we could successfully commercialise the products that were being developed at the IMRI. The University of Bolton based Institute for Materials Research and Innovation (IMRI), is a RAE 4 star rated unit that has been actively working in the area of industrially relevant smart materials and systems. The 4 star rating has helped IMRI build close cooperation with other world-class centres such as Universities of Manchester and Liverpool and FibrLec are integral in creating more collaboration.

While most of the IMRI’s R&D clients are based in the Northwest, it works in close collaboration with clients based across various EU countries, Japan and China. Through close collaboration with industry and long-term partnerships, IMRI has seen over the years many of its laboratory prototypes moving to the commercial world and FibrLec are playing a key role in the movement of the technology into the commercial arena.

In terms of knowledge dissemination, the University provides MSc degree programmes in Advanced Materials, Medical Devices and Renewable Energy. As a result of the successes of IMRI, FibrLec identified commercially viable patents and recently purchased them from the University.

One of the key aims for FibrLec is to drive innovation in the industry by working in close cooperation with centres of expertise in applied materials chemistry.

Working with the University, FibrLec is at the forefront of development of enabling materials & technologies for

low-cost renewable energy sources. In fact, FibrLec has developed a novel patented low cost technology for the continuous production of PVDF based highly flexible piezoelectric fibres which are capable of harvesting energy from movement generated by wind, rain and any other mechanical stimulus.

The production of continuous piezoelectric filament takes place on a customized melt spin extruder, which is able to produce piezoelectric structures in the form of monofilaments, multifilament and tapes. Moreover, FibrLec has recently developed a novel piezoelectric fabric structure that is capable of harnessing energy from the human movements. This fabric structure is another that has been developed in conjunction with Fibrlec Ltd.

FibrLec aim to help fund and develop products that can be commercially exploited with a goal to use finances raised to further support the research at the IMRI and University of Bolton students.

Furthermore, a novel low-cost technology has been developed to integrate the piezoelectric polymeric substrates to organic photovoltaic systems. The piezoelectric polymeric substrate and photovoltaic coatings are able to transform both mechanical energy (by using the piezoelectric part) and light energy (by using organic photovoltaic part) to provide enhanced functionality. This is the first time that an organic photovoltaic cell has been developed on a flexible piezoelectric structure to create a hybrid structure.

The hybrid films and fibers are flexible and can be incorporated in textiles for a wide variety of applications such as wearable sensors, smart floors, energy generating carpets, backpacks, tents, sails etc. In addition, an electronic circuitry was developed to harness the hybrid energy by incorporating smart grid technology for micro power generations and relevant application.

The new technology will enable new cost effective modes of energy harvesting and provide high added value opportunities for the supply of chemicals and materials into diverse industry applications.

Contact: Jamie MacGregor MBA Managing Director T: 01204 900555 M: 07724 298696 E: Jamie@Fibrlec.co.uk www.Fibrlec.co.uk

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Chemicals Northwest Awards FEATURES

Speciality technical hoses Elaflex Ltd are based in Hoddesdon, Herts. We are a technical company producing and supplying lightweight rubber hoses, expansion joints, nozzles and dry disconnect couplings (Mann Tek). Our products have some unique design features and are used worldwide.

We are specified by many organisations as preferred supplier. Our ZVA nozzles and hoses are the industry standard on petrolstations and our aviation hoses are used on most airports. Our HQ is in Hamburg with global distribution.

white lining of Teflon® PTFE and meets the FDA requirements for extractable compounds. The other is Type EPHOHM with a black EPDM cover and black lining, electrically conductive.

The seamlessly smooth liner of the type “ohm” comply with DIN 26055-3 type B and consists of electrically conductive black Teflon®. It is suitable for use in Ex zones 0 and 1.

The primary requirement was the need for a “clean hose” for handling highest purity media where no entrapment or contamination would occur which could compromise the customer‘s production.

The hose assemblies are of a seamless, smooth bore extruded construction with an FDA approved liner made of DuPont Teflon® PTFE.

For this hose we introduced new manufacturing methods where the liners are homogeneously and evenly bonded to the rubber structure made of EPDM, with a highly tear-resistant and temperature-resistant Aramid braid, as well as a stainless steel wire helix.

Together, these individual components provide a particularly excellent combination of flexibility, kink resistance and resistance to pressure and vacuum.

In making the investment to develop this hose we identified a clear requirement to provide industry with a lightweight and concentric flexible rubber hose assembly, available in any lengths up to 40 mtrs on demand.

We produce two different versions of the ELAPHARM® hose. One has a blue EPDM cover described as Type EPH and is non-electrically conductive ad1.pdf 23/09/2013 11:40:16 with a

Some of the technical challenges we had to consider were the complexity of binding the hose construction with the lining given the nature of their

We are delighted to be involved in Chemicals Northwest and honoured to have our ELAPHARM® hose shortlisted as a finalist under the Innovative product group.

different material technical properties.

The homogenous hose construction of the rubber is unique whereby all the layers including the lining are permanently bonded to each other and where the liner is “flared” over the end connections with no “dead” space. This was achieved through vulcanisation, binding the components together, making the assembly with our unique crimped, screwed or clamp type fittings compatible with the industry they serve to eliminate “dead space” and to prevent any product entrapment.

The temperature range depending, on the media, lies between -30°C and +140°C with pressures between 0.9 bar (vacuum) and 16 bar. The inherent non-stick effect of the fluoroplastic inner lining enables low cleaning effort even with high viscosity media. This and media change can enable significant operator cost savings. Importantly you can have the hose when you want it.

Please contact us for more information or let us know how we may assist you. www.elaflex.co.uk sales@elaflex.co.uk 01992 452950

You innovate, we protect C

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From the smallest inventive step to the largest commercial leap we are here to defend and secure your intellectual property rights.

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CM

MY

CY

CMY

Our team of experienced patent and trade mark attorneys is continuously seeking to form new relationships with innovators whose ideas and technologies will shape the future of the chemicals industry and the world in which we live.

If you are looking for guidance from an experienced intellectual property attorney who understands the chemicals sector and the particular challenges you face, please call us today for a friendly and informal chat.

K

Aimee Cawley +44 (0)161 233 5800 acawley@marks-clerk.com 1 New York Street Manchester M1 4HD

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2013 – 2014

hazardexonthenet.net

Protecting Plant, Process & Personnel HazardEx 2014 Runcorn, Cheshire 26th & 27th February 2014 Conference, Exhibition & Awards Attend to hear from the HSE, UKPIA plus many more very influential speakers to hear the latest information regarding safe operation in hazardous areas across the globe. Subjects covered will include international legislation, functional safety, SIL’s, risk assessment, asset management and maintenance.

Attendees will be engineers from the major process industries to include Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Energy & Utilities etc. Essentially anywhere dust, vapour or gas can become an explosion risk hazard.

To complement the two day conference (fee required, contact us for details), there will be a specialist exhibition alongside it with free access, offering a range of products & services to all visitors.

Sponsored by:

Contact Russell Goater on +44 (0)1732 359990 or email russell.goater@imlgroup. co.uk for details of attending as a delegate, speaking, sponsoring or exhibiting.

Delegate & stand bookings now being taken – contact us now to secure your places!

CY PARTNERS

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5 year anniversary marked by expansion into North West Northern based recruitment firm CY Partners, which specialises in Scientific, Technology and Engineering recruitment is celebrating its five-year anniversary.

It is currently expanding its team, with consultants focusing on the North-West region, along with the addition of a senior level recruitment arm to the business.

level division is being spearheaded by Michael Hutchins and we are seeing great success already.”

The expansion comes after securing a number of additional regional and national clients with sites in the NorthWest as well as seeing increased demand for senior- and directorlevel roles. Dan Younger, owner and consultant at CY Partners said: “We have a great team of recruiters with years of experience between them. Following our ongoing success, we are very excited about the opportunities offered in the North-West.

Established in 2008, CY Partners is independently owned by Daniel Younger and Probier Chatterjee who have over 20 years’ experience of industry specific recruitment. Since its inception, it has experienced significant growth on a national level.

“We are also delighted that we are now in a position to be able to place outstanding candidates into high-profile roles with a specific arm dedicated to that side of the business. The director

Aiming to double its workforce by the end of this year, the company is now embarking on an aggressive recruitment campaign of its own due to this increased demand.

The team works with companies to find suitable candidates for specialist roles and operates within the pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Chemical, Technology, FMCG, oil and gas and engineering sectors.

For more info please visit: www.cypartners.co.uk Twitter: @CYPartners

www.cypartners.co.uk

Probier Chatterjee, and Dan Younger, Directors, CY Partners

0191 477 4733

info@cypartners.co.uk

science, engineering & technology recruitment

Talent spotters, head-hunters, specialist consultants, executive researchers At CY Partners we don’t do clichés.

We do results.

Operating for over 25 years, our dynamic and experienced recruitment team provides dedicated, focused and quality staffing solutions to the scientific, engineering & technology community.

Why not contact us and make CY your recruitment partner? No clichés allowed.

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SOLVAY

150 Years of history on which to build the future In 2013 Solvay celebrates its 150th anniversary and is committed to sustainable development, to ensure its products benefit society whilst protecting the environment. The Group is headquartered in Brussels and has more than 29,000 employees world-wide.

Its corporate UK sites currently manufacture : Solvay Warrington – Hydrogen Peroxide & Sodium Percarbonate Solvay Lostock – Precipitated Calcium Carbonate Solvay Novecare Oldbury – Phosphorus-based Intermediates Solvay Novecare Halifax – Surfactants & Biocides

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The company was created in 1863 by Belgian scientist Ernest Solvay, and rapidly grew into one of the world’s largest multinational chemical companies. In 1911, he organised and funded the first Solvay Physics Council in Brussels (pictured above, Ernest seated 3rd from left); a unique and historical gathering of some of the most brilliant scientific minds in the world, amongst them Albert Einstein and Marie Curie.

Celebrating the past, whilst focusing on the present and the future, is an overarching message and it’s in this spirit that Solvay also holds the promise of 150 years to come! www.solarimpulse.com

www.solvay.com

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Education/Training

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Chemistry Specialist wins National Award for Innovation and Skills

(L-R) Joanna Woolf (Chief Executive Officer, COGENT), Tim Hughes (MD, William Blythe Ltd) and Steve Elliott (Chief Executive, Chemical Industries Association)

William Blythe, the inorganic chemistry specialist based in Church, Accrington has recently been named by the Chemical Industries Association as the winner of a prestigious national award.

The Gold Standard Skills Award sponsored by COGENT and the National Skills Academy for the Process Industries recognises the employer who has done the most to contribute to the acquisition of skills by the company’s workforce.

Tim Hughes, Managing Director, comments “There are exciting times ahead for this company. We are continuing to experience considerable global growth and success and this is as a result of the talent and commitment of our workforce. We have continued to adapt our business in line with the changing needs of our customers”.

As the business continues to evolve,

new branding and collateral has been launched to more accurately reflect the capabilities and services that William Blythe now offers to clients.

As part of the on-going commitment to innovation and development, new analytical and development laboratories have been set-up, along with pilot plant and quality control facilities to support new product development, test marketing and scale up.

manufacturing a range of speciality inorganic chemicals.

For more information, visit www.williamblythe.com and www.cia.org.uk/Newsroom/ PressReleases/PressRelease/ tabid/114/pwnid/151/Default.aspx

With an overarching focus on safety and quality, William Blythe continues to operate a top tier COMAH (Control of Major Accident and Hazards) (Seveso II), IPPC site & holds ISO9001 status,

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www.skillsstore.com

Sa Fe Ty COGENT

SKILLS

STORE

The winning formula to help you go for gold The Cogent Skills Store is now live and oers Gold Standard training covering technical competence, health & safety, business improvement and functional & behavioural skills. To claim your free Manual Handling e-learning module visit www.skillsstore.com

Perry process equipment

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Perry Process Equipment Ltd inspires the next generation

Perry Process Equipment understands that the next generation of scientists and engineers are very important, so every year groups of school children are invited to their site to conduct experiments. Rather than children aspiring to become the next One Direction or Mila Kunis, Perry believe that we need young aspiring Marie Curie, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Michael Levitt wannabes.

The company, who has been buying and selling used process equipment since 1932, invited a local group of school children to their site in October 2013. Supporting the CIEC programme headed by Jenny Harvey, in association with University of York, St Bedes School in Darlington were guests at their Newton Aycliffe site for the day.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Perry has invited school groups to its site.

The Year 4 children met Darren Bentham, Managing Director, Sales Managers and Engineers of Perry Process and they were shown the structure of their business.

They took part in process experiments using equipment and were advised how the equipment is used in manufacturing and production sites across the globe.

The children have been studying science in the classroom but their visit to Perry Process enabled them to see how the experiments they perform translate into real-world applications. For example, the children were shown how a Centrifuge separates suspended material from the mediums they are mixed with. It was explained to the children that this separation process is done by spinning closed containers of the mixture very quickly around a fixed, central point, then as the centrifugal force generated by this motion forces the denser material in the suspension against the walls of the container, it effectively separates it from the solution.

