Elements 8

A unique industry, with unique companies and unique news

08

El

Elements Spring 2014

CNW recap over 2013 Recruitment Feature Chemical Focus in Merseyside

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WELCOME AND MEMBERSHIP

Contents 4-6 CNW recap over 2013 9 Manchester – European

City of Science 2016 14-17 Chemical Focus in Merseyside 22, 33 Recruitment & Skills 23-25 Recruitment 26-27 The Big Interview 28-31 Recruitment 41 A Week in the Life of 42-43 New Members 44 Members Charity Spotlight 47-49 CNW Events

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Spring 2014 Elements The team at Chemicals Northwest have been busy over the last quarter; for a more detailed round up of 2013 and the previous quarter’s events and news please see the round-up section and the events pages in Elements.

We currently putting plans in place to hold the fifth Chemicals Northwest Awards Dinner in March 2015, please keep an eye out for further details on this.

Please keep an eye on our events page to see what events are coming up for the rest of 2014, we have a busy year planned and any suggestions and sponsorship for our events would be gratefully received www.chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk/events At the time of going to print we are in the process of finalising the membership renewals.

Your help and support over the last few years has been much appreciated. Without your contributions we would not be able to offer the events and services we provide for the chemical industry of the North West. If you are not members of Chemicals Northwest but would like to be please contact alex.heys@chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk Your continued support is very much appreciated.

Alex Heys Member Services & Event Manager

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.

Sponsor

This edition is sponsored by ITAL Logistics.

Front cover image supplied courtesy of Electrical Oil Services Ltd – www.eosl.co.uk

Membership of Chemicals Northwest Chemicals Northwest is the industry-led, chemical cluster support organisation for the £10 billion North West chemical sector, the largest in the UK. We are funded by our members and owned and supported by the Chemical Industries Association.

In 2013 - A typical year... n We organised or collaborated in,

over 28 events attracting over 1300 attendees n Our website attracts over 50,000 visitors a year with an audience incorporating the UK and worldwide, these include the USA, Germany and France. For example in March 2013 we had nearly 7,000 visits to the website with 73% of these being new visits and 4,700 of these visitors being from the UK. n Our growing LinkedIn group has nearly 900 members and is active on an almost daily basis. n We have also published articles in press/trade publications n Our regional awards dinner attracts over 250 guests n We offer support for students looking for work placements. n We organise regular breakfast events attended by a cross section of the industry and its support network n We organise topic specific events on current issues facing the industry as well as running a REACH User Group.

Member feedback from the last members survey told us...

Chemicals Northwest are part of The Chemical Industries Association

More than 85% of members identified events, networking and knowledge sharing, as the main reason for being a CNW member

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?

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

Benefits... n Free/reduced entry to Chemical

Elements and Breakfast Networking events plus the opportunity to present 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 n Discounted advertising rates for Chemicals Northwest Sector Directory and Website n Support and assistance with regulation and other legislative issues n Access to additional member benefits including: n 25% discount off the REACHReady Gold Subscription n Chemicals Northwest Buyers’ Club on a no savings, no fee basis n Discounted Insurance Rates n Free and Discounted Recruitment Services For further details contact Alex Heys – Member Services and Events Manager, alex.heys@chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk or phone 01928 515678

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CNW RECAP OVER 2013

Who we are...

Chemicals Northwest is an industry-led, cluster organisation that works with the chemistry-using industries of the North West.

Until March 2010 we were funded by industry, through our membership, and the Northwest Development Agency. We are now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chemical Industries Association, reliant on our membership and the private sector for funding. We have over 150 members companies but we regularly communicate and interact with a much greater percentage of the sector; approximately 4,500 contacts spread across 2,500 companies in the North West.

n networking, knowledge sharing events, conferences and

Our aim is to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the industry via the delivery of information, support, projects and programmes within the themes of sustainable development, skills, innovation and image. Our key activities and areas of focus are:

n improving the image of the industry as a whole.

workshops on industry topics that raise awareness and learning across the sector together. n creating opportunities for you to promote and grow your

businesses within the sector and beyond. n supporting projects that identify and enhance business

performance and generally support continuous improvement.

n along with the Chemical Industries Association we lobby on

behalf of the sector and have strong links to a wide range of other organisations.

If you are interested in joining Chemicals Northwest, please see the Membership section on page 3 of Elements.

The chemical industry in the North West is the leading UK chemical manufacturing region, with: n

Chemicals contributing around £3 billion annually to the regional economy

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The UK’s largest chemical exporting region at 27% of UK chemical related exports

(The region is both the largest and most diverse of the UK’s chemicals clusters, employing around 50,000 people – Sourced from www.tcetoday.com - July 2012)

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ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

CNW RECAP OVER 2013

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Events and Networks Chemicals Northwest hosts and participates in a number of industry-related seminars, workshops and networking events throughout the year, for the benefit of the regional cluster. We actively encourage all those connected with the chemistryusing industry to come along to these events for an opportunity to hear about key issues relating to the sector and network with others.

To see the winners of the awards and view the photo gallery, follow this link www.chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk/events/ chemicals_northwest_awards_2013 Plans have already commenced to hold our next awards dinner in March 2015 – please keep an eye out for further details.

Chemical Elements Chemical Elements is our popular series of seminars and workshops based around our key strategic themes: Sustainable Development, Innovation, Skills and Image.

Over the previous few months, Chemical Elements has featured a wide range of business topics such as: n Developing your key people n The Middle East – Challenges and Opportunities for the UK

Chemical Industry (together with UKTI and KPMG). n Successful Practices in Process Safety (alongside, ABB, IChemE,

Chemicals Northwest Awards Dinner – A “SELL OUT” Success The Annual Chemicals Northwest Awards Dinner, our fourth one was held on 10th October 2013 at the Imperial War Museum, Manchester. This event showcased the talent within the thriving North West Chemicals sector and its supporting industry.

A new record of nine awards up for grabs were: n Business Improvement Partner (sponsored by the Chemical

Industries Association) n Chemical Services Provider (sponsored by Kelly Services)

Cogent & NSAPI) n Emergency Preparedness and Minimising the Impacts

(sponsored by OAMPS and Bureau Veritas) n Showcasing Success in the North West – featuring our Award

winners n New & Emerging Legislative Impacts on Business (partnered

with Harrison, Goddard, Foote LLP) Forthcoming activities will focus on Supply Chain, REACH a time to plan, REACH User Group and behavioural/cultural safety.

Information on all of our events can be found on our website www.chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk/events/

n Engineering Business of the Year (sponsored by William Blythe) n Health, Safety & Environment (sponsored by Link Associates

International) n Innovation – Innovative Product or Process (sponsored by ABB

Limited) n International Trade (supported by UKTI) n Manufacturing Business of the Year (sponsored by Wickland

Westcott) n Operational Excellence (sponsored by Siemens Industry) n Young Achiever in the North West Chemical Sector (sponsored

by HTS Engineering Limited) The event was a sellout with a waiting list for places. We also had massive support from member companies who kindly helped to sponsor the event including those above and below. n ITAL Logistics for sponsoring the drinks reception n Solvay Interox Limited who sponsored the Awards trophies n Warrant Group who sponsored the Awards Dinner brochures continued page 6

ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

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CNW RECAP OVER 2013

from page 5

Breakfast Networking Through 2013 Chemicals Northwest continued to host our breakfast networking events, these events have no specific topic, but include several short pitches from selected attendees. The breakfast meetings have proved to be very popular and currently run on a two monthly basis; with approximately 40-60 people attending on each occasion. Over the last 12 months we have also held breakfast events in conjunction with Western Union, Daresbury STFC, BakerRisk, Perry Process Equipment, Cogent and RSC.

Common Interest Groups Chemicals Northwest’s REACH common interest group is currently restricted to members only and is proving to be very popular, with over 40 local businesses joining the forum. The initiative allows the sharing of experience, best practice and knowledge between manufacturing, supply chain and support services with an interest in REACH. In addition Chemicals Northwest is in the process of launching a brand new Supply Chain group with joint pioneers, Brabners Stuart. The first gathering took place in late March 2014 with a number of esteemed speakers setting the scene regarding the benefits of this much-needed focus.

Partner events and exhibitions Chemicals Northwest is also an enthusiastic partner with other organisations who are equally keen to strengthen the public and service sector offering to our industry. We frequently co-host and represent the northwest chemical industry at relevant events, such as the Industry Connect Breakfast event in conjunction with Cogent and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

We have also represented Chemicals Northwest at various events including the ‘Share and Inspire’ event hosted by Region Plus and BBC North, which relates to local business analysis.

Publications and social media Sector Directory

Chemistry - using sector directory 2013/14

In addition to our annual sector directory, we also publish a quarterly magazine – Elements, in conjunction with Distinctive Publishing! Elements contains the latest round up of member news, new member’s spotlights and interesting features on our four theme areas – skills, Innovation, sustainable development and image. CNW Elements has developed dramatically into an easy to read source of information and news l E for all our chemistry using businesses.

Elements

, with unique A unique industry

and unique companies

news

07

Winter 2014

New – Supply Chemical Chain Forum 12-page and Transport re Logistics Featu Focus Chemical r in Mancheste Legal/IP Feature

Sponsors

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ts of Elemen of this edition

There are more in-depth features, for example – Transport and Logistics and Legal Aspects in the winter 2013 edition. We have also introuduced interview sections, charity features from our member companies and even more opportunities for companies in the sector to advertise.

ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

Hosting and Supporting Chemical Industry Employer Network (CIEN)

In conjunction with Distinctive Publishing we also produce an annual directory which includes a comprehensive list of our member companies, industry news and features.

Elements Magazine

The Chemicals Northwest LinkedIn group was created in the latter half of 2010 and has an ever increasing membership, with nearly 900 members in the group. It provides an opportunity for all of our chemical industry professionals to network and share ideas and knowledge. The group was created by Chemicals Northwest to encourage a unique hub and is particularly to new members as they find their way around the network in order to make new contacts. Please join the group and see how it can benefit you and your business.

We work closely with Cogent and host the North West Chemical Industry Employer Network formerly the Chemskills Group, led

by Cogent − a network of over 40 companies represented by HR or Training Managers who come together to share knowledge, experience and expertise.

Responsible Care Cells RESPONSIBLE CARE is the international chemical industry’s commitment to continual improvement in all aspects of health, safety and environmental (HS&E) performance. Run by our owners CIA, Responsible Care Cells bring local chemical manufacturing companies together regularly to discuss environmental, process safety, occupational health & hygiene, product stewardship, emergency response, community liaison and industry reputation issues. The cells meet quarterly and mix round-table discussion with presentations from guest speakers. An unrivalled network within the global Responsible Care community, CNW is proud to facilitate two local groups here in Runcorn: Cheshire & Manchester and Merseyside and Lancashire areas. Further details on the Responsible Care Cell network, please go to www.cia.org.uk/ResponsibleCareRoot/Networks.aspx

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C ech INNOVATION

EUROPEAN CITY OF SCIENCE 2016

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Manchester named European City of Science for 2016 Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell has welcomed an announcement made on 30th September that Manchester will be European City of Science in 2016.

The Minister for Science and Universities David Willetts MP revealed this morning that the city has been selected to host the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) which takes place every two years – it was staged in Dublin last year and moves to Copenhagen in 2014.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said: “This exciting announcement cements Manchester’s position as a world leader in science and technology. This is Europe’s largest general scientific conference and it will bring 4500 delegates to the City in July 2016, including global scientific and technology leaders.

“The theme of the 2016 Forum will be breakthroughs in science and the conditions needed for a city to capitalise on scientific knowledge: from education through to investment in science.”

Professor Luke Georghiou, Vice-President for Research and Innovation at The University of Manchester, was jointly responsible for the team, in partnership with the City authorities, that prepared the successful the bid to host ESOF 2016.

He said: “We are delighted to be able

role of science and technology in society and public policy, and stimulate and provoke public interest, excitement and debate about science and technology.

The EuroScience Open Forum will be hosted in Manchester from July 22-27, 2016. The successful ESOF bid was put together by The University of Manchester, Manchester City Council, Visit Manchester, New Economy and Marketing Manchester.

Dame Nancy Rothwell

to organise Europe’s biggest general science conference in Manchester in 2016.

With Manchester’s unique tradition in technology, industry, engineering, science and innovation we are sure that we can offer a superb environment for delegates from all over the world.

