Recap: WLPGA Innovation for Growth Summit

The WLPGA Innovation for Growth Summit took place at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C. on February 4, 2020. The event was cohosted by the World LPG Association (WLPGA), the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) and Propane Education and Research Council (PERC). The event welcomed more than 150 attendees from over 20 countries throughout the day.

The summit put together four sessions covering the success the industry has had using new applications and technologies, as well as the shortcomings of the industry regarding innovation leading to reduced competitiveness and even obsolescence. The summit invited top speakers in the industry and leaders in innovation. The summit opened with Tucker Perkins, President and CEO of PERC, and Steve Kaminski, President and CEO of NPGA, followed by the keynote address from Gordon Feller, Founder of Meeting of the Minds.

The first session, Innovate or Die, chaired by Neil Murphy, VP Business Development, UGI International, looked at the business landscape being littered with cautionary tales of huge companies that failed due to lack of in

novation. An unwillingness to innovate puts any company at risk of failure but refusing to evolve with the market can be even more devastating. This session welcomed a special guest, Rodney Allam, NET Power LLC and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Winner.

Fuel Innovation for Tomorrow, session 2 chaired by Rebecca Groen, Director Biofuels, SHV Energy, looked at how our industry has been fueled by fossil-derived propane and butane for over a century. The session asked what the future will hold in a low/zero carbon world?

The third session titled Applications

Innovations for Tomorrow was chaired by Tucker Perkins. This session dove into how the LPG industry can only prosper if we can be assured of competitive and efficient appliances. The audience was left thinking about how and what technology pathways in applications we should be following.

The last session of the day was chaired

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by Steve Kaminski and focused on the Supply Chain and Digital Innovation, ensuring a future safe, reliable and efficient supply chain to the customer. What can the LPG sector learn and what is being applied?

The Summit was closed by Henry Cubbon, WLPGA president and Managing Director, DCC LPG. The highlights and key takeaways

were the industry coming together to focus on the ability to adapt and innovate in order to remain competitive in fast changing world. Discussions focused on new applications and innovations in all segments of the industry.

The event also highlighted an ability of the industry to cooperate with NPGA, PERC and WLPGA coming together to host this global event.

Reprinted with permission from the World LP Gas Association.

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