These devices are used to separate

solids from fluid suspension mediums.

Richard Driver, Sales Manager, who has been working for the Perry Group for over 25 years, poured a container of dirty water into a Centrifuge to show the children that the machine can separate the water and dirt.

By making their day fun and informative the Perry team hope they have inspired the youth of today to consider a future career in science and engineering.

Subsequent to this, one of the attendees stated, “I really enjoyed looking at the mixing machine and finding out what the filtration machine is used for. I have spun a bucket full of water around several times without getting wet, although a boot full of water doesn’t work quite the same.”

Perry Process Equipment Ltd considers training to be an important factor for their staff to progress. Perry Process has employed two international undergraduates, from Germany and Turkey, as interns over the summer period this year and regularly offers work experience to local secondary school children, giving them valuable experience within the chemical industry. The company employs and trains apprentices and by virtue of this Perry Process won the “Employer of the Year 2012” award from S&D Training.

Perry also regularly source equipment for Colleges and Universities. This year, Durham University and Hartlepool

College purchased equipment from Perry, which they use for educating and training the next generation. Perry understands that the success of its business depends on having a good training program for its employees.

Everyone is encouraged to partake.

All engineering and warehousing staff have completed recognised national qualifications, so that their standard of service to its customers is maintained at a high standard.

Perry is in the process of expanding onsite facilities, including an additional warehouse and the expansion and renovation of their workshop. In the meantime, they have had to lease another warehouse facility to accommodate a vast amount of acquired equipment. Darren Bentham, Managing Director said, “Perry Process is committed to developing and investing in the next generation. Once the UK site expansion project is complete, we hope to create new jobs and continue to train more young apprentices in the future.”

More information about Perry Process Equipment Ltd can be found on its website – www.perryprocess.co.uk – or by calling 01325 315 111.

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TT E T R A I N I N G APPRENTICESHIPS WHY CHOOSE TTE? TTE was established in 1990 and has since grown to become one of the North West’s leading providers of Specialised and Broad-Based Apprenticeships; focused on whole person development.

Awarded a Grade 1 – Outstanding by the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) and a 5 Star Health and Safety record from the British Safety Council; TTE pride themselves on delivering first class training to help bridge the skill gap within the Petroleum and Chemical industries.

TTE strives “to be best in class in all areas of endeavour” and aims to provide an outstanding environment for learning. The learning environment will be one which is welcoming, safe and inspiring. It will be appropriate to the subjects and responsive to the needs of the learner. Suitably equipped, resourced and well managed, it will visibly promote equality and diversity, widen accessibility to learning and the learner environment and celebrate learner success.

HOW DO WE COMPARE? TTE also provide an up to date and comprehensive information, advice and guidance on a wealth of education and employment opportunities for school leavers and adult learners. Staff are dedicated to providing a first-rate and confidential facility to all clients and learners offering impartial information, advice and guidance. We work in close partnership with a number of key feeder schools and local industry, not only to produce tomorrow’s engineers but also to develop, guide and map out the pathway of the region’s learners and thus aid in their future success and development.

TTE actively work to ensure that all clients and learners are given equal access to our service. We approach individuals, schools, businesses etc, without prejudice or agenda. TTE recruitment closely monitor their activity to ensure ethnicity, gender, age and disability are managed in an equal and fair manner.

TTE’s success rates are in excess of 90% for Apprenticeships and Train to Gain and are well above the national average both in sector and against other apprenticeships.

TTE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME TTE is highly focused on a person centred development programme for its Learners. As part of their training at TTE, learners will be engaged in many team building activities at Brathay in the Lake District. Here they will take part in a series of challenging indoor and outdoor activities designed to give them the chance to learn more about themselves and how they work - on their own and in a team. The objectives of the course are primarily to explore areas of communication and recognise what is useful. Learners will also practice step-by-step approaches to problem solving and develop teamwork skills. It is also important that they learn to understand how what they do and say impacts on those around them and appreciate that others work in different ways and need different things to help them work and learn. This will help them to grow in self-confidence, build interpersonal relationships and take responsibility for their own learning. In addition to this they will learn how to take responsibility for working safely in a high-risk environment and how to understand the link between ‘doing’ and ‘learning.’ The skills learnt through TTE’s Personal Development Programme are invaluable and will equip them to deal with a variety of situations and challenges, both at home and in the workplace.

COMMERCIAL TRAINING TTE is not only committed and dedicated to training tomorrow’s engineers but also boasts an outstanding commercial delivery team. Whether you are looking to up skill or cross skill, TTE offer more than 150 different training programmes specialising in Health & Safety, NVQ Programmes, Engineering Skills and Management & Leadership which can be tailored to your specific requirements

For all enquiries please ring 0151 357 6100 or visit

www.tteltd.co.uk

TTE TRAINING

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Awarded a Grade 1 Outstanding by ALI (The Adult Learning Inspectorate) and a 5 Star Health and Safety record from the British Safety Council; TTE Pride themselves on delivering first class training to help bridge the skill gap within the Petroleum and Chemical industries.

One of our areas of specialism is CompEx Training (Competency in Explosive atmospheres). CompEx is the global solution for Competency Validation and Certification for both electro technical and mechanical craftsperson’s working in explosive atmospheres. EU Legislation ATEX & DSEAR now makes it mandatory for all personnel working in potentially explosive atmospheres to be adequately trained and deemed competent. DSEAR and ATEX are abbreviations for The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) and Explosive Atmospheres Directives 99/92/EC (ATEX 137) and 94/9/EC (ATEX 100) which are enforced by the HSE and Local Authorities, Fire brigades and Petroleum Licensing Authorities. Potentially explosive atmospheres occur in onshore and offshore petrochemical plants and refining plants.

They are also found in distilleries, paint spraying plants, flourmills, woodworking machine plants, the water industry and petrol and fuel forecourt environments.

Failure to ensure safe working practices in these circumstances could result in the ignition of explosive gases or even dust clouds leading to injury or even fatalities.

Since its inception CompEx has certificated over 30,000 candidates. The IEC Standards are at the heart of all CompEx delivery to ensure international conformity and harmonisation of safe working practices.

TTE provide specialist training and assessment services for engineers working in hazardous and industrial environments.

We advise, assess and provide training for organisations to meet with National, International and European Standards and Directives.

We are UKAS accredited and an approved JTL CompEx Assessment Centre. We offer nationally recognised courses as directed by EEMUA to electrical and instrumentation technicians and mechanical craftspersons.

The following Hazardous Area Courses are available at our purpose built training facility:

Ex F Foundation Training CompEx Training CompEx Refresher Training CompEx Mechanical Training TTE also offer specialist accredited training or bespoke courses to meet your needs: Here are some of what we offer:

Instrumentation Changing Instrument Devices Control Valves Dissolved Oxygen Measurement Instrument Appreciation Instrument Fault Investigation Instrument Identification Instrument Pipework Loop PreCommissioning Pneumatic Actuators Pressure Gauges & Switches Process Alarms Process Transmitters Removal & Replacement Lifting and Access MEWPS Safe Use of Ladders Lifting & Rigging Slinger/Signaller Mobile Scaffolding Safe Work at Height

Mechanical Abrasive Wheel Regulations Basic Drawing Techniques Basic Workshop Bearings Belts & Drives Condition Monitoring Couplings and Bearings Making & Breaking of Flanges Guards and Guarding Joints & Jointing Laser Alignment Lubrication Mechanical Seals Pipework Pressure Testing Pumps & Pumping Safe Use of Hand Tools Safety Relief Devices Shaft Alignment Temporary Repairs Vessel Isolation Process Chemical Reaction Distillation Engineering Process Costing Evaporation Filtration Gas Absorption Heat Transfer Welding Advanced Mig Advanced Tig Basic MMA Welding Burning Introduction to MIG Introduction to TIG Oxy-Acetylene Health Oxy-Acetylene Cutting Plasma Cutting Practical Maintenance Welding Supervisors Welding Tig Welding Refresher

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Professional recognition for technicians and technical scientists The Royal Society of Chemistry is awarding two new designations to create a framework for professional recognition of technicians and scientists across the science workforce.

Registered Science Technician (RSciTech) awarded to those working in technical roles.

Registered Scientist (RSci) awarded to those working in scientific and higher technical roles.

Candidates can meet the requirements through a combination of existing qualifications, workbased learning and continuing professional development (CPD) activities.

Registers awarded under licence from the Science Council.

Visit the website to find out how these new registers support technicians and scientists to achieve professional recognition.

www.rsc.org/rsci-rscitech Registered charity number 207890

THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY

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Recognition for technical skills How we support technical scientists through awarding the RSci and RSciTech designations In April 2012 the Royal Society of Chemistry was granted a pilot licence from the Science Council to award the designations Registered Science Technician (RSciTech) and Registered Scientist (RSci). Registered Science Technician is aimed towards a competent science technician with a Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) Level 3 qualification or equivalent (e.g. A-Levels, BTEC National Diploma, NVQ Level 3) and sufficient professional experience. However, the qualification requirement isn’t definitive, as the competency standards can be met through a combination of qualifications, work-based training and professional development. The Registered Scientist designation is aimed towards technical scientists with qualifications ranging from a Higher National Certificate (HNC) through to a masters degree and, again, have sufficient professional experience to meet the competency requirements.

These registers provide recognition to technicians and scientists that have gained valuable technical expertise and also provide a career progression framework for individuals aspiring to obtain chartered status (Chartered Chemist (CChem) and Chartered Scientist (CSci).

The two new registers have been integrated into our membership framework. Becoming a Registered Scientist now offers an alternative route to becoming an Associate Member (AMRSC). Individuals that do not necessarily meet the academic requirements for automatic eligibility for this membership category can now become an Associate Member through recognition of their technical expertise, by successfully applying to become a Registered Scientist. The pilot licence granted by the Science Council was valid for one year, at the end of which our activities and strategies were reviewed to assess whether it should be upgraded to a full licence. The assessment panel visited us in June 2013 and were pleased to see many success stories from the pilot year: n We undertook a six-month long

research project between March and September 2012 to assess the

current provision for technicians and technical scientists working within the chemical sciences. This research really strengthened our position within this area of interest and has since informed other reports and seminars. n In February 2013 we organised a

technician conference at Newcastle University in collaboration with several other professional bodies who held a pilot licence. The conference was attended by over 120 technicians from all science disciplines. n We have accredited company

training for many years but through these new registers there was an opportunity to expand this accreditation portfolio to include apprenticeships. In April 2013 we successfully accredited the apprenticeship scheme at LGC Group, which is delivered in collaboration with the training provider CSR Group. In the same month a graduation ceremony was held for 20 apprentices who had completed the scheme and became Registered Science Technicians. n The RSC Chemistry Technician of

the Year Award provides further recognition to individuals performing to an exceptionally high level within the technical support field. There are three winning categories: education and further education, higher education and research, and industry.

n The assessment panel saw real value

in our on-going work to compile a database of scientific qualifications that are recognised as leading to professional registration.

Overall, the panel were very pleased with our activities and recommended that the pilot licence is upgraded to a full one.

Those looking to become either a Registered Science Technician or a Registered Scientist can obtain relevant information, forms and guidelines on our website (www.rsc.org/rsci-rscitech).

There are five areas of competency: application of knowledge and understanding, personal responsibility, interpersonal skills, professional practice, and professional standards.

Applicants are expected to evidence all the competencies in each section with real examples of how they have met the competency. A mentor guides the applicant and adds supportive comments and the form is then submitted to us. Each application goes through a peer review process so a response usually takes 2-6 weeks.

For further information please contact registers@rsc.org.

By Steve Ward Professional Accreditation Specialist, Royal Society of Chemistry

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Education/Training

World renowned research at Bolton The University of Bolton champions world-class research for advanced materials and novel system engineering. Both the Institute of Materials Research and Innovation (IMRI) and Institute for Renewable Energy and Environmental Technologies (IREET), are world renowned multi-disciplinary research centres, which have extensive international outreach in collaboration with leading academic institutions and industries.

IREET focuses on sustainable technological solutions for renewable energy generation and clean/hygienic environment, with its research activities covering various renewable energy systems, novel materials with designer formulation and functionalities (with particular interest in nanomaterials, functional thin films, large-area photonics), and applied technologies for innovative industrial exploitation. www.bolton.ac.uk/IREET/Home.aspx IMRI is internationally known for its strong applied materials science and engineering applications through the development of novel smart and multifunctional materials (fibers, fabrics, films, foams and particles, biomedical devices, fire materials and technical textiles) at nano and micro levels, as well as associated processing technologies that strive to contribute to futuristic solutions and new horizons within the global marketplace. www.bolton.ac.uk/IMRI/Home.aspx The research centres also provide unique MSc Programmes spanning Advanced Materials, Medical Devices and in Renewable Energy and Environmental Technologies via oncampus delivery and international collaboration (Applications forms: www.bolton.ac.uk/Postgraduate/HowToApply/ TaughtMastersDegree.aspx). Additional English training is available for international students whose English score is lower than the UKBA requirement. http://courses.bolton.ac.uk/Details/Index/1743

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ELEMENTS AUTUMN 2013

Research students can choose from a wide range of programmes uniquely designed to suit both full- and part-time studies, which can be carried out on- or off-campus via the following path-ways (Applications forms: www.bolton.ac.uk/ Quality/QAEContents/ResearchDegreesAndStudents/ CandidatesSupsProformas.aspx n PhD via MPhil n MPhil by innovation n PhD by published works n PhD study based overseas

Contact: Donna Zarei: D.zarei@bolton.ac.uk Tel 01204 903101

IChemE conferences The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) stages a comprehensive conference programme, sharing latest thinking and best practice in the chemical and process industries.