Dr. Gail Cardew, chairperson of the ESOF Supervisory Board, said: “For a city to be awarded ESOF is to effectively give them the title of European City of Science. The city becomes a focal point for a discussion about science, not just among scientists but with the whole city.

“We are looking forward to working together with EuroScience to make Manchester 2016 a worthy successor to Dublin 2012 and Copenhagen 2014, and we are grateful for the support from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.”

“Manchester’s tradition of world class research together with engaging the public provides a perfect backdrop for ESOF, and we look forward to developing a strong and exciting programme with the President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, and the VicePresident for Research and Innovation, Professor Luke Georghiou.”

The main aims of ESOF are to showcase the latest advances in science and technology, promote a dialogue on the

(Information courtesy of the University of Manchester, member of Chemicals Northwest)

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HAZTECH CONSULTANTS LTD

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Anatomy of an Improvement Notice – Could it happen to you?

By Steve Kershaw Director Haztech Consultants Ltd.

Hopefully as a CEO or SHE manager of an operating company, you will never receive an improvement notice or prosecution from the HSE, you comply with legislation and implement good practice, why should you?

HSE have an enforcement policy and are obliged to take enforcement action as part of its statutory duties. This can take the form of: n Improvement notice n Prohibition notice n Prosecution

If you have had an accident you would expect HSE enforcement action. We have worked with such companies, supporting them with loss investigations and improvement plans, this article is not about them. The surprise comes where companies think they are operating within the law but are still issued an HSE improvement notice or prohibition notice.

How can this happen? Donald Rumsfeld puts it ‘succinctly!?’

“Reports that say that something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns; that is to say, there are things that we now know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns”. - United States Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld Or ‘You Don’t Know, What You Don’t Know!’

This article is an example from one such company, they use TDI in bulk for the production of expanded flexible foam. TDI is a sensitizer and very toxic by inhalation.

They had a good safety record. There

were no previously reported problems and indications were good; low numbers of reported incidents and near misses, successful TDI supplier audits, HSE and EA positive comments “COMAH/ EA system working really well”.

To understand why they were issued three improvement notices we need to look at the history.

1980 – New Plant, highly competent safety and engineering staff, fully aware of process hazards.

2006 – New MD and plant manager, older asset.

2008 – Recession, deep cut into UK organisation, loss of plant safety personnel.

2010 – New plant manager. Focus on production but no process plant management experience.

2012 – New MD, new plant manager, new SHE responsible.

2012 – The new SHE manager began to uncover problems with the Safety Management Systems. Then following a poor evacuation drill, the HSE dig

deeper and find significant deficiencies in plant information, procedures and risk assessments and so issue three improvement notices because the company cannot demonstrate they have taken ‘All Necessary Measures to Prevent Major Accident Hazards’. This results in considerable expense and reallocation of effort from production to comply with the improvement notices.

The problem was the earlier changes in staff and financial pressures. Previous management focused on production but had no process safety competence, ‘they did not know what they did not know’.

Over time plant information, procedures and risk assessment fell below standards required for a process plant. As a company they needed: n Management of Change procedure to

include personnel. n People in Key roles with ‘Competency’

suitable for the plant and operations. n One HSE focus is on demonstrating

‘Competence’, as a company: How do you ensure that you ‘know what you don’t know’?

Risk Management Consultants Management of Safety, Health & Environmental risk is essential for an organisation to achieve its goals and maintain profitability.

Services l COMAH l DSEAR l LOPA/SIL Assessment l Human Factors l Loss Investigation l Fire Engineering

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www.haztechconsultants.com Info@haztechconsultants.com +44 (0)1606 553840

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QUALIFICATION SERIES

Putting Process Safety at the heart of your business

Fundamentally, the primary responsibility for the board of any company is to set strategic aims and objectives for the business and then deliver to them, to ensure long-term profitability and sustainability for the shareholders.

Most will appreciate that profitability in the present will not guarantee sustainability, especially if the needs of the stakeholders are not adequately addressed. For example, businesses that continue to hurt their employees, cause distress to their neighbours or damage the environment, or ones that fall foul of the Regulators will ultimately feel increasing pressure to change. In the worst cases, this pressure to change can lead to crisis and throw strategy into turmoil.

Good Corporate Governance in Process Safety Balancing the “ask”, that is balancing the demands of the business, requires those in control to understand and assess the wider needs of the stakeholder group, take appropriate action, and apportion resources in a way that will help meet expectations. But this is nothing new and board members will be well accustomed to balancing conflicting demands and managing risk - they will define actions, grant power to subordinates and verify performance through a system of governance.

When it comes to good corporate governance in process safety, however, individual board members, especially those from non-technical backgrounds, can sometimes have difficulty in fulfilling their duties, either because they do not fully understand the technical detail or because their subordinates do not collectively possess the necessary technical knowledge and management skills to ensure that appropriate risk control systems – internal controls – are in place and remain effective. All too often we find that the underlying causes of accidents lie in poor management decisions resulting from a lack of adherence to adequate policies for process safety.

Effective Internal Controls and the need for Competent Staff Simply put, good process safety management requires an organisation to understand and define safe operating conditions for its hazardous processes and put appropriate measures in place to ensure they are maintained. In practice, the measures will be a mix of engineering and procedural controls, requiring competent people to design and implement them. Understanding the criticality of each of the measures and how people can affect integrity requires an understanding of the impact of excursions, potential degradation mechanisms and likelihood of failure. Given that it is incumbent on the organisation to show that the risks to people and the environment are as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP), it follows that all those involved in implementing and maintaining controls pertinent to process safety must be equipped to do so. Consequently, there is requirement to demonstrate competence.

Many of the training courses available have been developed to improve knowledge and understanding of key technical aspects, such as the approach to HAZOP, LOPA and SIL studies, hazardous area classification, human factors, etc.

Relatively few, on the other hand, focus on good management practice in process safety and fewer still provide a demonstration of competence.

Vocational training offers greater business benefits Being competent in a role does not necessarily equate with being qualified to do it. In order to demonstrate competency, individuals need the requisite skills to be able to perform the tasks required of them, but also an understanding of the consequences of not performing those tasks in the correct manner, in the correct sequence, at the correct time and so forth. Having the correct attitude towards the job in hand is also crucial, as is an appreciation of how to apply skills and knowledge in unfamiliar and emergency situations, since this is invariably when accidents occur.

COMPLIANCE

RISK ASSESSMENT

RISK MANAGEMENT

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Training is, of course, an essential element in demonstrating competency but without practical application of those skills in real-life situations, competence cannot be assured. This is where vocational training courses have a considerable advantage over their academic counterparts.

Training is provided through a series of interactive presentations, workshops and directed learning relevant to the learners industry, and workshops and training courses can be delivered in-house or as part of an open learning arrangement. The modular composition of the courses gives flexibility and allows delegates to study at a time and pace convenient to their own working hours.

Building on an understanding of industry needs through pioneering benchmarking (work supported by the CIA, HSE and NSAPI), HFL Risk Services has developed a suite of process safety management qualifications covering Continuous Improvement in Process Safety.

The CIProS™ qualifications have been designed to promote good management practice in process safety, from senior management to supervisory levels, across all functional groups. In fact they will be of value to anyone who has an active part to play in process safety.

Vocational in nature, the qualifications can be used to help demonstrate individual and organisational competence, drive positive change and improve process safety overall.

Whether at Level 7 or Level 3, successful completion equips the candidates with the skills, competence and confidence to help implement, embed and sustain a culture of Continuous Improvement in Process Safety within their own companies.

The CIProS™ Qualification Series: Regulated training for all levels The CIProS™ Qualification Series comprises certificates and diplomas in Continuous Improvement in Process Safety at QCF Level 3 and Level 7. The structure and content has been developed to build on the NSAPI accredited awareness training in Process Safety Leadership and Process Safety Management to deliver tangible business benefits. The qualifications, which are awarded by PAA\VQ-SET and regulated by Ofqual, have been designed in direct response to industry research into process safety policy setting and deployment, and have been deliberately aligned to support the Cogent Sector Skills Council’s Gold Standard.

HFL Risk Services believes in delivering training and qualifications that bring measurable benefits to both the business and the individual. Rather than using solely theoretical examples, individuals are encouraged to tackle and resolve real issues in the workplace.

Why train with us?

HFL Risk Services is a National Skills Academy Process Industries (NSAPI) Centre of Excellence for Process Safety Management and as such we have provided professional advice and assistance for the development of the Cogent Sector Skills Council’s national training standards for Process Safety Leadership and Management.

Building on this our CIProS™ qualifications are the only nationally-recognised and independently regulated process safety qualifications of their kind, developed in collaboration with industry, for industry.

Moreover, our training team consists of technical experts with professional teaching, assessing and internal verification qualifications.

To find out more about our qualification series and current course dates, please call 0161 304 5902 or visit www.hflrisk.com

n

CHEMICAL FOCUS IN MERSEYSIDE

Focus on…Liverpool Liverpool in general Liverpool is a city in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, famous for; the Beatles, the city wide iconic architecture and “scousers”.

Two football teams, Liverpool and Everton who play on opposite sides of Stanley Park on the outskirts of the city centre. Also for the world famous Grand National horse race which takes place at Aintree Racecourse in April each year and has been “running” since 1837.

Transport Liverpool Liverpool is linked by the M62 and indirectly linked to the M6, M57 and M58. The Mersey tunnels also connect Liverpool with the Wirral and smaller roads make Liverpool accessible from Wales, Cheshire, Warrington, Runcorn, St Helens etc. Two rail networks support Liverpool including a line which connects to the airport. The local rail network is one of the busiest and most extensive in the country. Liverpool airport, also known as Liverpool John Lennon airport services the UK and Europe and carries on average 5.3 million passengers each year. The port of Liverpool is one of Britain’s largest ports. The ferry terminal between the Pier Head, Birkenhead and Wallasey is also a useful transport link but it is also a tourist attraction made famous largely due to “Ferry across the Mersey” song.

History of Liverpool The history of Liverpool dates back to 1190. Cotton was one of the main products of ‘Liuerpul’ as it was originally known in 1190. Liverpool was the world leading market in Cotton. Liverpool was first linked by canal to Manchester in 1721, the St. Helens coalfield in 1755, and Leeds in 1816. In 1830, Liverpool became

Albert Dock

home to the World’s first inter-urban rail link to another city, Manchester, through the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.

Liverpool’s docks and manufacturing industries went into decline during the 1970’s and 80’s and unemployment was well above the national average.

Since the mid 90’s Liverpool has revived itself, became Capital of Culture in 2008 and the Liverpool economy grew faster than the national average partly due to the construction of the Liverpool One Centre and significant regeneration projects to have taken place in the city include the new Commercial District, King’s Dock, Mann Island, the Lime Street Gateway, the Baltic Triangle, RopeWalks and the Edge Lane Gateway. All projects could however soon be eclipsed by the Liverpool Waters scheme which if built will cost in the region of £5.5billion and be one of the largest megaprojects in the UK’s history. Liverpool Waters is a mixed use development which will contain one of Europe’s largest skyscraper clusters.

In 2014, Liverpool is host to The International Festival for Business (IFB), the largest global concentration of business events during 2014. The 50-day festival runs across 7 weeks in June and July and will attract business delegates and trade intermediaries from around the world.

One of the IFB themes for the event is manufacturing, science and technology.

Part of the IFB 2014’s prime objectives is to foster new business relationships and opportunities that may lead to direct commercial trade and investment outcomes for UK companies of all sizes, across all sectors. Chemicals Northwest

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ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

along with Brabners are hoping to run an event following on from the supply chain event in March alongside the IFB, keep an eye out for further details.

Our members in Liverpool Out of the 156 member companies in Chemicals Northwest membership, 16 are from the Liverpool and Merseyside region.

7 of these are chemical manufacturers including one from the pharmaceutical industry. Breakdown of the other 9 include environmental companies, legal and logistic and technical service providers.

Facts about Liverpool Liverpool’s is home to the World’s first fully electrically powered overhead railway, the Liverpool Overhead Railway, which was opened in 1893 and so pre-dated those in both New York and Chicago.

For periods during the 19th century the wealth of Liverpool exceeded that of London itself and Liverpool’s Custom House was the single largest contributor to the British Exchequer.

Railways, ferries and the skyscraper were all pioneered in Liverpool, together with the first societies for animal and child protection, the first schools for the blind, for working-men, and for girls. Liverpool was the port of registry of the ocean liner, the RMS Titanic.

With thanks to Wikipedia (en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Liverpool) and the International Festival for Business website www.ifb2014. com/About-IFB-i2 for providing the information on this page.

