UP FRONT 01
EDITOR’S LETTER
According to my diary, I should be in Budapest this month. I was
factor seems to be that they have all gone at least some way
rather looking forward to it – after all, it is a beautiful city, with
on the digitisation journey.
good food and wine, plenty to see and do, and nice people too.
Being able to quickly switch from office-based operations
Oh, and that was where EPCA was to hold its Annual Meeting this
to home working was a critical issue for many and one that
year. So, if all had gone to plan, I would be sitting now somewhere
was enabled best by having digitised systems and platforms
alongside the Danube, glass of beer in hand, having interesting
in place. Being able to locate and monitor transport assets
HCB-related chats with important people from the European
out in the real world was also a major benefit for many
petrochemical industry.
logistics service providers, again with the assistance not just
Instead, I am still in my home office, enjoying the last of the
of ‘track and trace’ systems but integrated telematics with
summer weather, and communicating with the world by means
real-time visibility, linked to ERP and other systems to help
of one of the many software systems that have sprung up to
operators make sure they could plan ahead with at least
keep us all working virtually during the travel and other physical
some confidence.
restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. By
It is clear from HCB’s conversations with many operators in
comparison, those old workhorses of mobile phone and email
the chemical logistics arena that the pandemic has accelerated
seem now rather quaint and old-fashioned, but they still work
the uptake of digitised systems and platforms. It is also apparent
well enough for most purposes.
that both they and their business partners have realised that
EPCA itself, in common with other organisations and commercial
investment in digitisation delivers rewards. Those rewards go
outfits that put on the conferences and events that help us do
further than just improved efficiency in operations, though:
business together, has had to re-imagine how its Annual Meeting
they include better relationships between the various players
can work in this virtual world and, as several pages in this issue
in the supply chain, better customer service, better care of the
of HCB reveal, has come up with some ideas as to how best to
health and safety of personnel in the field, and – something
keep the conversation flowing.
that may not have been expected – better performance in
And there is plenty to talk about. The disruptions caused
terms of sustainability and carbon emissions.
by the Covid-19 pandemic – as well as by rapid fluctuations in
EPCA’s Annual Meeting will try to look ahead to a post-
chemical feedstock prices, growing geopolitical tensions and
pandemic world but it seems inevitable that the gains that
the increasing demand for action on climate change – have
digitisation as a concept has made within this industry, so
thrown an unforgiving spotlight on inefficiencies within the
often slow to embrace new technologies, are here not just to
supply chain. Those that have been able to respond fastest
stay but to grow and to realise even greater benefits for all.
have had an advantage in the market – and the one common
Peter Mackay
WWW.HCBLIVE.COM