Keep up-to-date with the latest developments in your field and network with like-minded professionals at our forthcoming events.

Sustainable Oil and Gas 25–26 November 2013, Edinburgh, UK This new conference will focus on chemical engineering solutions for more sustainable hydrocarbon production and use in Europe. www.icheme.org/sog2013

New Horizons in Gasification 10–13 March 2014, Rotterdam, The Netherlands This event will provide a platform to promote the benefits of gasification, its application, the environmental and economic appeal, and new applications for this traditional technology against current challenges. www.icheme.org/gasification2014

Sustainable Nuclear Energy 9–11 April 2014, Manchester, UK Sustainable Nuclear Energy will bring together nuclear energy suppliers, academics and consumers to discuss the latest challenges and opportunities associated with the rising global energy demand. www.icheme.org/snec2014

Hazards 24 7–9 May 2014, Edinburgh, UK IChemE’s flagship process safety conference will provide a platform for current thinking and latest research on all aspects of chemical and process safety, alongside a trade exhibition of related products and services. www.icheme.org/hazards24

Sponsorship opportunities Use our conferences to raise your profile and promote your products and services to industry decision-makers.

We have sponsorship opportunities to suit every budget.

Contact conferences@icheme.org to discuss package details.

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Contact us: Email: conferences@icheme.org www.icheme.org/conferences Tel: +44 (0)1788 534431

ADVANCING CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WORLDWIDE

PROCESS SAFETY MANAGEMENT

Demonstrating process safety competence through achievement of nationally recognised qualifications

By Dr Julian Hought of HFL Risk Services

When budgets are allocated for training, you want to be sure that the investment you’re making pays for itself by adding value to the business, especially when most businesses are still feeling the sting of the recession. Vocational courses, therefore, which have a practical application in terms of saving the business money, making processes more efficient, improving safety standards and increasing profitability are arguably much better value for money than their academic counterparts.

In the chemical industry, where the potential for major accidents is high, it’s also vital that all employees can demonstrate competency in their given roles. Being qualified for a job is simply not the same as being competent in it. Training is, of course, an essential element in demonstrating competency, but without experience and practical application of those skills in real-life situations, competence cannot be assured.

The requirement to demonstrate aptitude and ability in one’s job is no longer restricted to those charged with the day-to-day running of the plant. It is now incumbent on board members and senior management to demonstrate organisational competence in Process Safety Management to the regulatory authorities.

When we undertook the UK’s first ever PSM benchmark of the chemical industry back in 2010 (supported by the CIA, HSE and NSAPI), analysis of the results revealed the dominant theme to be a lack of detail in high level policies relating to process safety. As a consequence, we launched our Continuous Improvement in Process Safety (CIProS) programme. This seeks to provide individuals with the skills and confidence needed to implement best practice principles in order to deliver sustainable process safety excellence.

CIProS qualification series As with any other programme, the success of CIProS relies on both underpinning knowledge and demonstration of competence, so we developed our three integrated Post Graduate qualifications – the Certificate in Understanding Continuous Improvement in Process Safety; and the Certificate in Leading Continuous Improvement in Process Safety, with completion of both leading to award of the Post Graduate Diploma in Continuous Improvement in Process Safety.

We’re proud of the fact that ours are the only nationally-recognised process safety qualifications of their kind in the UK. It’s testament to the hard work that has gone into developing the course content, which

has been compiled in accordance with the PSLG principles and associated research, with an emphasis on the ability to demonstrate the skills learned. This is achieved through a series of presentations, workshops, directed learning and application to the working environment. Assessment of competency is via professional discussion, Viva, Q & A sessions and work product.

The qualifications are awarded by PAA\VQ-SET and regulated by Ofqual and have been designed to meet the needs of employers and learners; the courses deliver skills and knowledge for the success of both the individual and the business; and they accurately reflect the skills needed to work effectively in specialised industries.

At the attainment of the Certificate in Understanding CIProS, senior management can be confident that they will have built upon their current knowledge of process safety and demonstrated a thorough understanding of the close links between process safety management and business profitability. They will also have applied this knowledge, including the importance of understanding hazards and risks and the use of process safety performance indicators, to inform policy for effective and sustainable process safety which is compliant with current regulations and aligned with overall business goals.

Demonstrating competency in the workplace By completing the Certificate in Leading CIProS, course attendees have demonstrated their ability as a process safety leader through the development and deployment of policies which take into consideration the wider process safety issues and include industry best practice.

Delegates will also have put appropriate monitoring procedures in place to modify and continually improve existing processes.

With over 25 years’ practical experience, regulatory compliance is just a starting point for our team of experts. We’re always questioning what more can be done to improve safety, and therefore profitability, of companies working within the high hazard industries. And as an NSAPI Centre of Excellence for Process Safety with an in-house business improvement team, we feel that no other company is better placed to provide training and guidance on Continuous Improvement in Process Safety Management to deliver the assurances you require.

For more information contact: HFL Risk Services Ltd, Freeman House, Oldham Street, Denton, Manchester M34 3SU. Tel: 0161 304 5902 Email: sgrindrod@hflrisk.com www.hflrisk.com

COMPLIANCE

RISK ASSESSMENT

RISK MANAGEMENT

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

QUALIFICATION SERIES

Bespoke qualifications that meet industry needs Train with HFL Risk Services for a nationally-recognised qualification in process safety – awarded by PAA\VQ-SET and regulated by Ofqual.

Level 7 Post Graduate Certificate in Understanding Continuous Improvement in Process Safety Providing a wider understanding of process safety for board members and senior management, you will examine current theories and methodologies together with their short and longer term implications for process safety. Wherever possible training is tailored to meet your organisation’s needs, with focused learning for individuals.

Level 7 Post Graduate Certificate in Leading Continuous Improvement in Process Safety This follow-up qualification builds on the theory, skills and practicalities required to become an effective process safety leader by concentrating on the demonstration, implementation and sustainability of process safety best practice.

Post Graduate Diploma in Continuous Improvement in Process Safety Awarded upon completion of the two certificates; you will have demonstrated your ability to effectively implement, deploy and review policies and procedures which foster a culture of continuous improvement in relation to process safety.

Train with the PSM experts Our experienced team have been providing expert solutions to the chemical industry for over 25 years. As well as being an NSAPI Centre of Excellence for Process Safety we undertook the UK chemical industry’s first ever PSM benchmark.

www.hflrisk.com

> Developed in response to industry research > Modular format for flexible learning > Bespoke training to meet your needs > Interactive seminars, workshops and tutorials

Why you need these qualifications > Supports alignment of Process Safety Management with business needs > Ensures a policy of continuous improvement for process safety throughout the organisation > Avoids reactive compliance by developing and sustaining proportionate solutions to safety issues > Enhances both individual and organisational competencies > Provides essential management training to support management of cross-functional technical teams > Fills the gap left by other qualifications > Positive influence on process safety culture > Training delivered to recognised standards

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WIRRAL METROPOLITAN COLLEGE

Wirral Met College’s new, industry standard workshops If you’re keen to progress a career in Science, take advantage of Wirral Met College’s brand new, industry standard workshops and laboratories at our Twelve Quays Campus.

For careers in chemistry, forensic or medical science, we have a wide range of Higher Education qualifications, helping you progress up the career ladder and gain promotions to more senior roles.

We have been delivering high quality, higher education programmes in science, meeting the needs of local industry for many years.

The Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Applied Chemistry programme covers chemical laboratory techniques (synthesis, spectroscopy, chromatography and titration) inorganic, organic and physical chemistry, as well as mathematical techniques set within context. We are able to deliver the full range of optional units which include analytical

chemistry, polymer chemistry, workbased investigation, quality assurance and quality control, polymer chemistry, medicinal chemistry, environmental science and management, fluid mechanics, employability skills and further topics in inorganic, organic and physical chemistry. Many students top up their Higher National Certificate (HNC) to a Higher National Diploma (HND).

Assessment is mainly by assignments which can be tailored specifically to your company; we are truly flexible in delivering training and assessment to accommodate shift patterns and organisational needs.

The new Higher Level Apprenticeship in Chemical Science is available at levels 4 and 5 – based on the HNC and HND in Chemical Science for Industry.

The content is the same as for Applied Chemistry, but the assessment focus is targeted more towards industrial applications and the core units are slightly different. Students on these

programmes gain a Higher Level Apprenticeship Certificate as well as the HNC/HND certificates.

Wirral Met College also delivers HNC/ HND in Applied Biology and Higher Level Apprenticeships in Life Sciences for students in medical science.

The College has successfully delivered degree courses in Chemistry for many years. In addition to our Higher National Diploma programmes, we currently run the Foundation Degree in Chemistry (two years full time/three years day release), which is validated by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). Our class sizes are small and the atmosphere is very supportive – an excellent way to achieve an academic qualification in a demanding subject!

Wirral Met College is a leading Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Centre for the North West of England. Our team of specialist tutors are experts in their fields and have substantial commercial experience gained within the chemistry industries.

You’ll gain expert tuition to help you develop your skills, experience and confidence in topics relevant to the workplace.

W I R R A L M E T R O P O L I TA N C O L L E G E

Keen to progress in a career in Science?

Take a look at Higher National Certificates (HNC) and Higher National Diplomas (HND) in Applied Chemistry, or Higher Apprenticeships.

Call 0151 551 7777 wmc.ac.uk/science

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ELEMENTS AUTUMN 2013

Better by Design – Sustainable Business and Chemical Engineering 26 November 2013, Redcar, UK Providing practical guidance on implementing sustainable design into your business processes.

There are huge opportunities for businesses within the chemical industries that develop an understanding of sustainable design.

Innovation is the key to future economic success, and by building sustainability thinking and practice into your activities, you will be better able to ensure future profitable growth, whilst also enhancing your reputation with stakeholders.

Based on Chemistry Innovation’s Sustainable Design Guide, our workshop examines the drivers, opportunities and benefits of sustainability thinking and practices.

It provides a structured approach to integrating sustainable design into your business processes, introducing key tools and resources including ‘CCalC’, a free-to-use Life Cycle Analysis package.

Find out more and register: www.icheme.org/susguide

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For the full range of training courses visit www.icheme.org/courses Contact us: Email: courses@icheme.org Tel: +44 (0)1788 534431

ADVANCING CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WORLDWIDE

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CEHTRA UK LIMITED

Make the most of your training budget Well-trained employees make a company more efficient; thus high quality training is a key business element.

For companies that depend heavily on their human resource, training courses can boost their business in a dramatic way resulting in improved profitability, by up-skilling their employees and possibly allowing the company to adapt and possibly to enter new markets. But, to be efficient, each training course must precisely target the needs of the company and be adapted to the level of expertise of the participants.

The chemical industry is constantly evolving and the need for training increases as a consequence. One of the key issues is regulatory compliance, which can severely affect a business if inappropriately managed. For example, the use of eSDS remains a source of questions for many companies: Is local exhaust ventilation mandatory for the mixing process in my plant? Do I have to use personal protective equipment for manual loading operations? These are the kind of eSDSrelated questions with which industry is confronted on a daily basis.

This is why, CEHTRA offers customised training courses on eSDS and chemical safety assessments to help corporations as well as SMEs to master basic regulatory and technical aspects of chemical safety assessment and to analyse eSDS in order to be able to comply with their requirements. Thanks to its multidisciplinary team of ~50 scientists, CEHTRA also offers training in many other fields of chemical safety, e.g. GHS/ CLP, REACH, industrial hygiene, PPP, biocidal and cosmetics regulations; plus human and environmental toxicity, etc.

Contact: Catherine.Seillier@cehtra.fr

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Maintain a competitive edge in managing your Regulatory Affairs

REACH: The Fundamentals Biocidal Products Regulation

Cosmetic Regulation: The Fundamentals

Environmental �������������� ����� ����������� Risk ������������������������������������ Assessment �������� � � ������ Occupational ��� �� ����� Exposure� �� ��� ������ �� Monitoring ���������� ������� On site Risk ����� Assessment

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Regulatory Toxicology �!"������� ��#����"�$�� Stay in line with constantly ���������� ��� Classification, ���� � �������������""��� evolving EU Chemical �������� ��� �� ����� Labelling & %�����&�'���� �� Safety Regulations ������� ������ ��� �����������(���)��� Packaging (CLP) ��� ����� �� ��������� ���&� '�� ��� �� Tailored training *�� � ��

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available on request

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PENTAGON CHEMICALS

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Skills Development Delivers Pentagon Chemicals views competency and training as key threads within the very fabric of its Business Principles. Consequently it spends significant time and effort in improving and maintaining the skillset of its personnel to the levels of excellence required to run and maintain processes with challenging chemistry in a challenging industry.