WARRANT GROUP

Warrant Group celebrates its 25th anniversary Global supply chain specialist, Warrant Group, is celebrating 25 years in business.

The Liverpool based company is excited about the future as it looks to build upon the strong foundations already laid.

Export Director, Jarrad Bycroft, explained: “Warrant Group’s skills and expertise have earned us a strong reputation.

Warrant Group’s commitment to providing high standards of customer service against stringent KPI’s has helped it secure major contracts for packed chemicals.

“Clients utilise our best in class supply chain architecture due to the complex nature of their chemical operations.

The same ethos is also providing good foundations for liquid chemicals following Warrant Group’s announcement of a new partnership with German based Leschaco Group last year.

Warrant Group now manages all import and export requirements of Leschaco’s deep sea ISO tank container business within the UK.

“Managed by Warrant Group’s experienced and dedicated team, we develop partnerships through a truly client-focused approach.”

The company will be marking its 25th anniversary with a number of celebrations, including making the most of an international audience on its own waterfront at the International Festival for Business.

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Steven Hughan Business Development Manager Steven joined Warrant Group in July 2013 from a strong background in shipping and business development.

He is now focused on demonstrating Warrant Group’s global expertise to the industry, including its membership of Eurteam – a strategic European alliance of supply chain specialists providing services solely to the chemical sector.

Steven explained: “Warrant Group’s experience and reputation in handling freight and logistics for some of the world’s biggest chemical companies speaks for itself.

“Being part of Eurteam gives us more than just a local approach. Each partner is a specialist with an exceptional knowledge base and the experience of working with clients operating plants across Europe and beyond.

“I am very pleased to have joined the company at such an exciting time as we celebrate our 25th anniversary.”

THE RIGHT FORMULA FOR CHEMICAL SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS CALL: 0151 955 0670 EMAIL: JARRAD.BYCROFT@WARRANT-GROUP.COM STEVEN.HUGHAN@WARRANT-GROUP.COM WWW.WARRANT-GROUP.COM/CNW

VIEW OUR PROFILE

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CHEMICAL FOCUS IN MERSEYSIDE

STEM apprenticeships day Wirral Metropolitan College hosted a STEM apprenticeships day on 27th March of Science based activities with MerseyStem as part of the U.K. wide ‘BIG BANG’ events for local pupils.

Over 100 pupils from Merseyside schools gained a better understanding of STEM apprenticeships by taking part in activities delivered by local Employers and Universities, with hands on experience.

The activities included programming robots, making batteries, discovering how surgery saves lives in heart patients, how to develop and market deodorant and hair products and how the production of fertiliser puts food on our table.

Employers taking part included Unilever (Port Sunlight), Royal Society of Chemistry, University of Royal Liverpool University Hospital, GrowHow, Pentagon Chemicals,

Institute of Physics and Hope Computing.

The pupils also had the chance to speak with Science based Apprentices from Wirral Met and find out how apprentices progress in STEM careers.

For careers advice on STEM Apprenticeships and F.E. go to www.wmc.ac.uk

Marketing tools for business growth Continuously promoting any kind of business is essential to making progress. Industrial photographer, Adrian Waine has added a new idea to his web site, which can be viewed at adrianwaine.com/video as an introduction to any company or manufacturing process, a video could benefit any type of business big or small.

If you process metals or make chemicals or transport goods around the country, this could be a new string to your 2014 marketing bow!

He has married still images with graphics and a soundtrack to create a short but very effective promotional programme, ideal for a boardroom presentation or exhibition stand. Yes, the photography needs to come first, but there is an enormous amount that can be done with it. In addition to the usual roles of illustrating brochures and marketing materials, this kind of film can be produced to suit different languages which can then feature on your own web site.

Whilst the government encourages small businesses to take advantage of exports, this is a marketing tool which could reach new clients anywhere in the world. Ideal

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ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

CRA Europe

He believes the manufacturing sector has to be seriously nurtured and encouraged to expand as much as possible.

Photography is used as a marketing medium to highlight the skills and abilities both within the UK and abroad. Adrian is currently working with a variety of clients in Runcorn and Widnes and Liverpool who serve bigger organizations with their cross section of activities. Freight forwarding

by Warrant, panel building and controls

by Shearfab and laser engraving and printing rollers by Sandon Global. Each is making his own contribution to the rising economy and its encouraging to see completed orders en route with the knowledge that they originated here in the north west.

Adrian can be contacted on 0151 356 3855 or at adrianwaine@btopenworld.com

Bryan Hughes Director

CRA Europe is part of the CRA family of companies, one of the world’s leading environmental, health and safety consultancy practices. CRA opened an office on Derby Road, Liverpool, in the autumn of 2012, with the specific aim of being closer to existing and potential clients in the Merseyside and North West region. Liverpool was selected by CRA as an office location because the city itself was seen to be attracting a great deal of international investment interest and has good communication links required by our global business; particularly by road, rail and air.

Being located in Liverpool offers CRA the ability to recruit from and draw upon local skills appropriate to the nature of the company’s work. Combining the potential to increase CRA’s skill base and capability with the potential for new clients, underpins CRA’s vision to grow within Liverpool and the North West. As a result CRA has immersed itself in Liverpool’s business culture, to become members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Mersey & Dee Alliance.

CRA originally developed as a company following its cleanup work on the “Love Canal” landfill in Niagara Falls, New York in the midlate 1970s. That project became one of the pinnacle environmental projects in US history and was the primary impetus behind the ongoing US Superfund programme.

CHEMICAL FOCUS IN MERSEYSIDE

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lots of different teams with stands and crowds, I even had a tape recorder to play the sounds of the crowd it was seriously intensive.. I think if there is one question I would want you to leave off this Q&A it would be that one…

Favourite Movie? IJ Shawshank Redemption JB I have seen Terminator 2 over 30 times now, I’m not sure why I am proud of that statement…

Favourite Song or Artist? IJ Dakota by the Stereophonics JB Don’t Look Back In Anger - Oasis Favourite sports team/sports star? IJ Liverpool FC / Seve Ballesteros JB Liverpool FC Which is the one event that has had the biggest impact on you and your life? IJ Sadly my father’s death JB Getting married and having a family, I’m immensely grateful for my wife and children.

Favourite holiday destination/resort?

IJ USA – too many good places to name one.

Ian Jones

Jarrad Bycroft

Managing Director, Warrant Group

Export Director, Warrant Group

What is your favorite Chemical Element and why? IJ Oxygen, a life necessity JB Oxygen, well it keeps us all alive doesn’t it?

Who was your Hero as a child? IJ My Dad JB Steve Austin (The 6 Million Dollar Man) Were you a part of the popular or elite crowd in your school? Why or why not? JB Definitely not, I wasn’t considered good looking enough If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? IJ The power to fly, it must be one of the most invigorating feelings and looks great fun JB Growing up I wanted to be Spiderman or Batman to be able to solve crimes and do good.

Best Concert you’ve been to? IJ U2 JB Oasis, Maine Road 1996 If you could meet one person in history, who would it be and why? IJ Lee Harvey Oswald – Did you do it? JB Bill Shankly, I’d love to hear the great man tell me his life story.

If you won 100million on the euro millions, what percentage would you give to friends/charity? JB I would have to see how much the wife spends in the first week then go from there.

What is the first thing you do when you get up every morning? IJ Feed the dogs JB Trust me, you don’t want to know!

If you could spend a night with a celebrity who would it be? Why? IJ Not one particular person but would have to be a comedian so we would have a good laugh JB Probably Noel Gallagher, I love his music – I play a bit so we could have a jam session.

Which one country would you want relocate to if you had the opportunity? IJ USA JB Does the Wirral count ? I relocated here from the East Coast in 2012. I’ve always fancied Australia or New Zealand.

Have you ever been fired from a job? IJ No JB Not yet.

What was your first tattoo or piercing and where is it? What does it stand for? JB My wifes name is on my arm.

If you could be a cartoon character who would it be? Why? IJ Dick Dastardly, he was certainly left field JB Peter Griffin, well theres a bit of Peter Griffin in all of us right?

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? IJ Footballer JB I wanted to be a policeman but I was underweight – imagine that criteria now!

When was the last time you cried? Why? JB My teenies proms last year and the year before were a killer both on the pocket and old heartstrings!

What is you favorite flavor of ice cream? IJ Mint Chocolate Chip JB Rum and Raisin.

What did you most get into trouble for when you were younger? IJ Being cheeky and wanting the last word, sorry Mum JB I was always messing about in school trying be funny and make people laugh, invariably I went too far!

What is the one thing that disgusts you? IJ Cruelty JB Rude and arrogant people.

What was your favourite toy as a child? IJ My football JB Has to be subbuteo football game, I spent hours playing it, had

What is your favorite meal? IJ Medium Rare Fillet Steak & Chips JB Chicken Fajitas with Chilli Sauce.

What do you want to do when you retire? JB There’s a nice old fella in my local Sainsburys, sits there 4 hours a day on the tills ringing through the items, chatting to old folk about this that and the other, he is genuinely the most contented and happy man I’ve ever seen and I’ve told him I’m coming for his job some time in the future!

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European Road Freight Transport Specialists

Freight forwarding is a service industry, the key word of which is so often overlooked. Apart from the obvious physical aspects of engaging in the logistical operations, which many such companies can no doubt manage equally as well, there is, more importantly, customer service. How the latter is managed is what makes or breaks a relationship with the client.

Founded in August 2000, the original aim of Ital Logistics was to provide a quality, reliable and personalised service.

From the beginning this has always been a guiding philosophy and, irrespective of client status, be they the sole trader or the conglomerate, every client benefits from bespoke solutions tailored to their individual needs.

On three occasions we have entered the British International Freight Association Awards; firstly in 2002 when we were winners of the ‘European Services Award’; next in 2007 picking up the same winner’s trophy for a second time; and more recently in 2012 when we reached the finals. This, from the industry’s governing body, is praise indeed and vindication of our business ethic.

Since our inception in August 2000, our service portfolio has increased beyond Italy to include freight services to and from Spain, Portugal, and Greece, as well as offering freight forwarding services throughout Western, Central and Eastern Europe.

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“

The aim of Ital Logistics is to provide a quality, reliable and personalised service.

In October 2004, we re-located to a new 30,000 sq ft facility just off the M60 ring road around Manchester. The need to relocate to larger premises had become increasingly necessary due to continued growth. Receiving facilities in the South and the Midlands complement our UK coverage.

Our investment has for sure paid dividends. Year on year we see increases in client base, turnover and (although regrettably not as much!) profitability. In a fragile economic climate this has to be testament to the service levels provided, our vision, and how Ital Logistics is perceived to the outside world.

There is nothing pretentious about Ital Logistics. We have built our reputation by providing a reliable and competitive service to the very best of our abilities, and we will continually endeavour to do just that. The only way to evaluate if we do what we say is to try our service. As one of our clients who did sample our service quoted – “Well done to you and your driver yesterday. Your reputation as a ‘doer’ is refreshing by contrast to the plethora of suppliers I am burdened with who ‘can’t do’.”

Phil Denton Managing Director

Dangerous Goods Experts Around 25% of our total business is made up of the transport of Dangerous Goods. Many companies shy away from this niche market due to its complexity, so we find that many of our competitors make use of our specialism in this sector and utilise our services.

I decided that as Managing Director of Ital Logistics it was my duty to take on the role of Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor (DGSA) in April 2004. Since then I have continued to renew my qualification, and have been joined by Derek Heap as secondary DGSA to the Company. In addition to this, all members of our team involved in this area of our job are awareness trained and refreshed as regulations change.

There are many differences between the road, rail, sea and air regulations, even though with each revision the regulations come closer to alignment. In house we utilise a bespoke program designed by myself, which we call the HAZculator.

This program collates all IMDG and ADR data, plus Eurotunnel and various other tunnel & port data, and returns correct Dangerous Goods Descriptions, including all associated regulations specific to the UN number or chemical name being searched. Additionally, it makes compatibility checks for up to 7 different UN numbers, as well as checking against other non-compatible items such as foodstuffs for example.

The UK is an island. Therefore, even just to get into the closest European country, we must use a combination of modes, and as the regulations are not completely aligned, there are often conflicts.

If you require any specific information or advice on the movement of Dangerous Goods, please feel free to contact us, either by telephone, or email dgsa@Ital-logistics.com and we will be pleased to assist.

“

At Ital Logistics we take the matter of transporting goods which are hazardous very seriously indeed, and do our utmost to ensure that they are carried in compliance with the rules of ADR & IMDG.

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For Rates & Bookings call 0845 308 2417 or visit www.ital-logistics.com

Tanker Fall Prevention & Safe Loading Systems MEET ALL HSE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF FALLS FROM ROAD TANKERS WITH OUR ACCESS & LOADING SOLUTIONS LP1600 - Tanker Safe Access Systems & Folding Stairs Our access platforms & gantry’s offer:- Safety hand rails, anti-slip flooring & kicker plates - Low cost modular design & fast on-site installation - Wide range of height & platform sizes FOLDING STAIRS adjust to height of tanker - Safety working cage to prevent falls - Spring balanced for easy operation

TopTank - Mobile Tanker Access LP1600 Loading Platform, Folding Stairs & Chemical Top Loading Arm

- For locations where fixed gantry’s are not suitable - Integral access ladder & fall prevention cage - Height adjustable cage to fit all size tankers - Easy one person operation - Double size ISO container cage option - Meets HSE tanker fall prevention recommendations

Chemical Loading & Unloading Arms

TopTank Unit With ISO Tank Safety Cage

- Ensures the safe & clean transfer of liquids - Used to safely load many hazardous & corrosive chemicals - Spring balanced for light & easy operation - Options include pneumatic control, high level shut off & vapour recovery - Removes requirement for manual handling of heavy hoses & couplers

Tanker Loading Safety & Control Equipment A range of complimentary equipment to protect personnel & plant from accidental drive offs & unsafe load sequences including:- Earth-Rite RTR - Tanker static grounding system - Trapped key interlock system - Sequential control of loading operations - Traffic barriers - Safely control tanker movements in loading & unloading operations

Molasses Top Loading Arm, Folding Stairs & Access Gantry

The safest way to protect personnel from the hazards of working at height during tanker access operations

email: sales@inflow.co.uk

web: www.inflow.co.uk

tel: +44 (0) 1375 387 155

fax: +44 (0) 1375 387 420

ABB

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Risk Based Inspection, opportunity for improvement?

Over the years, managing integrity has become increasingly challenging due to a mix of regulatory pressures and confronting the issues around ageing assets. Paul Jackson looks back at 20 years of Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) on pressure systems and discusses what’s next.

ABB have undertaken RBI at locations all over the world, with 30,000 RBI assessments completed, including studies at 30 sites in the north west region, from our UK headquarters in Daresbury.

A key differentiator of the ABB process is the Written Scheme of Examination (WSE) is the focus of the process rather than an intermediate step in carrying out a risk analysis. The ABB process started in 1993 when a team approach with plant staff input based on risk was used to improve the effectiveness of the WSE’s on high hazard plant. This continued to develop until a step change in 1996 when the American Petroleum Institute (API) published API 581 (Risk Based Inspection – Base Resource Document). This signified the name change to RBI and documented a methodology for both qualitative and quantitative RBI methods. Whether to use qualitative or quantitative RBI is a subject in its own right, both have advantages and disadvantages. ABB Consulting believes the qualitative method is best for the majority of equipment as it uses data specific to the item and the team based approach ensures all factors, including the operations and maintenance regimes are considered.

The next step change was development of software. With the volume of data increasing and the need for a structured auditable approach, spreadsheets were no longer able to cope. Software continued to be developed significantly improving the quality of the RBI process, reducing the time to complete a study and enabling data mining of information from different sectors, operating plants and items of equipment. ABB’s RBI software contains over 30,000 individual equipment items,

an automated tool for validation of noninvasive examination, a corrosion loop tool and a knowledge platform – all available via the internet. Other improvements included improved documentation of the decision making process, particularly in the authoritative review section, where it became mandatory to provide more detail on how to inspect for each deterioration mechanism. This enabled the logic behind the decisions to be documented for future review.

cleaning) was reduced from £3.65M to £2.31M, saving over £1.34M

Case Study

This focus on improving the process will continue with further software development, greater use of corrosion circuits, virtual meetings and much better data mining of the many assets already assessed.

ABB were contracted to prepare the initial WSE and inspection strategy for a new facility using our RBI methodology. For equipment with no history, the customer’s procedures required full internal examination of all items after 26 months.

ABB were able to compare the equipment to similar pieces of equipment, with similar operating conditions in our RBI knowledge database allowing extension to the initial examination date. The ABB team prepared the inspection strategy, Written Schemes of Examination and RBI reviews for all the plant items.

Results 36 of the equipment items were assigned non-invasive WSE, eliminating the requirement for confined space entry and improving safety.

The average interval between inspections was increased from the nominal 26 months to 61 months. The total cost of inspection (including access, process preparation and

Future development Many organisations have only applied RBI to the safety critical equipment. Considering business risk and making the process more efficient means that RBI is now justified for most containment equipment. It is also likely that the process will increasingly be used more for lifting equipment, machines and civil and structural assets.

Revalidation or reviewing of existing studies has not always been carried out.

It ensures the WSE based on RBI is a living document reflecting the current condition and knowledge of the equipment.

Reviewing the inspection, maintenance and operating conditions data can normally be done remotely thus reducing the time commitment on plant personnel.

Risk Based Inspection improves the knowledge of the equipment ensuring interventions whether to repair, replace or maintain are planned, preventing breakdowns and reducing both HSE and business risk. RBI can also be an effective means of cost control with the study having a payback period of less than 6 months.

For further information on the RBI software please visit www.prime-toolkit.com or contact paul.jackson@gb.abb.com

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RECRUITMENT & SKILLS

Siemens and Trafford College in groundbreaking skills partnership Siemens and Trafford College partner to launch a groundbreaking skills and apprenticeship partnership in order to help tackle the region’s engineering skills shortage The partnership will see students from across the North West train at the new Centre for Science and Technology which has received over £15M of new investment, equipped with a Siemens lab in order to help engineering apprentices across a number of businesses to become qualified and employed in the sector.

Siemens has supplied the college with cutting edge industrial technologies and 12 apprentices will train at the college focusing on electrical engineering.

The college has opened a new lab which has been installed with Siemens ‘programmable logic controllers’ which are designed to help young people learn about factory automation.

The partnership is part of Siemens’ successful bid for the Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot, which seeks to help employers train young people whilst encouraging further education. The engineering company will be working with their solution provider partners in the area of apprenticeship provision to generate the appropriate skills for the sector and will claim assistance for learners for the management of the scheme, college and specialised technical training course costs.

Siemens will run the apprenticeship scheme on behalf of it customers and partners which include Bilfinger, Boulting Group, Cleveland Systems, and the Siemens Glass Academy launched with British Glass last year.

The first apprentices started at the beginning of September and the partnership has flourished; one of the partner SMEs, Applied Integration, is a key supplier to the BAE systems astute class submarine program. Siemens Rail Systems in Ardwick, Siemens Industry in Didsbury and Siemens Electrium in Wythenshaw will be taking on apprentices who will study at the college.

Juergen Maier, Siemens Industry Managing Director said “We are very proud to playing such a leading role in boosting the skills of engineering apprentices across the North West, which has the largest manufacturing sector anywhere in the UK. By getting directly involved in the education of future engineers we are able to develop the skills industry needs to stay ahead of

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international competition. This partnership is a vital part of helping create the green industrial jobs of the future” By the end of their apprenticeships, the students will be trained and qualified to technician level in Siemens’ PLCs and drive technologies. Apprentices will be studying for the BTEC National Certificate in Electrical / Electronic Engineering, followed by day release at Siemens for specific training on Siemens products.

Sir Bill Moorcroft, Principle of Trafford College commented “Trafford College is delighted to be working alongside Siemens in what are very exciting times for the STEM industry. Trafford College has invested £15M in our new Centre for Science and Technology, and through our innovative partnership with Siemens we are developing the next generation of skilled apprentices. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Siemens and employers large and small, to develop the skills needed to grow our economy.”

Siemens has already invested in the up-skilling of young people interested in engineering and manufacturing through the sponsorship of a number of University

Technical Colleges across the UK. The business has over 300 apprentices and recently the number of apprenticeships exceeded the graduate intake. Siemens recently launched its own Junior Factory, a production line run entirely by an apprenticeship management team in the world leading Congleton facility which makes drives and invertors.

Gordon Birtwistle MP, Government Apprenticeship Ambassador to Business who attended the launch said “The opening of the new Siemens’ sponsored laboratory was a fantastic event, it is great to see Siemens getting involved with Trafford College, ensuring the training of young people to the standards Siemens and other high tech manufacturing companies require. I met a number of high quality apprentices who will be the future of this country”.

Siemens is now actively recruiting its next intake of apprentices and the application window is now open. For more information please follow the web link: www.apprenticeships.org.uk

CY PARTNERS

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Growth continues for recruitment company Specialist scientific, engineering & technology based recruitment expert CY Partners is expanding again thanks to continued company growth and an increasingly positive jobs market.

The independently-owned consultancy is moving to a larger unit and also plans to recruit a further 4 members of staff this year.

Dan Younger, Director at CY Partners, said: “The last few years have been difficult with regards to the economy, business and the jobs market. In spite of this we have won several new contracts and strengthened existing relationships with both local and national companies.

“We have had a fantastic start to 2014, with our first quarter figures showing a 136% increase in permanent jobs alone, and fully expect this trend to continue following the Office for Budget Responsibility’s prediction that 1.5 million jobs are set to be injected into Britain over the next five years.

www.cypartners.co.uk

“Couple that with George Osborne’s intention to establish Britain as a global leader in specialist technology and science sectors and we feel very confident in expanding onto our already solid foundation.”

With head office in the North East and the plan of additional UK coverage this will allow the CY team to continue to manage its roster of national clients.

staff numbers and win new business whilst also maintaining our existing client and candidate relationships and developing our already successful team.”

Established in 2008, CY Partners is owned

by Daniel Younger and Probier Chatterjee who have around 25 years’ experience of industry specific recruitment.

Daniel added: “The jobs market is definitely growing. As an established firm with a reputation for excellent customer service and great results, we are well positioned to take advantage of this.

CY Partners specialises in selecting candidates for complex roles in the scientific, pharmaceutical, technology, FMCG and engineering industries and its portfolio includes: SCM Pharma, Johnson Matthey, Thomas Swan and The Specials Laboratory.

“Having outgrown our current offices, we are actively sourcing additional space. The extra space will allow us to increase our

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

0191 477 4733

info@cypartners.co.uk

@CYPartners

specialists for science, engineering & technology recruitment

CY Partners; delivering dedicated, focused and quality staffing solutions to the scientific, engineering & technology community throughout the UK

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CK GROUP

Economic Growth, and Increasing Demand for Staff: How to cope?

2014 is the year when the UK economy finally seems to be coming out of recession after six very tough years.

The latest figures presented by the Office for Budget Responsibility have increased their latest growth projections to 2.7% for 2014 and 2.3% for 2015, and it looks like we are finally entering a sustained period of development. The good news is that this progression is across the whole economy and we should see even greater growth within the scientific and engineering sectors as additional incentives such as R&D tax credits; the patent box; investment in training and infrastructure initiated by the government; start to take effect. One of the impacts of this growth has been an increase in demand for highly skilled staff within the chemical and pharmaceutical industries across the UK. According to the latest Report on Jobs published by KPMG and the REC for March 2014, the increase in number of permanent vacancies for January and February 2014 has been the fastest since 1998. So far this year the quickest growing areas are engineering and technical (including sciences), followed by the construction and the medical/clinical fields. Other sectors where there is a high demand for staff

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are IT & finance and while still growing strongly, the number of vacancies within the blue collar fields does not match the growth rates in the highly skilled sectors. While the expansion within the technical sectors has been sustained and pronounced over the last year, it is envisaged that the construction sector will become the fastest growing sector within the UK economy over the next few months.

The chemical industry has seen sustained demand for additional staff over the last two years and employers in this industry

Liam O'Connell, Operations Director at CK Science.

are now demonstrating a much higher level of confidence in future economic growth.

With increased levels of investment, they are now hiring additional staff to meet future demands. Liam O Connell, Operations Director at CK Science, the specialist recruitment company within the chemical industry states “We have seen a 15% increase in the number of vacancies registered already this year, which follows a 12% increase over the same period in 2013. The interesting aspect of the current market is that a large number of the vacancies we are handling facilitate future investment, a rise in research & development and also production, while much of the need for staff in 2013 was to take up the slack in the system.� It is interesting to note the areas where the main requirement is occurring. Within the engineering sector there is major growth within the design and validation fields, while there has also been a notable increase in the need for regulatory and commercial scientists as organisations prepare to meet the increase in demand for their products. Victoria Walker, Senior

CK GROUP

Chemical Consultant for the North West has also noticed this trend. “Companies are aggressively pursuing new business globally and they are creating additional positions for commercial sales chemists amongst other new technical roles. These organisations are particularly interested in those candidates with language skills to match their technical and commercial skills.” This surge in requirement for staff, however, has met a number of obstacles and organisations must develop and implement candidate attraction and retention plans to meet future growth.