While competitive pressure builds, prior selling points such as project management, ISO certification and benefit sharing are all givens which are now offered by most companies.

However, Pentagon’s approach to training and development of its people offers other tangible benefits to both personnel and customers alike. This high standard of training prepares the company to handle ever larger and more complex projects in which the aim is always to provide fit-for-purpose products and world-class services to our global customer base.

training is backed up by external training providers as the need arises. The following model illustrates the flow of activities.

In order to achieve Job Competency there are a number of key areas which are embedded into the Pentagon culture

n Safety event reports

n Plant specific skills and knowledge n Process Safety Essentials for products n Emergency Preparedness n Continuous Improvement n Understanding HSE Competency

Management System Model n Business Improvement Techniques

Opportunities for learning and further training are gleaned from a number of sources. As well as meeting pre-defined levels of excellence as defined by the Cogent Gold Standard, every individual will have the opportunity to learn from issues which arise from daily operations or procedures including n Job-Specific Skills n Process Safety Dossiers n Non Conformance Reports n Near Miss Investigations n Audits

A teamwork approach to improvement projects, problem solving and the development of new ideas within the training activities is central to the achievement of the company’s targets & objectives. Individuals are encouraged to make their own personal contributions towards improving all that we do – everyone has a voice, everyone gets heard.

For the record…

The development of individual employee’s practical skills, personal abilities and expertise is actively encouraged through the provision of training and development opportunities for life-long learning. Unusually for the company’s size, Pentagon has a full time training assessor at each site who works with staff within the flexibility that the six shift system allows. This focused approach to training is matched by a commitment by the employees to achieve certain milestones in their careers before progressing to new processes or seniority levels. In house

Considering there are some 180 personnel, each with differing training demands, a large amount of training data is generated which must be gathered and maintained to ensure everyone is always up to date with the latest developments for each module completed. In order to achieve this Pentagon has developed its own inhouse Competence Database. This database keeps track of who is qualified to what standard and allows access to their training records to demonstrate the fact. This is a useful function for number of reasons, for example ensuring the right cover for an absent operator or demonstrating to a customer that the people handling their entrusted project are trained to the correct standards.

n Reduced Accidents and incidents n Reduction of recurring non-

conformances n Increased Audit Compliance n Reduction in costs n Improved morale n Increase in Overall Equipment

Effectiveness n Increase in Revenue n Increase in customer satisfaction

“The company recognizes the unique contributions its employees can make and is committed to providing equal opportunities to develop the potential of all its employees,” commented CEO Allan Laing, “There can be no doubt that the increased ability and flexibility of our employees has helped to contribute directly to the most successful period of trading in the company’s history to date.”

Is it working?

Undoubtedly. There are many metrics which can be used to assess the effectiveness of the training. Amongst those Pentagon has seen positive effects on are:

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The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology Short Course Calendar: 2013

SEP

26

25 – 27 March: Storage and

MAR Discharge of Powders and 26 September : Segregation, Degradation and Caking of Bulk Materials during Storage and Transport

OCT October 1 – 3: Overview

01

of Particulate Handling Technology; includes practical session

NOV

12

November 12 – 14: Pneumatic Conveying of Bulk Solids; includes practical session

DEC December 4 – 5: Biomass Handling, Feeding and Storage

04

2014

25

APR 29 - 30 April: Biomass

29

Handling, Feeding and Storage

MAY

22 May: Undesired De- blending and Separation in Processes and Equipment

JUN

3 June : Dust Explosions – how to demonstrate DSEAR/ATEX Compliance

22 03

JUL 15 – 16 July: Focus on

15

Pneumatic Conveying of Bulk Solids; includes practical session

FEB

18

18 – 19 February: Focus on Pellets: Handling, Storage and Feeding of Biomass Pellets

Waste: Handling, Storage and Feeding of Solid Waste Materials

OCT 21 – 23 October: Overview

21

of Particulate Handling Technology; includes practical session

NoV

4 – 5 November: Biomass Handling, Feeding and Storage

NOV

JAN 28 – 30 January:

28

Bulk Solids; includes practical session

04 25

25 – 27 November: Pneumatic Conveying of Bulk Solids; includes practical session

Providing cost effective solutions to industrial problems

The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology can offer clients the benefit of over 40 years of experience relating to the conveying, storage and discharge of powdered and granular materials. Industrial sectors within which we work range from pharmaceuticals to quarries – and in this respect a unique overview of the technologies and their appropriate application to processes can be drawn upon. The fact that we operate independently of equipment suppliers means that advice can be offered based a purely technical basis.

A diverse range of testing and direct consultancy services can be drawn upon to resolve issues such as unreliable powder flow, feed/dose variation, segregation, particle attrition, etc.

In some instances significant improvement can be obtained from changes in process operating parameters, however in other cases revision to

equipment may be required or replacement. In these situations the shear testing or pneumatic conveying facilities can bring certainty of reliable operation to processes and minimise risk during the procurement process.

Typical activities range from site visits to diagnose problems with material handling systems, equipment redesigns or full studies of process systems.

For more details please visit our website:

www.bulksolids.com Or Contact us at:

+44 20 8331 8646 wolfson-enquiries@gre.ac.uk We look forward to working with you!

Short Course Fees: one day: £445 two day: £695 three day: £1075 A discount of 5% is available for three or more delegates from one company attending the same course at the same time.

To make a on-line booking, please visit www.bulksolids.com

Laboratory and scale-up equipment Labtex supplies leading laboratory products including HUBER liquid temperature control systems, DIEHM glass reaction systems to 100 litres, PREMEX magnetic drives and high pressure autoclaves, POPE wiped film and short path evaporators, distillation systems, BOLA labware in PTFE and other technical plastics, PLANETROLL ATEX drive technology and ASECOS storage solutions for hazardous materials to BS EN 14470-1.

We specialise in scale up equipment for Process R & D in the chemical, pharmaceutical, defence, aerospace, biochemical and other industries.

In particular glass and steel reaction systems, distillation and evaporation techniques, liquid temperate control and hazardous material storage solutions.

We also offer a vast range of ‘general’ lab equipment in our 1400 page catalogue. In conjunction with LLG, the 3rd largest lab distributor in Europe, we can supply all your equipment needs.

Based in the North, we service the whole of the UK from our Headquarters in Huddersfield. With a team of sales professionals, highly competent administrative staff and trained service technicians you will find that talking to Labtex is a breath of fresh air.

To experience a fresh approach to problem solving please give us a call on 01484 600200 or visit www.labtex.co.uk

We pride ourselves on our customer service, quick response, accurate and informed advice and attention to detail.

Are you looking for a new challenge?

Technical Director Manchester, £60,000+ This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled individual to join a market leader within the petrochemical dyes and markers industry.

Our client is a well established and profitable family owned business looking for a Technical Director to provide direction and leadership to the company’s research and development, manufacturing and purchasing activities.

The successful candidate will be an accomplished R&D professional with experience in delivering the successful commercialisation of products in the chemicals industry. Experience of the ISO9000, REACH and HSE regulations is preferred.

Kelly Scientific Resources: 0161 839 2400 } ksr_manchester@kellyservices.co.uk 3rd Floor, St John’s House, 2-10 Queen Street, Manchester, M2 5JB kellyservices.co.uk

EASYFAIRS

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Famous names at Lab Innovations 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is bringing together leading technical experts and two of science’s most famous names, in a special free-to-attend conference at LAB INNOVATIONS on 6 &7 November 2013 at Birmingham’s NEC. The centre-piece of each day will be a keynote address. These are being given by two of the biggest names in science – world-famous fertility expert, Lord Professor Robert Winston plus Professor Andrea Sella, whose chemistry demonstrations have filled theatres around the world.

private Q&A roundtable discussion he is hosting during Lab Innovations.

On the first day of the conference Andrea Sella will explore how apparatus designers in some cases have changed the world, by revealing hidden structures that were previously invisible. Appropriately, for the scienceshowman, his talk will be illustrated with demonstrations.

Ben Crossley, Research Chemist at Yorkshire Process Technology will share its development of a reusable immobilized iridium catalyst.

The conference has a wealth of other expertise for attendees. For instance Dr David Neville, Technical Expert at RSSL Pharma will outline a multifaceted approach to biomolecule analysis.

High capital and maintenance costs make it unattractive to install and support analytical instruments in every medicinal chemistry lab; Chris Howson, Scientist at Novartis Pharma UK will explain how it combated this challenge.

Lab Innovations will also host over 100 exhibitors plus a stimulating daily panel debate chaired by Chemistry World.

Visitor registration is free and now open via the Lab Innovations website www.easyFairs.com/labinnovations.

2013

Lord Professor Robert Winston will consider science’s response to ‘our uncertain future.’ In addition to hearing him speak, 10 show visitors will also win the opportunity to put their questions directly to Lord Winston as part of a

Lord Professor Robert Winston

NEC, Birmingham 6 & 7 November 2013

Discovering innovation at the heart of the laboratory industries Lab Innovations 2013 is the event for industry professionals to meet and do business. You will discover a raft of new exhibitors showcasing brand new products and the latest innovations in the industry.

REGI ST NOW ER !

Lab Innovations also offers a packed programme of free inspirational seminars compiled by Campden BRI and a conference hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry featuring keynote addresses from Lord Professor Robert Winston and Professor Andrea Sella.

Free registration now open via: easyFairs.com/labinnovations

Be part of the Lab Innovations community Join the group Lab Innovations

REGISTER NOW at www.easyFairs.com/labinnovations Lab_Innovations_Visitor_HP_AD(180x130).indd 1

Follow us @labinnovations Organised by

17/09/2013 08:21

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

Flexibility the key as business heads for £100m turnover Zeb Ahmed is a businessman who believes in the power of diversification; it’s an approach that has seen Bouygues Energy and Services survive the ravages of recession and bounce back in spectacular fashion.

Now Deputy Managing Director, Zeb came to work for the company fifteen years ago and has played a key role in its transformation from a business working in a niche market to one operating in many different sectors.

Zeb himself started out working in a niche market. Educated at the University of Warwick - Warwick Business School, the College Des Ingenieurs and the University of Manchester - Institute of Science and Technology. His background is as a process engineer who gradually became involved in manufacturing.

His specialties now include everything from industrial biotechnology and renewable energy to pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, speciality chemicals and utilities and infrastructure, all areas in which the company operates.

Before he joined Bouygues Energy and Services and began his move up the ranks, he worked for, among others, Thermal Transfer and IVAX (Norton Healthcare).

Energy Management - strategic carbon planning, energy compliance and procurement, infrastructure design, installation and maintenance Construction - together with its partners and clients, Bouygues UK delivers awardwinning construction, development and regeneration projects across public and commercial private sectors.

Projects include mixed-used commercial developments, school, luxury apartments and signature public buildings.

Zeb said: “The key to the growth of the company down the years has been the way it has diversified.

“When I came to start working for the company we were basically in niche sectors but as a big company you have to diversify and we realised that our skills could be used in other sectors as well.

“The success we have had over the past ten-fifteen years is down to that ability to diversify.

His current employer is part of the Bouygues Group of companies, which operate in more than 80 countries. It entered the UK construction market in 1997 and has increased its presence and capability in the UK through organic growth and acquisitions.

Facility Management - hard and soft facility management, life cycle planning and project delivery services.

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Zeb said: “In the first year of the recession we had a difficult time. A lot of our work was linked to investment and investment was the first thing that collapsed when the recession arrived.

“We had overheads that were too high and went from a business with an annual turnover of £75m to one with a turnover of £32m.

“However, our commitment to diversification over the years meant that we were working in different sectors and could recover.

“If we lost work in one sector, we could pick it up in others. The result was that after our turnover dropped, we very quickly built it back up to £55m and, by the end of next year, we will have not already returned to pre-recession levels but will be on track to go far beyond that.

“As a company you do need to have a long term plan and that insistence on diversification will remain important to us in the years to come because some of the sectors in which we work are very volatile and we have to be in a position to respond.

Consulting / Contracting - turnkey design and build solutions for critical, high tech facilities.

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The approach came into its own when the most recent recession struck.

Bouygues Energy and Services was not immune to the effects.

“By the end of next year, we expect to have reached £100m and we have a long-term plan which will see us perform even better over the next few years as we use our skill in a range of sectors.

During that period, it has diversified to provide engineering and service capabilities to many other sectors in the UK. Services include:

Infrastructure Services - utilities services, civil and electrical engineering solutions in public/highways lighting, telecommunications, electrical and gas network infrastructure.

“This is an approach that has allowed us to move from a company that was working in just a few sectors to one that uses its engineering capabilities and its skills in a range of markets.”

Zeb Ahmed, Deputy Managing Director at Bouygues Energy and Services UK

“I think to survive and be successful as a business you need to constantly innovate and you need to always be flexible and we do that.“

THE BIG INTERVIEW

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“

The success we have had over the past ten-fifteen years is down to that ability to diversify.This is an approach that has allowed us to move from a company that was working in just a few sectors to one that uses its engineering capabilities and its skills in a range of markets.

�

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Environmental

Chemicals, carbon and competitiveness, untangling the web Within the UK, the chemical industry plays an important role in the economy, as a major exporter and employer. Nonetheless, the industry is struggling competitively with global players due to the lower costs of energy and chemical feedstocks, rising demand in growing economies and cheaper labour. Implementing climate change targets is likely to put further constraints on the industry’s ability to respond to a changing global market.

The UK Government is committed to reducing its global greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 from 1990 levels through the legally binding 2008 Climate Change Act. The interim target is a 34% reduction by 2020 that will ensure regular progress is made on emission reduction. Reducing emissions from the industry is challenging for a combination of reasons: its fundamental role in society, as a producer of intermediate and end-use commodities; its globalised nature and relationship with the international economy; the use of fossil fuels for feedstocks and the need to control other environmental impacts. The challenge, therefore, is how can the sector reduce its own emissions, yet remain competitive in the global market and sustain its contribution to the UK economy?

The University of Manchester’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in collaboration with the North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC), has released a report that explores the role of industry, the issues surrounding carbon

38

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leakage and the responses to the goal of reducing carbon emissions. Setting out the challenges, the report looks to encourage a long-term strategy that encompasses both a re-balanced and low carbon economy.

The UK chemical industry’s greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by 70% since 1990. This has not been solely the result of energy efficiency improvements and has largely been a result of site closure and/or relocation to other nations with lower production, energy and feedstock costs. Although demanding, evidence suggests that the industry is not relocating due to climate policy. However, such targets could impose future pressure on competitiveness in the UK and lead to ‘strong carbon leakage’ – where an industry relocates to a region with specifically less, or an absence of, policies to address emissions.

Looking ahead, if the sector is to experience growth beyond 2020 at rates of 1-3% p.a. it could mean that, with

no change to emission intensity or UK chemical production mix, the chemical industry could account for 11-25% of the total UK carbon budget in 2050.

Therefore, to ensure that the industry reduces its emissions by 80%, such growth rates would require the emission intensity to reduce by 2-4% p.a.. Historically, technically mature industries reduce emission intensity levels by 1-1.2% p.a.. So, stepping up to the challenge of meeting the UK’s climate targets and maintaining competitiveness it will need to move beyond incremental energy efficiency improvements towards more radical step changes. This will require significant revision of current processes operated.

However, the major barrier is that there are few incentives to invest in new, low-carbon production facilities.

Whilst there is substantial low-grade heat available, it is high-grade heat and steam that the sector demands and therefore, existing processes and infrastructure require reconfiguration, including potential synergies between sectors to reuse and share resources.

Environmental

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The Energy Bill and the Energy Efficiency Directive The past year has seen the introduction of a range of energy policy and legislation aimed at insulating the UK electricity market from high and volatile international gas prices while delivering greener and more reliable energy supplies. Of particular interest to energy intensive chemical companies are the UK Energy Bill and the European Union’s Energy Efficiency Directive.

Energy Bill Currently in the House of Lords, the purpose of the energy bill is to put in place measures aimed to drive £110 investment in the electricity sector to ensure a reliable, diverse range of low-carbon power as set out in the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) proposals. The main proposals contained within EMR are Contracts for Difference (CfD) and the Capacity market:

Additionally, it is assumed that this heat demand can be substantially electrified, without considering the infrastructure required for this or the difficulty in generating high pressure process-grade heat from an electrical source. Treating waste as a commodity could provide a major source of energy and feedstock for the industry. However, waste gasification to produce hydrogen is unlikely to be developed while it is more economically feasible to generate heat and electricity. Considering CCS, cost, an ageing asset life and a multitude of small-scale organisations which collectively emit a large amount of CO2 have arguably halted its development for the UK industry. Pursuing CCS would require it being combined with new infrastructure and would be unlikely to contribute prior to 2030.

Finally, the sector’s contribution must be seen within the context of its overall contribution to reducing emissions, via the use of its products within supply chains. Therefore, we should examine how society uses and values the goods and commodities produced by the industry e.g. exploring what measures end-users and consumers can make in terms of reducing demand for, reusing and recycling goods and commodities that the industry supply.

By Dr Paul Gilbert and Dr Mirjam Roeder

Contracts for difference will increase revenue certainty of low-carbon generation through the use of a feed in tariff. The CfD pays the difference between an estimate of the market price of electricity and an estimate of the long term price needed to facilitate investment in a technology (strike price).

The Capacity Market will help secure the UK’s energy supply by giving capacity providers financial incentives to provide reliable capacity. A forecast of future demand will be made four years ahead of the delivery year in which it is needed, and the capacity needed to secure supply will be contracted through a central auction run by the system operator. Government will run the first Capacity Market auction in 2014 for delivery of capacity from the winter of 2018/19.

Over the past two months, the government has released further information on how these schemes will work; of particular interest is the consultation on exemptions for energy intensive business from the costs of the CfDs. Of the four exemption options presented, CIA is supporting the eligibility criteria which widen the scope of businesses who will qualify and are urging government to keep the aid level as close to 100% as possible.

In addition, DECC have released a consultation outlining how the measures contained within EMR will be delivered. This includes a consultation on the proposed strike prices for renewable technologies, details on the transition period between the RO and CfD, clarification on how the capacity market will work and on how the measures outlined will impact on energy bills.

Energy Efficiency Directive In addition to the range of measures outlined in the Energy Bill, government are also consulting on the best approach to implementing Article 8 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive. Under Article 8 of the directive, member states are required to introduce a programme of regular energy audits for ‘large enterprises’.

Audits will need to be undertaken by 5 December 2015 and then at least every four years from the date of the previous audit.

The UK government are proposing to implement this requirement under the ‘Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme’. Under this scheme, assessors will carry out audits to identify energy saving recommendations. The government are currently consulting on range of issues surrounding the implementation of ESOS and will then develop secondary legislation.

It is anticipated that the implementation of Article 8 directive will have an impact on many chemical companies, and CIA will be highlighting to government the worry that this work will duplicate work already undertaken as a result of compliance with schemes such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment, Climate Change Agreements and CCA’s.

The CIA and Chemicals Northwest will be actively monitoring developments in these areas to ensure that the views of chemical companies are effectively communicated to government. If you have any queries, please contact Audrey Nugent nugenta@cia.org.uk

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ORANMORE

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Rehabilitation success for chemical plant chambers

High acidity is an ongoing and serious issue for chambers and tanking in the process chemical industry. It leads to degradation and corrosion, loss of stabilisation and ultimately the failure of the structure.

Therefore any system which can guarantee a permanent protection against this can bring enormous benefits. Whole life cost of the structure is minimised, disruption is kept to a minimum and ongoing repairs and costly maintenance are virtually eliminated.

It’s for this reason that Ultracoat is a key part of the rehabilitation system utilised by leading specialist Oranmore Environmental. With a single layer application and a chemical resistance from pH2-14, the Ultracoat system proved the perfect solution for the rehabilitation of 30 chambers at a process chemical plant in Northern England.

The Ultracoat system is a Fernco Environmental product, and was used in conjunction with another of their ranges, Hyperflex. Hyperflex is a premixed grout used for prevention of infiltration, and its excellent expansive properties mean it is widely regarded as a leader in ground stabilisation. This was particularly vital after pH 3 liquids had washed out surrounding ground over time.

The surface was prepared, the ground stabilised using Hyperflex and the internal walls were rebuilt. After this took place, the surface of the chambers were cleaned and prepared, before the 100% solids epoxy Ultracoat system was spray applied using patented application equipment.

Tom McGrath of Oranmore commented; “Ultracoat is by far our most preferred system when rehabilitating structures such as this. It’s efficient to apply, contains no VOCs and is also a permanent solution. The fact there’s no need for a primer coat also means we can do more for our client, more quickly.”

For more information on the Ultracoat system, please visit www.ultracoatsystem.com Or you can contact Tom McGrath of Oranmore Environmental on 0330 111 0007

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HUMAN RELIABILITY

Addressing Human Factors issues in COMAH safety reports As discussed in the previous article, accidents such as Macondo, Buncefield and Texas City have led to an increased interest in human factors in the context of Major Accident Hazards (MAH) addressed in the COMAH regulations.

The HSE guidance states that: “…the parts that people play in protection, prevention, potential initiation, and recovery from major accidents (should) be addressed with the same degree of rigour that we traditionally expect for process and engineering issues.” More details regarding HSE requirements are available at http://www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/ The main steps in the recommended process are: n Task identification n Task analysis n Error analysis n Performance Influencing Factors (PIF)

analysis Task identification requires a structured, systematic analysis process to link tasks to the site’s principal major accident hazards. The identified tasks should include those with the potential to initiate MAH scenarios (e.g. loading of a road tanker, system start-up, maintenance preparation), those designed to prevent MAH scenarios developing (e.g. manual operation of an Emergency Depressurisation system), and those which maintain engineered control measures related to MAH scenarios (e.g. high pressure trips).

Task Analysis is used to develop a detailed understanding of the work as it is actually performed. One of the most useful methods is Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA). This breaks complex tasks down into simpler subtasks that are then broken down further based on their risk potential. The top level of an HTA for a ship to shore transfer of hazardous substance is shown above. These

Error analysis is then performed on the task analysis to identify credible failures with the potential to affect the likelihood of MAHs. Different failure types are considered to assess their consequences in the situation being evaluated. These include Action failures, e.g. action omitted, right action on wrong object, Communication failures, and Checking failures. The analysis examines existing risk control measures and opportunities for recovery to determine the level of risk.

Performance Influencing Factors (PIF)

Step

1.1

Description

Take sample to establish substance quality (JT)

Activity type

Actions

Potential error type

ACT9 Action omitted

Error

Fail to take sample

Consequences

import substance other than intended -possible damage to reactors/reaction

Existing risk control measures / recovery

Ships only carry one substance

PIFs

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analyses are supported by a software tool, the Human Factors Workbench, http://www.humanreliability.com/ services3.html. The most safety critical tasks (coloured red in the HTA shown above) will be broken down further to indicate where specific failures could give rise to a hazardous outcome.

Certificate of quality (Load port).

ACCESS: Access and visibility at sampling points can be difficult LABELLING: Tanks are generally well labelled.

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analysis considers the factors which make human failure more likely. These include factors specific to the task in question (e.g. valve labelling, equipment layout and access, quality of procedure) and those with a more general impact (e.g. fatigue, quality of training).

The results of these analyses are recorded in a table as shown below.

This will form part of the human factors section of the COMAH report. The full analysis highlights all significant human errors, factors contributing to such errors and enables identification of appropriate remedial measures. This provides a demonstration that rigorous identification and management of human failure is in place.

Human Reliability has considerable experience in the application of these techniques at COMAH sites, and sophisticated software tools are available to ensure that the analyses address the HSE requirements in a systematic and cost-effective manner.

Further information is available at www.humanreliability.com.

In the next article, we will look at the topics of risk informed procedures development, competence management and root cause analysis.

For information contact David Embrey at dembrey@humanreliability.com

CEHTRA UK LIMITED

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Climate Change Is CO2 Capture Safe?

CO2 capture and storage is one of the promising technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To be used, this technology needs to be economically viable and also achieve environmental acceptance.

Nevertheless, amines used in the CO2 capture process react with flue gas components (O2, CO2, NOx, SOx...) to form degradation products, and some of them could be potentially dangerous to human health. Ethanolamine (MEA) and piperazine (PZ) are two reference amines for CO2 capture.

Although MEA degradation has been intensively studied, some degradation products are still unidentified.

The DALMATIEN project is an industrial research project on post combustion products. The goal of this project is to list all the degradation products of MEA and PZ when used in CO2 capture, to understand their formation and to study their toxicity.

In this research program, CEHTRA is in charge of the toxicological analysis of the compounds formed. Our toxicologists establish the toxicological profiles of the identified degradation products in order to highlight the most critical compounds. Original approaches are used when limited data or no data are available, to further characterize the toxicity of the compounds of interest.

These approaches include in silico analyses (DEREK, TOPKAT, OECD Toolbox …), category approach, read-across and/or weight of evidence. Taken together, and when sufficient toxicological information is available, different strategies are used to set up Acceptable Exposure Levels (AELs) for the general population.

This collaborative work will improve our knowledge on the potential impact of CO2 capture on human health and environment, and therefore will contribute to the development of CO2 countermeasures.

Contact: Nathalie.ledirac@cehtra.fr

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INNOVATIONS

The proposed (almost) EU-wide patent system One of the hot topics within the European IP community at present is the proposed new unified patent system which, some claim, may provide a simpler, more cost-effective, patent regime across most of the EU.

European patents – the current system At present, innovations can be protected by national patents granted by individual countries’ patent offices, or European patents granted by the European Patent Office (EPO).

A “European patent” is nothing to do with the EU. It is a patent granted by the EPO under a convention – the European Patent Convention – which is separate from EU law. The member states of the European Patent Convention include not only the member states of the European Union but additionally Albania, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey (and further agreements in effect extend this list to also include Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro).