Issues facing the chemical industry in relation to demand for staff include: n Lack of intermediate level candidates.

Over the six years a great number of highly skilled and educated professionals have left the scientific and engineering industries. They have moved to different sectors, and sadly in many instances to non manufacturing organisations, where their skills have been highly valued and they have achieved better financial rewards. n Not enough junior candidates entering

the scientific and engineering sectors.

It is only in the last few years that greater emphasis has been placed on promotion of technical careers to school leavers within our industries, both at GCSE- and A-levels. Career guidance at school level has been poor over the last 20 years which has, in turn, led to a large number of universities cutting back on the science and engineering courses offered. In some cases, tragically, courses have been shut down altogether.

It should be said that this situation is improving with “sciences” now being regarded as a good area to develop a career, and it is encouraging to see an increased number of school leavers choosing further education in a science capacity. However there will still be a gap between demand and supply until these potential scientific and engineering professionals gain enough relevant experience. n Visa restrictions. Traditionally the UK

chemical industry has employed an above-average level of highly skilled candidates from non EEA countries.

Thus far, this has helped fill the gap created by a lack of graduates and those looking for their second job,

n

n Training. In many situations it is a much

cheaper and more effective option to recruit at a junior level and spend additional time training these staff. It is always worth investigating this option as it is easier to recruit at a graduate or PhD level candidate than someone with experience, and it is a much simpler process to develop them to meet your specific requirements. n European market. Due to lack of

Victoria Walker, Senior Consultant at CK Science and the REC's Recruiter of the Year

in chemistry and engineering roles.

However, with the stringent visa criteria imposed in the last few years this door has been shut. Now Masters graduates are having to return to their country of origin upon completion of their studies rather than being allowed to work under the Post Study Work Visa. CK Science has also had dealings with a number of chemical companies who have had vacancies for highly skilled staff, as their existing employees have not had their visas renewed due to the new criteria and have therefore had to leave the UK. n Remuneration. Salaries in the chemical

industry have not changed much over the last six years; in fact the average starting salary for graduate chemists has decreased - and is considerably below the average UK graduate starting salary. In order to attract, retain and develop the highly skilled professionals essential for the future growth and development of the chemical industry, it is essential that they can achieve a remuneration package which means that they will not be attracted to other sectors such as finance or legal.

So what do we do to improve the situation with regard to ensuring that there are enough suitable candidates to meet demand over the next few years? n Plan ahead. Make sure that you know

how many staff you will be looking for and at what level as your organisation grows. As part of this plan you should know where you are going to source these candidates - whether it is from internal development, advertising campaigns, or working in partnership with recruitment companies.

growth in some countries there is a large number of highly skilled candidates from the Mediterranean area who are more than happy to come and work in the UK. With no visa restrictions, these candidates have the added advantage of speaking a number of European languages in most cases. n Schools/Universities. There is a

much greater need for the chemical industry to develop closer links with local schools and universities. Work placements, open days and careers advice all need to be encouraged. The chemical industry needs to take the lead in approaching schools and universities to get pupils and students to want to work and study in the disciplines required for the future of our industry.

We need to portray a much higher profile with organisations such as STEM and The Apprentice Council. n Benefit packages. It is important that

we maintain the competitive advantage regarding what is on offer to our highly skilled professionals, as they are required to ensure the growth of the chemical industry. Be creative: bonuses, pension schemes, holiday entitlement, perks, lunch vouchers, career development plans, flexible working hours and more all play an important part in candidate attraction and retention.

Overall, the good news is that confidence in the chemical industry in the UK is at a very high level and this is reflected by the growth in new roles within the sector; particularly in the highly skilled science and engineering based positions. In order to ensure that organisations can meet this increased demand for staff, however, they have to be much more proactive and innovative in how they recruit, develop and retain staff. Remember that the successful companies who will gain most from improved economic circumstances are those who have the best staff!

call 0114 283 9956 visit ckscience.co.uk Scientific and chemical recruiting at itS beSt

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

Business confidence that comes with a warning On the face of it, the upturn in the economy and the emergence of exciting new industries is something to be welcomed. However, welcome as it undoubtedly is, renewed confidence brings with it cause for concern as the country seeks to tackle a shortage of skills.

Increasing numbers of industry experts are voicing such anxieties, one of them being Dominic Graham, the Professional and Technical Director for recruitment firm Kelly Services.

Dominic, who began his career as a science graduate working in laboratories then went into recruitment, eventually joining Kelly Services four years ago, is concerned that a shortage of skills will cause problems for some time to come.

His current role covers sectors including science, engineering and accountancy in the UK and Ireland and he said: “We have seen a lot of change in my 16 years in recruitment. We have seen some emerging industries, like renewables, which did not even exist and we have seen a significant growth in areas such as the Life Sciences.

They are very exciting.

“In addition, we are seeing growth in many sectors after some hard, hard years, but what concerns me is that a growing economy and the emergence of new sectors highlights the problem that we have with skills shortages.

“It can be a real issue. The problem is that we have a shortfall in young people who are coming into the STEM-based commercial sectors.

“It starts at school, where they are trying to encourage more students to study STEM subjects and consider STEM-based careers but we still need to do more to stimulate young people to consider these careers, just like I did in choosing to be a scientist.

“There are also specific issues in some sectors. Take engineering as an example; you can get an ageing workforce in some companies and, as people retire, those skill-sets go out of the industry.

“The challenge is that it can take time to replace those skills. There is a real time lag and, at the moment, we are definitely

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“

In some sectors, we are definitely seeing the demand for permanent jobs outstripping the demand for temporary staff.

”

seeing demand outstripping supply for those skill-sets in some sectors.

“As we wait for the time lag to catch up, there are things that we can do as a recruitment company to meet the demand for skilled people.

“One is to look abroad for them but another is to challenge clients’ expectations and what they look for in talent. Yes, they may want someone with the very best qualifications, but our job is to help them see past the “ideal” candidate and scope out what is really required of someone to do the job. It’s a wish-list versus a need-list.

“We try to understand what a client needs, their expectations and the culture and dynamics of their business and we consult on what the market can supply in terms of talent. Often, it isn’t the person with the very best qualifications who ticks all ten boxes on the wish-list. It’s the person who can tick all the boxes on the need-list.

“It is the same with people seeking jobs.

They may want a certain salary but are

they really going to be paid that for the job in question? Have they got the skills and experience to be able to command that salary for that job? We need to manage candidates’ expectations.

“Another thing we do is highlight to companies that skills from one industry can be transferred to the field in which they work.

“It is our job as a recruitment company to be truly consultative and point these things out, to challenge perceptions both within our clients and within the people we are trying to place.”

Another change that Dominic has witnessed as business confidence has grown in recent times is the move towards more permanent jobs rather than a reliance on project-based placements.

He said: “In some sectors, we are definitely seeing the demand for permanent jobs outstripping the demand for temporary staff.

“That is a very generic comment and every sector is different but we are seeing it happen in some of them, such as oil and gas and renewables, which are among the sectors experiencing growth.

“The challenge for us as a recruitment company is that not every worker wants a full-time job. Some contract workers have made a career out of it because it fits in with their personal circumstances. We have to manage that situation ” Whatever the challenges, Dominic believes that the signs of growth are there and strengthening all the time in both the UK and the global economy.

He said: “I am confident about the future.

It has been a hard few years through the recession but the signs are there that we are past that and are in a growth phase. There is much more buoyancy in the market.”

THE BIG INTERVIEW

n

Dominic Graham Professional and Technical Director Kelly Services

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RECRUITMENT

Process & Projects Engineer £75,000 - £80,000 + benefits | North West with extensive travel Fantastic opportunity for a Process & Projects Engineer to join a globally listed petrochemical company, with exciting development opportunities across the UK, Europe and Australia.

This role will provide process engineering and project management to support our client’s strategic expansion and business development, while also support existing

plant operations across the globe.

The successful applicant must be degree educated in Chemical Engineering, with demonstrated experienced managing capital projects up to £30m, including contractor management and negotiations.

To apply please send your application to gcohen@antal.com

Lead Process Engineer £55,000 - £60,000 + benefits | South East Exciting opportunity for a Lead Process Engineer at one of the world’s leading chemical manufacturers with 26,000 employees across 90 countries. Based at one of the world’s most advanced R&D centres, you will be supported through world-class science and a global reach.

Your objective will be to apply chemical engineering principles to improve chemical production process across the globe, with

responsibility for leading teams in the delivery of strategic process development.

The successful applicant must be degree educated in Chemical Engineering, with key skills in applying fundamental concepts to identify new opportunities. Leadership experience is required, as is a tenacious drive and ambition.

To apply please send your application to gcohen@antal.com

Regulatory Affairs Consultant (contract) c£40 per hour | Home based A long term contract has become available within a pharmaceutical grade food manufacturer. The requirement is to provide strategic leadership and subject matter RA expertise in driving regulatory excellence to support high quality and timely filings and approvals, including development and overall lifecycle management of the product pipeline in line with business priorities. As an innovative and creative thinker with

first class leadership and decision making qualities you will be at ease building strong relationships with health authorities, peers and scientific experts. The role is home based but may on occasion involve some national and international travel. www.cypartners.co.uk 0191 477 4733 info@cypartners.co.uk

@CYPartners

specialists for science, engineering & technology recruitment

Project Manager £40,000 to £60,000 | Competitive benefits and relocation Are you an experienced organic chemist looking for a new challenge? Do you have outstanding project management experience combined with commercial awareness? Our client is an established contract chemical manufacturer. Due to continued business growth and expansion they require a Project Manager.

Reporting to the Technical Director, you will act as technical expert to customers

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ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

and to manage a small team across a variety of projects. You will hold a PhD in Organic Chemistry (preferably Polymer Chemistry) and have good research and commercial industry experience.

Experience of managing multiple projects from conception to completion is essential. www.cypartners.co.uk 0191 477 4733 info@cypartners.co.uk

@CYPartners

specialists for science, engineering & technology recruitment

Specialist Executive Search RMG is a niche, executive search firm dedicated to partnering clients in certain specialist industries, a prime focus being in the dynamic Chemicals and Chemicals-using sector, across its many contributing arenas; Chemical manufacturers & distributors, oil/gas, alternative energy & low carbon contributors, plastics & coatings, FMCG, commodities, metals & minerals etc.

Our whole ethos is about working with like-minded people to offer a genuine, open and honest approach that delivers results. We take pride in recruiting outstandingly talented individuals who make a significant and lasting impact to our clients’ businesses.

Based in Cheshire we provide dedicated search (headhunting) and advertising-led selection services on a local, UK-wide and international basis, having recruited in 26 different countries. Many of our clients are Chemicals NW members, willing to testify about our long-established track record. We recruit Managers

“Refreshingly honest, straightforward approach; identified a credible shortlist against a very specific brief.”

and Executives across all functional disciplines, including General Management, Operations, Supply Chain, Technical, Sales & Marketing through to HSE, HR, IT and Finance etc.

We often work with start-ups and high growth companies with their own specific technologies; we have the capability to understand their unique technical, operational and cultural needs, supporting their strategic goals at key commercial stages of their investment and development.

Through our personal experience and proven methodologies, we work quickly, tightly controlling timescales to deliver vetted, recommended short lists, resulting in offers and successful outcomes. By carefully listening and then challenging the original brief, we work to ensure recruitment objectives are realistic; and through RMG’s ‘process-agility’ we are able to adapt and flexibly search in the most relevant arenas to deliver results time after time.

Head of Sales & Marketing, Magnesium Elektron

To contact us, please call Anita Caldwell, Senior Search Consultant 01928 711800 or 0776 044 5183 or email Anita.caldwell@rmg-uk.com www.rmg-uk.com

rmg-uk.com

Are you looking for a new challenge?

Technical Sales £35-£45k + commission A fantastic opportunity has arisen to join a specialty chemicals company in the North West. We are looking for commercially driven individuals with a target orientated nature to work in a dynamic Technical Sales team. Candidates should have exposure to working within fine chemicals, ideally coatings or petrochemical with a proven track record of success.