Furthermore, a European patent is not actually a single patent but rather a bundle of national rights. Whilst there is a single, centralised examination process through the EPO up to the point at which the patent is granted, from that point the national parts of the patent are subject mainly to national law, and therefore subject to attack or enforcement on a country-by-country basis rather than a European-wide basis (though for a short period a European patent can be attacked as a whole under an opposition procedure).

The cost of having patent protection in several countries can be significant.

If a patent owner requires a European patent to take effect in a particular country then they will need to pay annual renewal fees to the patent office of that country, and may also need to have the patent, or part of it, translated.

An EU patent?

In contrast, a patent which can be enforced or revoked across the whole of the EU in a single action has been the dream of many for several decades, and fits with core European common market principles. The current system

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is not ideal, because disputes may require costly litigation in more than one country, national laws relating to patent infringement and validity can bring about different results in different countries, and complex interjurisdictional situations can arise. Many have argued that a single court system will make patent litigation simpler and less expensive, and result in a patent system which is more harmonised and better for business.

This dream has seen several false dawns, but it now seems likely that an imperfect unified patent system will become a reality over the next few years. This system will have two strands: the Unitary patent and the Unified Patent Court.

Unitary patents A Unitary patent will be a single patent (in contrast to the current bundle of national rights) having effect across all countries of the EU except those which have chosen not to participate. It is likely that all EU countries will participate except Spain, though the dust has not yet settled.

A Unitary patent will be derived from a European patent. The system by which the EPO examines and grants European patents will remain the same. On grant, the patent owner will be able to request that the European patent acquires Unitary effect, i.e. becomes a Unitary patent.

It will still be possible to use the current system and therefore the patent owner could choose to keep the European patent as a bundle of national rights rather than as a single Unitary patent. In any event, the current European patent system will continue to apply to nonparticipating countries and to non-EU countries.

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) Patent infringement and/or validity disputes in relation to a Unitary patent will be dealt with by a new Unified Patent Court (UPC).

An agreement to set up the UPC will come into force, and Unitary patent protection will become possible, approximately four months after ratification by thirteen EU countries including the UK, France and Germany.

The indications are that this might occur in 2015.

Ultimately, the UPC is expected to also have exclusive jurisdiction over non-Unitary European patents in participating countries, though patent owners will be able to opt their European patents out of this on a case by case basis for a transitional period, meaning that national courts would remain competent.

The UPC will have seats in various locations. There will be local and regional divisions across the EU, a central division in Paris, Munich and London, and a court of appeal in Luxembourg.

The complexities of the different activities of, and interactions between, the various seats of the UPC, are beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say that the structure of the UPC is far from

INNOVATIONS

ideal, and is based to a large extent on political compromise rather than on logic and efficiency.

A further complication is that it will still be possible to file an opposition within nine months from grant, and oppositions will continue to be dealt with by the EPO. It is not clear how European oppositions will interact with actions before the UPC.

Advantages and disadvantages of the new regime The intentions behind the new regime were to make the patent system in Europe less expensive, simpler and more uniform.

Payment of a single annual renewal fee will keep a Unitary patent in force across all participating EU countries, so a Unitary patent may be attractive to patent owners who normally cover (or would like to cover) a large number of countries. In contrast, the existing European patent system, whereby individual annual renewal fees are

payable to the patent offices of each country, may be a less expensive option where only a small number of countries are covered.

A Unitary patent may also reduce translation costs compared to a European patent, though this depends on which countries are covered by the European patent.

A single court action could result in a finding of infringement across most of the EU but likewise a finding of invalidity or a declaration of noninfringement across most of the EU. This could keep litigation simpler but there is no guarantee that it would be more straightforward than the current system where legal actions across several jurisdictions are not unusual but in practice not very common either.

The quality of the UPC will be observed keenly, particularly because of the near EU-wide ramifications of its decisions.

There are many uncertainties and complexities, and it may be advisable for patentees to opt their European

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patents out of the UPC, at least initially until the workings and effects of the UPC become clearer.

Further complications arise because of legal challenges mounted by Spain and Italy against the use of a procedure to bring in the required legislation. The indications are that Italy may now wish to participate, but Spain has mounted a further legal challenge which could yet derail the whole process.

Those who wish to bypass the new regime altogether may choose to seek patents through national patent offices rather than through the EPO. Ultimately this will be the only way to avoid the jurisdiction of the UPC. Such national patents will remain under the sole jurisdiction of the national courts rather than under the UPC.

Dr Robert Gregory (rjg@wpt.co.uk), partner at WP Thompson, European and Chartered UK patent attorney.

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INNOVATIONS

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Chemistry + IP In the third of this series of articles, Dr Chris Moore will discuss two of the largest patent court cases to have been decided in the last few months in the chemistry space and provide some thoughts as to the impact the cases may have.

As with previous editions, the last few months have seen big pharma and generics companies duke it out in the UK courts. Typically, the generics company seeks to clear the path before market entry and the large pharma company wishes to assert its patents to prevent early market entry.

A recent, non-pharma, case with wider implications was Clariant’s unsuccessful appeal against the decision to revoke their patent for a new crystalline form of a particular yellow pigment. In the patent, Clariant described what was said to be a new polymorph of an existing crystalline form (designated β-polymorph), the existing polymorph (designated α-polymorph) being covered by an earlier patent. An Indian manufacturer, Sundarshan, decided to commercialise outside India a dye made according to the earlier patent once the patent had expired.

Clariant took exception and came to the view that the Sundarshan product infringed the new patent. Accordingly, they sent a letter threatening patent infringement proceedings. Sundarshan issued proceedings for revocation and Clariant countersued for infringement.

It transpired that the earlier Clariant product did indeed incorporate the β-polymorph (that being the thermodynamically stable version under ambient conditions) and the later patent was found to be invalid.

Whilst Clariant could be said to have lost the war, they did score something of a victory along the way insofar as the patent stopped Sundarshan from selling their product in Europe whilst proceedings were ongoing; Sundarshan

apparently stopped marketing their dye outside India once they received the initial letter from Clariant.

Clearly this case demonstrates the power of a patent, namely that even a thorough a considered market entrant may take steps to stop commercialisation when faced with the threat of proceedings for patent infringement. It also shows that patentees can unwittingly destroy the novelty of later-filed patents by prior commercial activities and that letters before action should be appropriately drafted.

In another case Yeda and Teva were successful in fighting off Generics UK’s application for revocation of their patent for a particular weight fraction of copolymer-1 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). This case is of some interest not least because it was well known that copolymer-1 was beneficial in the treatment of MS before the patent was filed and there was some evidence that it was known to use a mixture of copolymer-1 incorporating the required weight fraction. On the evidence, the patentees were successful in demonstrating that the attack on the patent was not good on the basis of the prior art. The patentees also fought off an objection usually deployed before the Boards of Appeal at the European Patent Office (EPO).

the rule that a stay of proceedings of UK litigation should normally be denied where there is a co-pending Opposition at the EPO was all but thrown out.

This will most likely lead to a default position whereby UK litigation will be stayed pending final resolution of EPO Opposition procedures.

This means that third parties should consider and review their Opposition strategy very carefully and that patentees might want to consider filing national patent applications rather than European patents via the EPO. For patentees, the challenge of a local stay of proceedings and uncertainty surrounding the Unified Patents Court may well push more filings, at least in the short to medium term, via the national patent offices. In countries with historically stable filing numbers such a strategic change would undoubtedly mean increased focus on recruitment or longer pendency times for patentees, the latter being a wholly unwelcome outcome.

Dr. Chris Moore (cmoore@hgf.com) is a partner with Harrison Goddard Foote LLP specialising in chemistry and materials.

He represents clients from the UK and abroad and has been consistently top ranked by attorney rating agencies. ©Harrison Goddard Foote LLP 2013

Clearly this shows that the UK courts will continue to take great stock as to what happens at the EPO and the case law generated by the Boards of Appeal.

Indeed, in a recent (non-chemistry) case heard by the UK Supreme Court

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SCIENTIST • MICROBIOLOGIST • REGULATORY AFFAIRS MANAGER • TECHNICAL M OPERATIONS MANAGER • QUALITY CONTROL ANALYST • QUALITY ASSURANCE OFF DEVELOPERS • REGULATORY AFFAIRS OFFICER • AUDITOR • QP • PRODUCTION OP PRODUCTION MANAGER • CHEMICAL ENGINEER • PROCESS ENGINEER • MAINT ENGINEER • MECHANICAL ENGINEER • HEALTH & SAFETY ADVISOR •TECHNICAL SALE • TECHNICAL SUPPORT• SITE CHEMIST • PRODUCT MANAGER • CHEMICAL ENGIN OFFICER • PRODUCT TECHNOLOGIST • STABILITY COORDINATOR • MICROBIOLO HAREPOINT CONSULTANTS • PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIST • BIOCHEMIST • GEOSC GEOLOGIST • MEDICINAL CHEMIST • DMPK SCIENTIST • PROJECT MANAGER • PRO MANAGER • PRODUCTION TECHNICIAN • PROCESS ENGINEER • CHEMICAL ENG VALIDATION SCIENTIST • LABORATORY MANAGER • SHIFT ANALYST • INSPECTOR • ENGINEER • LINUX SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS • MODELLING SCIENTIST • SIMULATIO THE SCIENTIFIC, CLINICAL AND IT RECRUITMENT PEOPLE • INSPECTOR • PHYSICIST • GEOPHYSICIST • PETROPHYSICIST • RESERVOIR EN BUSINESS ANALYST • PETROLEUM ENGINEER • SAFETY & LOSS PREVENTION EN CLINICAL QA • COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST • QUALITY ENGINEER • ELECTRICAL ENGIN ANALYST • PROCESS ENGINEER • TOPSIDE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER • FINITE ELEMEN SCIENTIST / ENGINEER • PIPING ENGINEER • ROTATING EQUIPMENT ENGINEER • C ENGINEER • SUBSEA CONTROL ENGINEER • MECHANICAL ENGINEER • PLANT MA SUBSEA PIPELINE ENGINEER • MEDICAL INFORMATION OFFICER • SUBSEA DESIGN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER • ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYST • ANALYTICAL CHEM MICROBIOLOGIST • LABORATORY / SITE MANAGER • ASBESTOS ANALYST • ASB SURVEYOR • MEDICAL ADVISOR • DESIGN ENGINEER • LANDFILL / PLANT OPER OPERATIONS MANAGER • GENERAL MANAGER • QUALITY SCIENTIST • OCCUPATIONA • BUSINESS MANAGER • PROCESS OPERATIVE • PROCESS ENGINEER • PLANT EN CK Science recruits high calibre staff DEVELOPMENT for the MEDICAL ADVISOR • REGIONAL SCIENTIFIC LIAISON • REGULATOR ASSOCIATE • CLINICAL LEAD MANAGER • LABORATORY MANAGER • ASSOCIATE DIR scientific and engineering jobs across the REGULATORY AFFAIRS • DEVELOPERS • VP REGULATORY AFFAIRS • REGULATORY CO REGULATORY STRATEGIST • REGULATORY LABELLING • CLINICAL QA ASSISTANT • chemical, life sciences and waste industries.

CLINICAL QA AUDITOR • QUALITY ASSURANCE SCIENTIST • CLINICAL QC MANAGER QA ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR • CLINICAL DATA ASSOCIATE • CLINICAL DATA ANALYST visit www.ckscience.co.uk DATA MANAGER • SENIOR DATA MANAGER • PROJECT DATA MANAGER • SAS PROG SENIOR SAS PROGRAMMER • STATISTICAL PROGRAMMER • SENIOR BIOSTATIST BIOMETRICS MANAGER • CLINICAL RESEARCH PHYSICIAN • PHARMACOVIGILANCE P MEDICAL DIRECTOR • MEDICAL MANAGER • CLINICAL TA HEAD • MEDICAL MONITO ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER • LINE SUPPORT TECHNICIANS • LABORATORY TECH ENGINEERING MANAGER • MAINTENANCE ENGINEER • TRANSFER STATION OPE TRANSFER STATION CHEMIST • ANALYTICAL CHEMIST • TECHNICAL SUPPORT CH ENGINEER • IT MANAGER • GEO-ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER • AIR MONITORING TE ANALYST • DRUG SAFETY SCIENTIST • DRUG SAFETY OFFICER • HARDWARE ENG SENIOR DRUG SAFETY OFFICER • DRUG SAFETY MANAGER • HEAD OF MEDICAL A ASSISTANT • CLINICAL SAFETY SCIENTIST • CLINICAL SAFETY CK IT recruits IT professionalsPHARMACOVIGILANCE into highly MEDICAL LIAISON • SUBSEA STRUCTURAL ENGINEER • MEDICAL INFORMATION ASS regulated environments for CSV,PROJECT GxP validation MANAGER • MEDICAL INFORMATION • HEAD OF MEDICAL AFFAIRS • FOR SCIENTIST and other industry specific positions. • SOFTWARE ENGINEERS • SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR • R&D CHEMIST • PRO ENGINEER • ANALYTICAL CHEMIST • DEVELOPMENT CHEMIST • SYSTEMS INTEGR MATERIAL SCIENTIST • MICROBIOLOGIST • REGULATORY AFFAIRS MANAGER • TE visit www.ck-it.co.uk MANAGER • OPERATIONS MANAGER • QUALITY CONTROL ANALYST • AUDITOR ER ASSURANCE OFFICER • DBA DEVELOPERS • REGULATORY AFFAIRS OFFICER • AUD PRODUCTION OPERATIVE • PRODUCTION MANAGER • CHEMICAL ENGINEER • PR ENGINEER • MAINTENANCE ENGINEER • MECHANICAL ENGINEER • HEALTH & SAFET •TECHNICAL SALES MANAGER • TECHNICAL SUPPORT• SITE CHEMIST • PRODUCT CHEMICAL ENGINEER • QA OFFICER • PRODUCT TECHNOLOGIST • STABILITY COOR MICROBIOLOGIST • HAREPOINT CONSULTANTS • PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIST • BIO GEOSCIENTIST • GEOLOGIST • MEDICINAL CHEMIST • DMPK SCIENTIST • PROJECT PRODUCTION MANAGER • PRODUCTION TECHNICIAN • PROCESS ENGINEER • C ENGINEER • VALIDATION SCIENTIST • LABORATORY MANAGER • SHIFT ANALYST • I We know the people with the skills you need.

•CHEMICAL ENGINEER • LINUX SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS • MODELLING SCIENTIST • SCIENTIST • INSPECTOR • PHYSICIST • GEOPHYSICIST • PETROPHYSICIST • RES Contact us on: ENGINEER • BUSINESS ANALYST • PETROLEUM ENGINEER • SAFETY & LOSS PRE ENGINEER • CLINICAL QA • COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST • QUALITY ENGINEER • ELE ENGINEER • SHIFT ANALYST • PROCESS ENGINEER • TOPSIDE STRUCTURAL ENGINE ELEMENT ANALYSIS SCIENTIST / ENGINEER • PIPING ENGINEER • ROTATING EQU ENGINEER • CONTROL ENGINEER • SUBSEA CONTROL ENGINEER • MECHANICAL E PLANT MANAGER • SUBSEA PIPELINE ENGINEER • MEDICAL INFORMATION OFFICER DESIGN ENGINEER • ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER • ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYST • AN CHEMIST • MICROBIOLOGIST • LABORATORY / SITE MANAGER • ASBESTOS ANA email loconnell@ckscience.co.uk ASBESTOS SURVEYOR • MEDICAL ADVISOR • DESIGN ENGINEER • LANDFILL / PLANT OPERATIONS MANAGER • GENERAL MANAGER • QUALITY SCIENTIST • OCCUPATIONA follow CK Group on • BUSINESS MANAGER • PROCESS OPERATIVE • PROCESS ENGINEER • PLANT EN MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISOR • REGIONAL SCIENTIFIC LIAISON • REGULATOR ASSOCIATE • CLINICAL LEAD MANAGER • LABORATORY MANAGER • ASSOCIATE DIR

0114 283 9956

CK GROUP

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Where Will The Candidates Come From?

The UK chemical industry has changed dramatically over the last 25 years and is now facing a growing scarcity of highly skilled staff. To ensure that the industry remains at the global forefront in areas such as products and processes, it is vital that organisations undertake strategic manpower planning incorporating staff recruitment, training and development.

The ‘Engineering UK 2013’ report confirms that the chemical sector will continue to grow rapidly in the UK and the demand for highly specialist staff will increase. It also highlights that in the UK there will be a demand for over 87,000 HNC and graduate engineers annually by 2020, despite only 46,000 engineering related university places currently being available. This has created a dichotomy, mirrored within the scientific field.

The government recognises this problem and has placed great emphasis on apprenticeships in order to meet the skills gap in engineering and science.

However, as schools are funded based on performance this approach is flawed, as it’s in a school’s best interest to encourage students towards A Levels rather than apprenticeships. The government needs schools to improve their careers advice, to help make students aware that opportunities exist within the chemical industry at all levels, not just graduate.

Organisations such as STEMnet have an increasingly important role to play in creating a stronger link between schools and industry, but it is not just up to them. Companies must play a major part in building relationships with local secondary schools to encourage pupils into careers within the chemical and life sciences industries.

Ashley Kirk, fellow Director and founder of CKA Group, states, “Over the last 20 years one of the great tragedies is that highly paid roles in finance and commerce have drained candidates from the UK scientific sector.” Despite this, engineering and science are major growth areas at degree level but there is still a gap between graduates and heightened demand. The solution is to increase places and courses within these fields. This is starting to happen slowly, and though the political will is there, financial support to expand universities takes time to gather.

The skills gap has seen employers struggle to source scientists and engineers within the UK with 5-15 years industrial experience. One useful solution is to employ the increasing number of European candidates applying for UK jobs. At CK we have noticed that over the last two years the number of European candidate applying for UK jobs has tripled.

This is certainly a good short term plug, but it is vital that the government and the chemical industry continue to invest in training and development.

Liam O’Connell, Director at CKA Group

At the CKA Group, the specialist recruitment organisation within the chemical and life sciences industries, we are expanding our European, engineering and science operations so that we can assist our clients in meeting their staffing needs, offering expert advice in a wide variety of areas. We also work closely with schools and universities to encourage students to enter the scientific industry, arranging open days, placements, careers seminars, internships sponsorships and prizes.

If you are interested in finding out more about our services, contact me on 0114 283 9956.

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QUESTION & ANSWER

Favourite Movie? Pulp Fiction Favourite Activity / sport?

Skiing, mountain biking, kayaking and playing in the surf with my children Which is the one event that has had the biggest impact on you and your life? My children being born.

Favorite holiday destination/resort? Our Honeymoon - we spent a few days in Singapore where I was born and then went to the east coast of Thailand. We spent the most amazing time visiting parts of the island and snorkeling on boat trips and enjoying the fine food and beer.

Best golf course you’ve ever played? Some of the best golf courses I have played are in Spain, a local course to my parents is Alhaurin Golf in the hills from Malaga.

If you won 100million on the euro millions, which car would you buy? I would buy a fleet of 80s classic sport cars Favourite alcoholic drink? why? Peroni and most Italian beers.

Martin Hold Managing Director

What is your favorite Chemical Element and why?

Magnesium – because it kept me amused at school for hours!

If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? Being able to fly and not having to sit in traffic.

What did you most get into trouble for when you were younger? Driving my fathers yellow van!!

Favorite colour and why? Blue. A game I play with my children is guess the colour you are thinking, I always lose.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? When I was a child I always had remote control cars and when they broke I would try to repair them and make a bigger and better car from 2 or 3. I guess I have always had a thing for engineering and building as this was a large part of my family life.

What was your nickname in school? Dibble

What is you favorite flavor of ice cream? Strawberry

What is the first thing you do when you get up every morning? COFFEE!!!

What is your favorite meal? I enjoy curry’s and Italian food particular Meatballs with Pasta.

If you were to die tomorrow what are the things you would want to do before you die? Travel

Have you sponsored any charities this year? Yes! My company sponsors a children’s charity in our local Warrington, called Shannon Bradshaw Trust which provides support for parents and children who have life threatening illnesses. In fact, we have a sponsored walk on 5th October, walking up Snowdon which the whole office is getting involved with.

What was your favourite toy as a child? My bike and playing in the local streams and woods around our home in Warrington.

Favourite Song or Artist? Mumford & Sons, but a blast from the past is my love of 90s dance music.

Favourite sports team/sports star? Watching Warrington Wolves rugby league (The Wire) and Football Manchester City.

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Which one country would you want relocate to if you had the opportunity? Although I have never visited this place, I would say Canada as it embraces the outdoors both for summer and winter activities.

ELEMENTS AUTUMN 2013

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Gas quality counts but what about the containers?

When ordering special or chemical gases, the customer requires a quality product to the right specification. Since no gas is 100% pure, this usually means a specified level of purity or specific limits on impurities, probably both.

The gas, however, is only part of the picture.

Does the container design, preparation and testing really have a serious impact on quality, safety and speed of supply?

CRR represent Gerling Holz (GHC), the specialist for special gases, who has manufactured filled and supplied gases worldwide for over 100 years.

That’s long enough to know just how important containers can be.

Ensuring the container has the optimum design and is in excellent condition is the key. It’s lead GHC to continuously pursue improved drum designs and keep testing of both cylinders and higher capacity drums in house, when nearly all other suppliers have chosen to contract out drum testing.

If we look at drums, the design can be particularly significant. The drum shape has an impact. Convex ends on a pressure drum mean no internal areas to trap moisture or particulates. Concave ended drums, in regular use in the UK,

pressure vessels is Hydrostatic testing, hence the cylinder or drum has to be pressurised with water at each retest, typically every 5 years.

have narrowing edges that are almost impossible to clean and inevitably trap small traces of water and impurities. This has a detrimental effect on product quality and the safety of the container.

Moisture is the last thing we or the customer want in the container, so a design with good internal access for cleaning and drying with no entrapment areas, is hugely important.

So how does moisture get in the container?

We have also introduced many flange design improvements to improve access and safety. In recent years GHC introduced new drum designs, specifically to improve performance with reactive and difficult products.

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Choosing to In house test vessels provides greater flexibility to prioritise for specific projects when a rapid turnaround is required. This ensures no unnecessary supply delays when drums require a statutory retest.

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ELEMENTS AUTUMN 2013

NEW MEMBERS

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Our customer base is varied and we deal with all waste categories from non hazardous organic waste through to hazardous chemical waste. We are primarily North West based but we do cover the whole of the UK and we are responsive to the needs of our customers.

We are an independent family business and we are offering all Chemicals Northwest members a 5% discount on their first completed order. To take advantage of this offer please contact us on the number provided below.

Our services include: n Waste Management, a complete

service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: From the classification of waste through to transportation and safe disposal in accordance with environmental regulations. We offer a ‘One stop shop’ for all waste disposal requirements and one point of contact for a more personal approach.

n Industrial Services, full plant

decommissioning and clearance and disposal of hazardous and non hazardous waste. This includes tank cleaning and bulk tank/sump draining and disposal. n Transport safety consultants, we

offer our customers qualified advice within the ever changing law for the transport of dangerous goods by road, sea, and air.

n Training, we offer a full training

service within the regulatory and environmental frameworks.

For further information please visit our website www.pjenvironmental.co.uk For a free consultation, or simply an informal chat, please contact: Peter Jones Operations Director 07775 746 606 peterjones@pjenvironmental.co.uk

When quality matters.

Nozzles Chemical and Pharma Hoses Expansion Joints Dry Disconnect Couplings 2013_Ad_When Quality matters_210x100mm.indd 1

ELAFLEX LTD. · Riverside House, Plumpton Road, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, EN11 0PA1 Phone +44(0)1992/45 29 50 · sales@elaflex.co.uk · www.elaflex.co.uk

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24-7 RESPONSE

Chemical Incidents happen every day –how would you respond?

At any time that hazardous goods are being used, handled, transported or stored there is a risk of a spill, personal contact or a chemical reaction. However small or largethe event, rapid access toadvice on the appropriate actions to take can mitigate risk and reduce the impact.

Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are very helpful points of reference to access information about the products involved and the associated hazards. However, they cannot interpret the nature or scale of a situation, nor can they give pro-active advice on what actions to take in relation to any specific incident.

This is one of the reasons why it is now compulsory to display an emergency telephone number on every SDS. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has issued guidance that, when the number is called, “Competence must be available” and that it “…..should be able to address requests/calls in the official language(s) of the Member State(s) for which the SDS is intended.”

To meet this demand, industry expectations and transport regulations around the world, 24-7 Response has developed a unique and robust process to deliver specialist advice in all European languages, and the primary languages spoken elsewhere.

Every call is answered on a land line by one of the 24-7 Responsededicated team of highly experienced Incident Advisors, all of whom are chemists and qualified Dangerous Goods Safety Advisors (DGSA).

For over 10 years,OHES Environmentalhas been providing practical response and remediation solutions.At the time of a spill involving hazardous goods, fuel or any products that can affect the environment, an OHES Incident Manager can be rapidly deployed to the scene and, if necessary, an accredited clean-up contractor can also be mobilised. Many of the OHES team have previously been environmental regulators and, between them, they manage over 800 remediation and restoration projects a year.

OAMPS Petrochemical are the Insurance Managers to Chemicals Northwest, offering members the opportunity to benefit from their exclusive insurance schemes that include the provision of practical spill response and remediation as standard. OAMPS is the only insurer with the in-house capabilities (24-7 Response and OHES) to manage hazardous goods incidents making a significant contribution to reducing the cost of claims and the time taken to resolve them.

Clients of their Emergency Line service can display the 24-7 Response telephone number(s) on SDS, product labels, transport declarations and on signs at their premises.

Advice and Response Chemical Emergency Line Service – Worldwide, Multilingual

Remediation and Resolution On-scene assistance and Practical Spill Response

Protection and Reassurance Specialist Insurance Schemes with Spill Response included How does your emergency number operate?