For more information on this vacancy

Kelly Services is deeply connected to the chemicals industry and is a leading provider of engineering and scientific staff, as well as specialising in sales and marketing, office professionals and HR.

please contact Sebastian Mariner:  0161 839 2400  sebastian.mariner@kellyservices.co.uk

KellyServicesUK

kellyservices.co.uk

@KellyServicesUK

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RECRUITMENT

Crane appoint area sales manager Crane ChemPharma & Energy Flow Solutions have appointed Steve Cartwright as Area Sales Manager for Pumps to cover the North West / Midlands region with responsibility for the range of DEPA Air Operated Double Diaphragm and ELRO Peristaltic Pumps.

Steve, an apprentice-trained mechanical engineering technician who possesses a Higher National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wolverhampton, brings over 30 years of pump industry experience to the role and most recently worked for the Watson Marlow Group, specialising in peristaltic pumps.

Working from his home town of Stafford, Steve will be initially concentrating on the North West region with particular emphasis on the chemical and processing industries. He commented, “Crane products, both peristaltic and AODD pumps, have a superb reputation for quality and there is enormous potential within the chemical and process sectors. It’s an exciting time to be joining the company as their new products begin to increase market share, and I’m really looking forward to getting around our existing customers and meeting new ones.”

Outside of work, Steve is also an FA Level Three qualified football referee and a St John Ambulance qualified First Aider.

(Left to right) Steve Cartwright and David Lindsay

David Lindsay, Nordic Region Sales Manager for CRANE ChemPharma Flow Solutions, added, “Steve’s comprehensive knowledge of peristaltic pumps is a great asset to the team but he is also highly experienced in centrifugal, diaphragm, gear, and rotary lobe pumps so can offer customers expert specification

guidance. We are particularly keen to grow our distribution in the North West region and are looking for regional distributor partners to work with our national distributor, Teesside-based Tomlinson Hall Ltd.”

Partnering with a specialist search company When it comes to recruiting for professionals in the chemicals industry, different companies adopt different strategies. Most scour through possible internal candidates, utilise external advertising and referrals and engage the services of a number of recruitment agencies.

If these agencies fail to find a suitable candidate, the company will often engage in more agencies who promise they can fulfil the assignment. Sometimes, one of these agencies is successful, often they aren’t. One thing is certain, the recruitment process becomes muddled, lacks quality and usually provides a headache for the recruiting manager.

There is, however, something that you can do to make the recruitment process a lot more effective and more efficient…partner with a specialist search company.

Let’s be clear what is meant by the term ‘partner’. To truly partner with a search consultancy, means to work together in a collaborative way to achieve a common result. This means working together as equal partners, allowing the search company the time to get to know the company, to manage the recruitment process, advise on salary levels and make offers on behalf of the client. This is truly a ‘partnership’.

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As a specialist chemicals search company, we are able to effectively identify, target and approach high achievers in a professional manner, from both the passive and active markets. With access to all levels of the company, growth plans and company strategy, we also have the information needed to sell an opportunity to headhunted candidates.

We can then present a shortlist for our client to interview and manage the assignment through our globally proven ‘30 step process’.

If you believe your company could gain in forming an effectively, beneficial partnership with Antal International Warrington, please get in touch today.

Guy Cohen Senior Executive Search Consultant Antal International Network 01925 747 700 gcohen@antal.com

RECRUITMENT

n

Creativity and innovation in Engineering: rethinking the engineering support model to remain competitive

By Dominic Graham, Professional and Technical Director, Kelly Services Throughout history, innovation has led to greater productivity and growth for businesses and nations alike. Yet the recession, ever changing technology, consumer demand, rapid product cycles, shifting markets and increasing global competition, particularly from emerging markets, are all factors that have helped to undermine the sustainability of any organisation aiming to achieve growth via cost cutting, re-engineering or expansion into new markets. Businesses therefore need to embrace innovation to survive and need to ensure they have the operational capacity and structure to do so.

The economic downturn has impacted management’s encouragement of, and funding for, innovation. Downsizing has increased individual workloads, providing less time for individuals to come up with new ideas. The majority of businesses are not supporting innovation, and don’t have the processes in place to encourage it.

As such, even the most talented engineer is unable to achieve sustainable product innovation. So often they are required to continue maintaining a new product even when it is ready for market. Instead they should be able to turn their attention to a new idea, to continue driving the innovation pipeline.

True innovation requires the support from the top. A business leader’s genuine and visible commitment to innovation across the organisation helps seed the culture of trust, creativity, collaboration and courage required to fill the product pipeline for the long-term. Leaders of successful businesses encourage risktaking as a learning exercise and embrace persistence. They instil the idea that innovation is everyone’s job, not just those in R&D. These leaders encourage innovators to be open about learning curves, and to use failures as springboards for success. Yet even then, if an organisational structure does not support a business’s innovation strategy, it will not improve competitiveness. If the workforce model is aligned with a business’s strategy for innovation, then engineers will be free to innovate.

During tough economic conditions it is often the innovators and future-orientated roles that are dispensed with first.

Engineering had been seen as a skill set that was ‘safe’ from downsizing, but the global uncertainty of recent times proved otherwise, with huge impacts: 1. Remaining engineers have been forced to take on a mix of high and low value tasks, no matter how experienced 2. It has delivered many specialist workers into the contingent market where their skills are accessed on a just-in-time basis 3. It has reduced the time engineers have to focus on innovation, research and testing and has encouraged a more output-driven approach to engineering skills Those engineers that were previously tasked with developing new products now have to focus on repackaging existing designs rather than making dramatic change.

Now that companies are beginning to reinvest in innovation in the engineering sector, the impact of previous downsizing needs to be specifically addressed. A key issue will be ensuring that senior and highly skilled engineers are placed back into the right leadership roles so they can focus on encouraging innovation.

Internal factors remain critical to driving innovation and organisations need to create an environment that supports the exchanging of creative ideas to make sure they make the most of their engineers and encourage innovation. This will necessitate a rethink of a business’s workforce, including the support services they have around them. It is critical that companies reward and recognise innovative thoughts whilst also accepting and even embracing failures.

To download a full copy of the report please visit www.kellyservices.co.uk

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PERRY PROCESS

Benefits of Buying Used Equipment Highlighted at CNW Event Chemicals North West held a breakfast networking event at Health Business Park, Runcorn in March 2014. The event was sponsored by Perry Process Equipment, who is one of the world’s largest stockists of used process equipment.

Engineering Manager, “the decision to use a second hand solution was driven by two main considerations -- availability and cost. In terms of availability, it is a big advantage if you can pick up something similar to what you need in a short period of time,” he explained.

Perry Process Can Save You Time and Money Perry Process Equipment have been buying & selling used process equipment since 1932. They are one of the largest stockists of used process equipment, with over 25,000 items in stock relevant to the chemical, pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, brewing and power generation industries.

Process equipment can be purchased at up to 70% cheaper than the cost of new. The equipment is available immediately, cutting lead-time for delivery by months. Perry Process Equipment can also offer a rental period or sale or return basis on their stock items, to help ensure the equipment is the right piece for your process.

The breakfast event was a great success and provided an opportunity for guest speakers to discuss relevant chemical industry related topics. Darren Bentham, Managing Director from Perry Process Equipment, discussed the risks and benefits of purchasing used process equipment.

Perry Process is passionate about trying to inform and educate consumers about the benefits of used equipment and how to eliminate the potential risks.

Darren advised attendees that some manufacturers are worried about the potential risks of buying used production equipment, such as: n Regulatory n Validation n Project n Supply n Performance

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Darren then went on to explain that you can further reduce the risks of purchasing used equipment by working with a reputable equipment dealer that only sources equipment directly from manufacturing companies and OEMs. A dealer with strong relationships within the manufacturing industry means that a buyer is truly getting high-quality equipment. The equipment dealer should also be able to provide affordable backup equipment for immediate delivery or additional equipment for increased capacity when a customer demands supply. A reputable dealer will also offer equipment on a rental basis for short-term projects or on a sale or return scheme, ensuring that the used piece is suitable for your process, thus eliminating the “risk”.

The advantages of buying used equipment from Perry Process Equipment Ltd have recently been highlighted by one of their repeat customers, Lionel Hitchen (Essential Oils). According to their

In addition, they can offer many inhouse services with a team of qualified, time-served engineers working on site.

Perry has the in-house expertise to fully refurbish any unit from their stock. All refurbishment work is completed by their own Engineering Specialist Team, at their Newton Aycliffe facility which makes the turnaround time minimal.

For enquiries call, email or visit their website: Tel: 01325 315111 e: info@perryprocess.co.uk w: www.perryprocess.co.uk Perry Process Equipment is currently offering all Chemicals North West members a 10% discount on their first completed order. To take advantage of this offer please contact them quoting reference PERRY10.

RECRUITMENT & SKILLS

Finding talent at the right time

n

Smooth & Clean: ELAPHARM®

Chris Pomfret, left, with Adrian Waine

Hitting the jackpot is a great feeling for anybody and last summer, it did actually feel as if my pot of gold was close at hand.

For me, as an industrial photographer, it is important to have a showcase of work and for any potential client to peruse my portfolio when he’s contemplating a new brochure or an exhibition. From chemicals to metals to warehouses, I’ve photographed them all.

Having attended a couple of web optimization classes run by UKTI, I already knew that there were sections of my website which needed expert knowledge in bringing them up to date, both technologically and visually. My answer lay in the form of having an intern from Lancaster University on a two month placement through the Science and Technology Internship Programme.

In brief, my student, Chris Pomfret was completely brilliant! He had the resources of the university behind him in addition to his skills already attained through his Computer Science degree.

The site www.photographyforindustry.com has been completely redesigned and optimized and will now operate on tablets and phones - something not achieved before. It may not sound much, but in today’s world of the desire and necessity of being found, this has been a big move forwards. With daily hits quadrupling over a six month period, this increase has surely been earthmoving.

Tapping into to the skills of a graduate has been a very worthwhile investment and I’d recommend this to any SME. With up to date knowledge, I discovered that Chris was keen and eager for experience and I could very much leave him to his own devices.

With progress meetings arranged every couple of weeks, I soon discovered that other tasks needed to be added which would assist me in terms of promotion. Advertisements on the Chemicals North West site and magnetic signs for my vehicle were both accomplished and I am now seeking a student for a 2014 marketing placement. I feel another pot of gold coming my way!

Adrian Waine is an industrial photographer working from Ellesmere Port. Having formerly been staff photographer with Saudi Aramco, he’s since worked on commissions from major internationals including Bodycote plc, Solvay Chemicals Ltd and Rolls - Royce Industrial Power. He can be contacted on 0151 356 3855.

For further information about internships contact: Pam Pickles, Student Employability Manager, Faculty of Science and Technology, Lancaster University Tel: +44 (0)1524 510193 Email: p.pickles@lancaster.ac.uk

ELAPHARM hose assemblies for the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry: • ultra smooth lining of DuPont Teflon® PTFE • 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 In-house hose assembling by Elaflex, straight from the reel for fast delivery of your assemblies.

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

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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SYMMETRY LAW

New environmental sentencing guidelines are in force from July 2014

Most environmental prosecutions are dealt with by magistrates as no specialist environmental court exists.

A typical bench may go for months or years without seeing an environmental offender. When they do convict someone who has disposed of waste illegally, or a company that has breached a permit condition, they can find it difficult to assess the seriousness of the offence and sentence appropriately, particularly as the magistrates themselves may not have a body of experience and the environment is often the only victim. The Sentencing Council’s general guidelines on sentencing for magistrates currently devote only 4 out of nearly 300 pages to environmental offences. In the view of the Environment Agency and others, magistrates’ unfamiliarity with environmental matters can result in inconsistent and disproportionately low sentences.

The existing Magistrates’ Association’s sentencing guidance, “Costing the Earth”, contains numerous sentencing scenarios as examples, but largely leaves it up to the bench to decide the starting point for the penalty to be imposed, before any mitigating or aggravating factors and other relevant considerations are applied.

Following some concerted lobbying which focused in part on addressing

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inadequate sentencing for fly-tipping, and a consultation exercise last year, the Sentencing Council has now issued an Environmental Offences Definitive Guideline (the “Guideline”) which will come into use on 1st July. It applies to Crown Courts as well as Magistrates Courts in England and Wales and there is an associated update to the general Magistrates’ Court Sentencing Guidelines.