The 24-7 Response Emergency Line Telephone number can be displayed on Safety Data Sheets, transport documents and labels, the will give you the reassurance that the call will always be answered by a dedicated Incident Advisor.

To request a quote, please contact Richard Shreeve richard.shreeve@24-7response.org or call 0118 902 9373.

Bespoke insurance schemes offered by OAMPS Petrochemical include the provision of spill response and remediation in the scope of their policies. To request a quote, please contact Karl Mansfield karl.mansfield@oamps.co.uk or call 01372 467 266.

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NEW MEMBERS

n

e3 employment law – premium quality service without paying a premium

e3 employment law LLP is at the forefront of a new type of specialist law firm: It delivers the highest levels of employment law expertise and experience but does so more costeffectively than the traditional law firms.

As a result, e3 employment law LLP is trusted by many of the world’s biggest chemical businesses to resolve the full range of employment law and industrial relations issues in the way which suits that individual business.

Each one of the e3 partners - Dan Bickerstaffe, Simon Ost and Nick Jones, is individually and independently recognised as a leading employment lawyer.

In 50 years’ of combined practice with leading international law firms they have earned their reputations for delivering legally and commercially effective advice.

Intriguingly, e3 was based on feedback from industry leaders who were asked to give their views on the perfect law firm from a client’s perspective. The result is far more streamlined and efficient firm based on delivering what clients want.

The name “e3” is a living reminder that e3 will deliver legal support that is:

e3 means that businesses now have access to the same quality of advice and support they can get from larger more traditional law firms but at substantially reduced costs. It means businesses don’t need to compromise between quality and cost.

For further details please go to www.e3employmentlaw.co.uk or contact e3 on 0330 088 2070 or email at enquiries@e3employmentlaw.co.uk

n effective - e3’s lawyers apply their

leading expertise and vast practical experience to achieve your goals

n efficient – experience means e3’s

Apology Due to a production error the logo for The TTE Technical Training Group incorrectly appeared in the last edition of Elements.

We apologise for this mistake.

lawyers know the points that matter and the issues that will make a difference without wasting time and money on unnecessary issues

n economic – e3 provides clear value

for money in everything it does.

e

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employment law L L P

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MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT

Race for life!

Cherry Hayes, Senior Administrator for LINK Associates International.

The thing about Cancer is that it does not respect anyone, it can strike at any age, colour or race, at any time.

Two years ago I lost my father to this dreadful disease. He was a keen cricket fan and at 89-years old one could say he had a good innings! However, to be taken by Cancer at any age, leaves families distraught and often wondering why in the 21st century of advance technology there is no cure for this devastating disease?

Whether it be a family member, relative, friend, friend of a friend, colleague or neighbour, we have either met or come into contact with someone, experiencing or going through

an experience of this illness. The Race for Life event, held at Darley Park, Derby on 13th July was an ideal opportunity for me to not only raise some money for this worthwhile charity but to also show my support for all those facing this disease. So together with my niece, team ‘Soul Sisters’, and a host of other enthusiastic runners, we took on the challenge of running 5k around the park.

The 30 degrees (and rising) temperature did not put us off and with sheer determination, stamina, plus lots of water, we raised £185. Money that will be used to further the research into Cancer!

K Home International Limited celebrates 40 years of engineering excellence Chemicals Northwest member company Teesside based K Home International Limited (KHI) is celebrating four decades of success and engineering excellence.

To celebrate this great achievement the company provided its 200+ staff a family fun day and BBQ on Saturday 29th June at the prestigious Gisborough Hall. The day entailed variety of activities including Croquet on the lawn, a Bouncy Castle, Giant Jenga and for the more alert youngsters an electronic quick draw.

The highlight of the day being the presentation of a commemorative plaque to Ken Home OBE founder of the company, and long service awards to six members of staff who between them had over 125 years service. Ken Home thanked all the staff present saying “The company would not be successful without the commitment of the staff.”

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MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT

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Smooth & Clean: ELAPHARM®

Kelly Services Kelly Services is deeply connected to the chemicals industry and is an expert at fulfilling its unique staffing needs.

As an active participant in the local scientific and engineering communities, we are able to source the best available talent. What’s more, as a preferred partner of Chemicals NorthWest we are able to offer you 15% reduction from our standard terms, with no compromise on service delivery.

Kelly is a leading provider of scientific and engineering staff, as well as specialising in sales and marketing, office professionals and HR. Our leading workforce solutions span temporary and permanent recruitment, managed service programmes and payroll services through to outsourcing.

ELAPHARM hose assemblies for the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry:

n Permanent Recruitment - we identify the best individuals

• ultra smooth lining of DuPont Teflon® PTFE

available from both passive and active candidate pools to fulfil your needs, shortlisting the most suitable/ technically competent individuals.

n Flexible Workforce – our ISO accredited processes

ensure best fit of contractors at all levels from short -term temporary support to senior interim change managers

n Payroll services - one-off transfers and referrals through

to company-wide rollouts, weekly and monthly options, PAYE and independent contractors, including IR35 exempt workers

• homogeneous elastomer hose to DIN 26055-3.

• Flexible and kink resistant, pressure and vacuum resistant.

• Nominal bores DN 13 to 50 mm • as ELAPHARM (non el. conductive) or ELAPHARM OHM (fully el. conductive) • FDA / USP Class VI • up to +140° C, vacuum 0,8 bar, PN 10

For further details please contact us:

In-house hose assembling by Elaflex, straight from the reel for fast delivery of your assemblies.

Science: 0161 839 2800 ksr_manchester@kellyservices.co.uk

Choice of fittings, eg. PTFE lining flared over ends, no entrapment, for highest media purity requirements.

Engineering: 0161 429 9853 ker_manchester@kellyservices.co.uk Office (including HR, Sales and Marketing): 0161 832 1960 manchester@kellyservices.co.uk or visit www.kellyservices.co.uk

ELAFLEX LTD. Phone +44(0)1992/45 29 50 · Fax +44(0)1992/45 29 11 sales@elaflex.co.uk · www.elaflex.co.uk

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CNW EVENTS

Industry Connect breakfast event Industry Connect was the title for our breakfast event on 18th September. The event was sponsored by Cogent and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The event had four speakers and topics of interest. Stuart Ross, Chair of Food North West Ltd and The Environmental Network NW Ltd as well as a former Supply Chain and Distribution Director of Tesco, spoke on the commercial opportunity presented to business by the concept of sustainability. Stuart outlined the practical application of the principle of The Triple Bottom Line and how increasing pressure on both costs and the green agenda exists for all supply chains with little opportunity left in many for doing more with less.

Ciara Dempsey, Regulatory Affairs Specialist from the Royal Society of Chemistry presented on the REACH regulation and how many companies are unsure of how this complex legislation affects them. This talk provided an overview of the obligations of downstream users under REACH. Clare Wilson, Small Companies Programme manager from the Royal Society of Chemistry gave a presentation on how The Royal Society of Chemistry can provide support for small companies with their recently

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launched first phase of a package aimed at small companies. The talk described the support and benefits which are now available.

Our final presenter at the event was Kate Griffiths from Cogent who spoke about Performance Benchmarking for the Process Industries and how to compete successfully in today’s global market, UK companies must have a well-trained, highly skilled workforce. The SME Performance Benchmarking Tool encourages Process Manufacturers to

consider their workforce development needs. This presentation summarised the use of the tool, which allows the user to self-diagnose areas for development by mapping individual responses to an industry benchmark (i.e. responses of peers) and the Gold Standard (THE standard for skills in the Process Industries).

To view our future events please go to chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk/events

CNW EVENTS

Emergency Preparedness and Minimising the Impacts

n

Breakfast event at Sci-Tec Our 16th July breakfast networking event was sponsored by The Science and Technologies Facilities Council’s (STFC) Daresbury Laboratory.

On 25th September Chemicals Northwest member company, OAMPS Petrochemical and colleagues from “24-7” Response and OHES environmental services provider, sponsored this Chemical Elements event held at Runcorn.

Practical information was provided on dealing with chemical transport emergencies, insurance policies that include Level 2 and Level 3 response provision and practical solutions to incident clean-up and remediation arrangements. Complemented by numerous real life case studies, the speakers also covered standard insurance options for the rising levels of environmental liability and raising greater

awareness of the exposure companies may have to environmental claims. The role of a Fire Service Hazmat officer in responding to chemical incidents was provided by event co-sponsor, Bureau Veritas.

The event highlighted why it pays to have a reliable 24-hr emergency telephone number to cover premises as well as the transport and supply of products.

North Wales & Merseyside Responsible Care Cell On Wednesday, 4 September, the North Wales & Merseyside Responsible Care Cell held its autumn meeting at The Health, Runcorn with Aila Bursnall, David Pollard and John Roche representing the CIA and Chemicals Northwest.

There was some enthusiastic discussions regarding the Safety Representatives special meeting held in June, which was very well received by all participants.

This has paved the way to continue with this initiative for best practice and experience sharing. The group were updated on the purpose and priorities of National Resources Wales and in England, the Environment Agency provided more information regarding

the water framework directive. The CIA announced an agreement with the agency for an optional reporting model to the Resource Efficiency Physical Index.

Paul Sirett, HFL Risk Services presented on the pitfalls of human factors assessments involving critical task analysis and human reliability analysis.

For further information contact BursnallA@CIA.org.uk or PollardD@CIA.org.uk.

The event featured presentations on unpacking the UK’s science infrastructure including the UK’s supercomputer, latest accelerators, virtual engineering capabilities, SME laboratory space and also covering how companies can gain access to the latest technologies coming out of the European Space Agency (ESA) and CERN as well the funding structure around the UK and Europe to allow your company to gain the competitive edge. The event finished with a Daresbury Laboratory Facilities Tour, including: Hartree Centre for supercomputing, Virtual Engineering Centre, VELA Accelerator, I-TAC and the wider Sci-Tech Daresbury Campus.

CNW REACH Users Group Richard Roy REACHReady Technical Advisor of CIA ReachReady provided an update on the Authorisation stage of the REACH regulations during this latest meeting on 26th September at The Heath, Runcorn. This included the significance of managing substances of very high concern, how the candidate list works and the practical aspects of the authorisation phase. Companies shared on-going operational experiences associated with compliance with REACH including the quality of safety data sheets, translations, wider awareness of REACH amongst other business managers. John Roche, Operations Manager at Chemicals Northwest chaired the meeting.

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SYMMETRY LAW

Business staffed by market leading experts Symmetry Law is a law firm designed to deliver the high quality service levels of “large” law firms, at fee rates which will reduce your expenditure on external legal costs.

We do this by providing market leading lawyers and structuring our business so as to control overhead costs which can otherwise increase fee rates and dilute end value to the client.

permits, remediation, transaction due diligence, green incentives and corporate taxes, commercial contracts, supply agreements, site closure, plant construction agreements and disputes.

Our clients are in highly regulated sectors such as chemicals, energy, waste and heavy manufacturing, frequently operating “high consequence” plant and processes.

Subject to client needs we may deploy a diverse team comprising experts from complementary fields including the former UK Counsel of a global chemicals corporation, a former senior environmental regulator and expert technical consultants,where required, to provide an unrivalled spectrum of experience to the client.

We have advised companies in the chemicals sector for over 20 years and have seen the sweeping changes brought by global competition and legislative developments.

We aim to provide our clients with solutions to regulatory, environmental and commercial problems. We advise on environmental occurrences and infractions, regulator interaction,

Our people are leaders in their field, benefitting from 10 – 20 years specialist experience, with strong pedigrees from a range of international law firms and businesses. Our people have been active in UK CIA and Chemicals North West over a number of years.

By configuring Symmetry Law differently from conventional law firms we are able to offer preferential fee rates to our clients. Feedback suggests that our fee rates can deliver savings to clients of around 30% when compared to those of our competitors.

We seek to work closely with clients, often as an extension of an in-house team. We understand the budget holder’s need for fee certainty on legal projects and we look positively at opportunities for fee capping and fixed fees for defined scopes of work.

We look forward to having the opportunity to learn more about your business.

For further information please contact paul.bratt@symmetrylaw.co.uk or go to www.symmetry-law.co.uk.

our services

tel: 0161 883 1000 0152 425 1613 www.symmetry-law.co.uk contact@symmetry-law.co.uk

regulatory environmental nuclear commercial construction tax & green incentives litigation employment

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Tomlinson Hall & Co. Ltd BPMA Distributor of the Year Winner Est. 1919

Your Dedicated Pump Experts

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Available in the UK from our authorised distributor: Tomlinson Hall & Co. Ltd, Lagonda Road, Cowpen Lane Industrial Estate, Billingham, TS23 4JA

Safe, reliable, efficient operations?

Chemical operators aiming to achieve operational excellence in the face of increasing cost pressures and drives to cut downtime, increase operational reliability and efficiency, often require expert assistance. ABB Consulting offer expertise in; inspection, integrity management, operations improvement, process safety, project services, site and asset closure, technical engineering, technical software, technical training and competency. We benefit customers by reducing risk, optimising cost and improving manufacturing efficiency. www.abb.com/consulting

Absolutely.