Applying the fines matrix to a large corporate offender that has intentionally breached the law (or flagrantly disregarded it), resulting in substantial harm, gives a starting point for a fine of £1 million with a range of £450,000 - £3 million. Whilst this is a worst case scenario, it seems clear that the level of fines imposed will increase in the future, especially for larger companies, even where their culpability is low.

Unlike “Costing the Earth”, the Guideline uses a matrix-based approach to indicate the starting point and range for fines according to the size of the offender (if a company), his culpability and the degree of harm caused to the environment, human health or quality of life. It is evident that magistrates, in particular, are very supportive of guidance of this type for environmental offences.

Magistrates’ maximum sentencing powers are at present capped at £50,000 for each offence covered by the Guideline.

They may decide to pass more cases to the Crown Court, particularly where the degree of culpability is yet to be settled. Prosecutors may be more likely to ask for cases to be sent to the Crown Court where a starting point is above the magistrates’ sentencing powers.

The Guideline applies specifically to only a handful of waste and Environmental Permitting offences, but it states that the same approach should be used when sentencing other relevant and analogous environmental offences. We are aware of examples where a court has already used the draft guidance as a sentencing template. However, there have been substantial changes to the final version, including raising the fine starting points and ranges applicable to organisations.

A step change in sentencing outcomes is therefore likely. Even well managed organisations can find themselves in the dock on occasion. The potential cost consequences of systems failures, inadvertent breaches and genuine accidents seem about to rise.

For further details contact; paul.bratt@symmetrylaw.co.uk victoria.joy@symmetrylaw.co.uk

Quality-assured training for the chemical and process sectors The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is committed to supporting the professional development of chemical and process engineers. Our forthcoming courses include: April 29–30

Introduction to Process Safety

Manchester

13–14

Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA)

Manchester

14–15

What Every Engineer Should Know About Contracts

Rugby

21–22

Organisational Issues – Human Factors in Health and Safety, Module Three

Edinburgh

May

June 3–5

HAZOP – Applied Hazard and Operability Study

Manchester

4

Creativity for Chemical Engineers

Rugby

5

Effective Technical Writing

Rugby

9–11

HAZOP Study, Leadership and Management

Rugby

11–12

IChemE Forms of Contract

London

16–20

Fundamentals of Process Safety

Aberdeen

25–26

Carbon Footprinting

Manchester

September 2–4

HAZOP Study, Leadership and Management

London

8–10

Practical Distillation Technology

London

10–11

Human Factors and Design – Human Factors in Health and Safety, Module Four

Edinburgh

16–17

Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA)

Manchester

23

Engineering Procurement

Rugby

25–26

Gas Explosion Hazards on Offshore & Onshore Facilities

London

What Every Engineer Should Know About Contracts

London

October 1–2 6–10

Chemical Engineering for Scientists

Shipley

8–9

New to Management

London

13–15

Engineering Project Management

Manchester

27–31

Fundamentals of Process Safety

Manchester

Visit www.icheme.org/courses for details and to see our full course programme.

Contact us: courses@icheme.org, tel: (0)1788 534431

C0205_14

n

DEPA PUMPS

DEPA’s nopped diaphragms sales success Sales of Crane Corporation’s revolutionary DEPA® E4 PTFE Compound Diaphragm for Air Operated Double Diaphragm (AODD) pumps have exceeded the most optimistic forecasts as the process industry switches to this new generation diaphragm.

The diaphragm features a special “noppedE4” surface - a uniform sequence of small mounds radiating in a band located medially within the diaphragm which creates turbulent boundary layers, resulting in advantageous flow conditions (similar to golf ball dimples) and thus improved energy efficiency. The nopped surface also makes the diaphragm much more flexible than standard PTFE diaphragms.

Available in four sizes, ranging from 1/2” 2”, this bonded PTFE diaphragm combines long life, versatility and functionality, and is constructed as a single unit encapsulating the outer piston, usually a separate component with standard diaphragms. In addition, the backing material is electrically conductive EPDM, which makes it suitable for use in ATEXconforming pumps, and the diaphragm is approved for use in Zone 0 applications

The laminated design ensures the diaphragm surface is impermeable. This facilitates greater safety and an ultra-clean working mechanism, which prevents leaks/deposits and greatly limits areas for bacteria build-up whilst the high chemical resistance is maintained right through the entire pH range (0-14) against most media.

DEPA produce a range of Air Operated Double Diaphragm (AODD) pumps for many process industries.

when used in conjunction with DEPA pumps made from 316L stainless steel.

The increased flexibility enables greater flow rates combined with reduced air consumption, resulting in energy savings compared to standard PTFE diaphragms.

The flexible nature of the DEPA® E4 compound diaphragm gives it a longer life-span, thus reducing service intervals, generating savings in both operation and maintenance and decreasing down-time.

The diaphragm can be installed and replaced easily due to its single-unit construction and is compliant with CE markings.

Colin Simpson, Sales Director of Crane’s UK distributors, Tomlinson Hall Ltd, commented, “The DEPA® E4 Diaphragm is state-of-the-art technology which gives four primary benefits for end-users - increased life span, improved safety, increased efficiency, and an ultra clean working mechanism. Sales so far have exceeded our most optimistic forecasts and the feedback we are receiving from users is very positive with the diaphragms usually available for next day delivery throughout the UK.” CRANE ChemPharma and Energy, based in Düsseldorf, and a part of Crane Co., is a leading provider of highly engineered products for fluid handling applications worldwide. For more information please visit www.depapumps.co.uk or contact Tomlinson Hall on (01642) 379500.

Special GREEN Supplement in Summer Edition of Elements

Gas (Shale) Recycling/

Waste Management

Environmental Energy North West

Advertising Anthony McKeown, Distinctive Group Tel: 0845 887 3810 Mob: 0755 702 6900 Email: anthony.mckeown@distinctivegroup.co.uk

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ONDEO

n

There is more to Sustainable Operations than being green With growing legislation and associated pressures, the past few years have seen a need for the chemicals industry to become more sustainable and reduce their impact on the environment particularly in relation to water use and effluent treatment.

Nowadays, the term ‘sustainable’ is most commonly associated with the environment and despite the high levels of peak rainfall we have seen over the last year, reducing overall water use remains a priority particularly as water stress in many areas across Europe becomes a growing concern. Becoming ‘sustainable’ is not just about minimising the impact industrial operations have on the environment, it is about improving operational efficiency and cost effectiveness for it to be viable long term.

Ondeo Industrial Solutions, part of Degremont Industry, operate and maintain process and effluent treatment plants on behalf of its customers throughout the industry. We understand the pressures our customers are under and how to operate a plant’s water cycle most efficiently and effectively. Simple operational changes can make a considerable difference to the overall management of an effluent treatment plant. However, many factors have to be evaluated first including operational changes and financial investment if required. By understanding your water cycle and making the appropriate improvements, your plant can reap the benefits in relation to operational efficiency, profitability, plant reliability, health & safety performance, water use and overall environmental impact.

Contact details: www.ondeo-is.co.uk Tel: 0870 241 6643

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The Human Factors Risk Manager Tools to Assess and Minimise Human Failures in Process Safety Following major accidents such as Macondo, Texas city and Buncefield, US and European regulatory authorities increasingly require that the human element is addressed in safety critical operations in the oil and gas sector. Human Reliability has developed innovative tools and techniques for predicting potential failures and their consequences. These tools provide vital inputs to meeting regulatory standards for the human factors requirements of COMAH and Offshore Safety Cases. The Human Factors Risk Manager uses a graphical user interface to provide the following capabilities: • Task Analyses of safety critical operations • Identification of potential errors using a structured ‘Human HAZOP’ • Evaluation of existing, and potential new, Risk Control Measures • Automatic generation of ‘Risk Aware’ procedures based on the task and error analyses • Provision of Risk Informed recommendations for user training • Graphical Root Cause Analysis of immediate and management causes of incidents • Quantification of error probabilities for use in cost effectiveness evaluations.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements or to arrange a demonstration of the HFRM software. www.humanreliability.com E: dembrey@humanreliability.com T: +44 1257 463121

Example Human Factors Risk Manager analyses

Extract from Graphical Task and Human HAZOP analysis for High Pressure Absorber draining task

Agent/ Person

ID

Description

1

Monitor absorber/respond CRO/Area to high level alarm Tech

Activity Type

Failure Mode

Error Description Consequences

Monitoring

MON1 Monitoring omitted

Failure to monitor absorber levels

High liquid level.

Ultimate plant trip leading to possible excess flaring

Monitoring

MON3 Monitoring incomplete

Monitoring of absorber levels interrupted

See 1.1

Monitoring

Do 1, Plan 1

1.1

IF HP absorber comes into alarm do 2-3.

Monitor HP absorber operation (1)

CRO

Example of Tabular Output from graphical Task Analysis and Human HAZOP

About Human Reliability Human Reliability has more than 30 years of experience in addressing the human factors aspects of safety in the Oil and Gas Sector and many other industries. Our tools and techniques for predicting and preventing human error are widely applied across the world. We work with world class organisations such as Shell, BP, Conoco Phillips, Murco and Exxon to support their risk and human reliability analyses in upstream and downstream operations.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements or to arrange a demonstration of the HFRM software. www.humanreliability.com E: dembrey@humanreliability.com T: +44 1257 463121

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A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF

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AWEEKINTHELIFEOF I also send out the format for the business plans to each of our operating regions in the UK and Ireland. These are much more detailed plans and will help to define the road map on how we will meet our targets. I’m sure our Operational Managers will love filling these in!

Thursday A prompt 8.00 am start for a video conference meeting with colleagues in the Hertel Group Marketing team which is drawn from Head Office in Rotterdam and others offices across Europe, Middle East and Asia. We discuss the roll out programme of our new corporate branding which was launched late last year.

John Hall Head of Business Development, Marketing and Proposals, Hertel

John Hall is Head of Business Development, Marketing and Proposals at construction and maintenance services company, Hertel. The core skills of Hertel include access solutions, insulation, corrosion protection, fabrication, mechanical, Electrical & Instrumentation, asbestos removal, civils and industrial cleaning.

This is his working week:

Monday A meeting with my Proposals Manager and Lead Estimator starts the week as we look at the tenders we are working on currently and consider the key issues with each bid and prequalification submission. We agree on our strategies for the bids and consider each client’s particular needs and identify where we will need operational and head office support to meet any technical requirements. This planning is essential as we are always busy and the very tight timescales mean that managing our resources effectively is important.

I then meet with my Marketing CoOrdinator and Business Development Managers to discuss our stand at this year’s ‘Sustainability Live’ in Birmingham. It is an opportunity for Hertel to highlight its project and maintenance capabilities in the renewable energy and water industries.

Such events involve a great deal of work preparing the business development

strategy, organising the stand’s design, arranging supporting PR, inviting customers, etc. We have also been liaising with our workshop to produce an intriguing centrepiece for the stand which is sure to be a real talking point.

Tuesday The Hertel Group is currently enhancing its best practice procedures. This morning I am reviewing the draft Project Management Procedures and submitting comments back to the Best Practice Team. I spent many years at a previous company as a Project Manager and it’s always nice to feedback your own experiences and views on best practice.

Later in the day I meet with the Managing Director and the Head of Quality to discuss the feedback from the customer survey we have just completed. We believe is important that such surveys are undertaken by independent organisations which allow for customers to give more honest feedback – and which can be done anonymously if they want.

Wednesday For the past few months I have been working closely with the Managing Director to update the business strategy through to December 2016. This has now been reviewed by the Board of Directors and today I am finalising their feedback.

In the afternoon I join the Hertel UK & Ireland Board Meeting to report on progress with our key activities within business development, marketing and proposals.

At 5:30pm I leave the office and join my friends for a game of 7-a-side football.

We’ve been playing football together for nearly 25 years! Thank heavens for the new “third generation” rubber based astro-turf pitches as without their low impact performance I know my knees would have seized up years ago.

Friday I’m up early to drive to Teesside to undertake a ‘site safe visit’ at a customer’s site. Hertel’s Senior Managers are committed to ensuring we maintain the highest safety standards and we each undertake a number of site visits each year to engage with employees and discuss their work, the hazards involved and how we can continue to improve safety.

I’m pleased to say it’s a lovely sunny day, for a change, and the team were only too happy to discuss their work.

Following a quick meeting with the Financial Controller at our Middlesbrough office about improvements to forecasting our future workload, I head home before the Friday rush hour.

Tonight I’m off to see an indie rock band in Manchester……..

For more information visit: www.hertel.com

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NEW MEMBERS

blue pea POD

Profile blue pea POD

No business will ever outperform the leaders and their leadership, so when a company is looking to grow, increase productivity and profitability then very often there is a requirement for the leaders to grow too. Here at blue pea POD we specialise in Authentic Leadership. This is not about being perfect, but it is about being self-aware enough to lead with your character, strengths and values

Contact Ruth Sanderson

Our work with Site Leadership Teams within the Chemical, FMCG and Food manufacturing arena is often centred on the following challenges:

www.linkedin.com/in/ruthsanderson

Managing Director Cholmondeley House, Dee Hills Park, Chester, Cheshire, CH3 5 AR T: 0845 123 1280 E: ruth@bluepeapod.com www.bluepeapod.com

twitter.com/ruthsanderson

1. As a leader how do I consistently walk my talk, live from my values and successfully lead and grow the business especially in times of uncertainty?

2. How do we build a high performing senior leadership team that engenders trust throughout the organisation?

3. How can we measure and manage our corporate culture so that it contributes to our profitability and success, rather than sap valuable resources including staff morale?

4. How do we ensure the success of newly promoted/appointed directors in making the transition and deliver business success within the first 180 days?

5. How do we secure the long term future of our manufacturing plant?

Our clients have at the very least experienced stabilization in an increasingly uncertain market. Many have made record profits, had significant capital investment in their manufacturing sites and won national and internationally recognized awards. On a personal level leaders have received promotions, whilst leaving their department in a stronger and healthier position than when they took over.

At blue pea POD we know great leaders are the ones that value their staff enough to want to work with them as the unique and talented people they are, not just treat them as peas in a pod. The misconception is that this style of leadership takes far too much effort or too long before there is a return on investment. Our clients know this to be different.

When we talk about employee engagement or employee satisfaction do we want them to show up, complete tasks and feel OK about it? Or do we really want them to show up, fully present,

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ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

Ruth Sanderson Founder of blue pea POD

committed to the company’s mission, vision and values and feel a personal sense of responsibility? Numerous studies have shown that when an individual has a personal connection to the organisations purpose their productivity, motivation, creativity and resilience increase. It’s also worth noting that absenteeism, sickness and stress are significantly reduced.

To become more aware of your impact as a leader here’s something you can focus on over the next 7 days - When you walk in to the room what do you bring with you? And when you walk out of the door what ‘wake’ do you leave behind?

To find out more about us you can call 0845 123 1280 or visit www.bluepeapod. com or email ruth@bluepeapod.com. For your free report to discover if culture is the silent assassin in your business please visit www.bluepeapod.com/resources/ corpculture-rpt

blue pea POD mentors leaders so they have increased confidence and clarity to lead with authenticity in complex situations. Their staff are inspired to follow and genuinely feel part of an ultimately high performing team. Some leaders may have experienced the “you’re broke and need fixing” approach; for us the conversation is about going from good leadership to great leadership. We’re helping you tap in to your greatness and use it more. The programmes we run with our clients are designed for them, their outcomes and their situation.

With the focus on the outcome we’re known for our flexibility and pragmatism leading to bottom line results.

NEW MEMBERS

CK Science

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Profile CK Science

CK Science was established over 20 years ago as a specialist recruitment consultancy for the chemical manufacturing, pharmaceutical and life science sectors.

Contact Victoria Walker Senior Recruitment Consultant CK Science The Bridge Business Centre Beresford Way Chesterfield S41 9FG T: 0114 283 9956 E: vwalker@ckscience.co.uk F: 0114 283 9957 www.ckscience.co.uk

Having worked in the chemical manufacturing sector since 1991 we have built up strong relationships with leading businesses, from blue chip organisations to smaller independent companies, across the UK. With a growing client base in the North West we have assigned a dedicated Account Manager, Victoria Walker, to ensure that our customers receive the highest quality of service from CK. Victoria, a Senior Recruitment Consultant at CK Science, obtained a 1st in her MChem degree and now uses her specialist education to provide recruitment support to the North West. Not only knowledgeable in the chemical sector, Victoria is currently the best recruitment consultant in the country having won the coveted REC’s Institute of Recruitment Professionals awards which recognises excellence in recruitment. In December 2013 she was awarded the Permanent Consultant of the Year and the most sought-after award Recruiter of the Year.

Operations Director and Founder of CK Science, Liam O’Connell has said “Victoria is one of the hardest working members of the CK team. She is a very dedicated and popular member of the team and has excellent relationships with her clients who both like and trust her.”

ColorMatrix, a global innovator of liquid colour and additives for plastics based in Merseyside, are a client of Victoria’s and

have said of working with CK, ‘We have worked with CK Science for a number of years on a variety of vacancies, and they are now part of our PSL. They have always ensured they understand the role and business requirements fully before proceeding with the recruitment project and they are prompt to respond providing high calibre candidates to interview. CK Science comes with my full recommendation.’

As an employee of CK Science, Victoria has benefitted from our commitment to staff development, which is highlighted by our IiP accreditation and our REC qualified workforce. Our investment in staff progression, customer service and recruitment excellence has been recognised by Kelly Services who recently awarded CK Science with a Supplier Excellence Award for the second year running.

Since 1991 CK Science has been successfully recruiting staff for scientific and engineering jobs across the chemical manufacturing, life sciences and waste management industries.

We work with organisations of all sizes, from leading global scientific companies to incubator start-ups, from analytical labs to contract manufacturing plants.

Our unique service includes: n Specialist, experienced

consultants n Long term relationships n Transparent costs and charges n Commitment to customer service

We strive to provide the highest standard of working ethics, quality and customer service.

Our transparent approach to the recruitment practice and our ISO9001 and IiP accreditations give our clients confidence that we have the skills, processes and people to deliver a high quality service every time.

CK Science are part of the CK Group which provides a spectrum of recruitment services covering a range of scientific, clinical and IT disciplines through their three recruitment divisions – CK Clinical, CK IT and CK Science, as well as their outsourcing provision, CK Aspire. As of May 2014 the CK Group will be expanding their offer to include specialist Engineering recruitment through the new CK Engineers division.

For more information visit www.ckagroup.co.uk

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MEMBERS CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

5 years of the MGF

Love your B LLS

Halton based Testicular Cancer Awareness Charity, The Mark Gorry Foundation has stepped up their plans for 2014 celebrating 5 years of achievements, since setting up.

The foundation was set up in 2009 by Mark Gorry aged 24, shortly before he lost his life to the aggressive Cancer. Mark, alongside his wife Leah, and his team of friends and family wanted to set up a charity to do two things; raise £1 million of funds towards the fight against Cancer and to raise awareness and education of Testicular Cancer.

The team and hundreds of supporters have been working tirelessly to work towards Mark’s goals, making sure that fewer families have to go through what his did.

Long standing volunteer and Britest Project Co-ordinator Donna Rawson who shares an office with the team at Chemicals Northwest, speaks highly of the charity and what they do, “I’d known Mark since he was a child and I try to support the foundation as much as I can.

They really do some great things within our local community. Their ‘Love Your Balls’ Awareness campaign has the right amount of cheekiness whilst still delivering

such an important awareness message and after hearing about the magazine’s new ‘Charity in the Spotlight’ feature, thought it was a great opportunity to help promote a charity close to my heart.”

The MGF team are kicking the year off in style with the launch of their 5-day ‘TrekMorocco’ fundraising challenge, set for February 2015.

SIGNS & SYMPTO

NS OF TESTICULAR

As Leah Gorry, CEO, explains “Every year is a milestone, but this year seems extra poignant for our family and friends, with it being 5 years since losing Mark.

This event is our first ever, MGF organised overseas event and we can’t wait to tackle those mountains!”

The trek covers 3 peaks of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco in winter conditions, tackling one mountain per day and culminating in a tough climb up Mount Toubkal.

If you’d like any further information about TrekMorocco 2015, or would like to get hold of some awareness information for your staff, please contact Leah directly by email, leah.gorry@themgf.co.uk.

Perry Process Equipment supports Butterwick Hospice Perry Process Equipment Ltd is proud to announce that they are now officially a Corporate Supporter of Butterwick Hospice.

Butterwick Hospice aims to improve the quality of life for those who have a life limiting illness and their families.

Darren Bentham, Managing Director of Perry Process Equipment Ltd said, “We decided to become a Corporate Supporter of the Butterwick Hospice because it is a charity that provides end of life care, of the highest quality, to local people. We are proud to support the charity and to help them to continue this fantastic service for many years to come”.

Patricia Boynton, Executive of Butterwick Hospice Care commented that she “would like to thank Perry Process for making such a generous donation and for choosing to become a valued Butterwick Corporate Supporter”.

By supporting this amazing local cause, Perry Process hopes to raise as much funds as possible throughout 2014.

Visit www.butterwick.org.uk for further information and fundraising events.

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ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

CANCER

• A lump, en largement or dull ache in the scrotum , lower abdo men, lower back or groi n. This may come and go .

• A testicle feeling firm er than befo re.

• Swelling or tenderness of the breast area.

• Increase in tiredness .

• A build up of fluid in th e scrotum.

Flip this card over for inst ructions on how to chec k for testicul ar cancer.

HOSOKAWA

n

Hosokawa Micron Ltd Demonstrate How To Get More From Your Plant Processing companies looking to gain production advantages that will put them ahead of competitors will appreciate Hosokawa Micron Ltd’s fresh approach to creating the cost savings, quality improvements, waste reductions and increased plant availability that translate into business success.

This low cost, UNDERSTAND, MONITOR and CONTROL phased approach to improving processing performance utilises information from existing plant to help companies better understand their plant, identify opportunities for change and give clearly defined and justified actions to help operate their plant at full potential and exploit the production opportunities that can add real value to operations. It can also troubleshoot process problems and give you a heads-up on failing machinery. in product quality and reduced carbon This tried and tested service from footprint for chemical manufacturers Hosokawa Micron Ltd is suitable across a and for food processors enhanced plant range of industries and typically highlights availability and process stability. opportunities including improved batch A FREE demonstration diagnostic is 1 consistency and accurate scale up Plant Performance Improvement solsinNEW Ad (185x130)_Layout 1 16/09/2013 15:48app Page available for download at www.Intellimill. pharmaceutical production; improvements

com for plant engineers to check out for themselves the simplicity of the system, clarity of information presentation and to consider and assess the potential opportunities to enhance the performance of their own plant and operations.

PLANT PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT SOLUTIONS Combining the expertise of Hosokawa Micron engineers and PC based analysis tools we can pinpoint weak points in your operations and identify practical actions to achieve improvement. Hosokawa Micron’s Performance Improvement Solutions service can: l Troubleshoot l Give

process problems

you a heads-up on machinery issues

l Unlock

extra capacity in your existing plant

l Understand l Highlight

complex interactions that create variations in plant performance

practical changes for immediate process improvements

Our low cost, phased approach to plant performance improvement can also help deliver improved product quality, energy savings, minimised downtime and reduced maintenance costs.

To find out more go to: www.IntelliMill.com Rivington Road, Whitehouse, Runcorn, Cheshire, England. WA7 3DS. Tel: +44 (0) 1928 755100 Fax: +44 (0) 1928 714325 E.mail: Intellimill@hmluk.hosokawa.com

PROCESS TECHNOLOGIES FOR TOMORROW SM

ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

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QUARTZ CHEMICALS LIMITED

East meets West at Chemspec Europe this year...

With the move to Hungary in 2014, Chemspec Europe is creating an opportunity for Eastern European and Asian delegations to easily access and do business with the fine and speciality chemical experts who will be represented at this ever popular exhibition.

NEW international companies joining the exhibition this year include Buckmann, Vopelius Chemie, Pyosa, Xerox Chemicals, Vapchem, plus a number of Eastern European companies who are exhibiting for the first time (you can view the full exhibitor list online now).

Learn | Meet | Share Chemspec Europe also offers a wide range of free conference content for those who attend ranging from regulatory issues with the REACHReady Regulatory Services Zone and sessions, to sustainable chemistry in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Symposium and Chemsource Exhibition Zone.

CONNECT AT CHEMSPEC LEARN | MEET | SHARE

A highlight of the event this year will be an all star line-up debating Pharma

Organised by

Dr Magid Abou-Gharbia

Outsourcing approaches and challenges, chaired by the renowned Dr Magid Abou-Gharbia from Moulder Drug Discovery Centre, Philadelphia, who discovered eight marketed drugs and many compounds currently under clinical evaluation during his time at Wyeth.

The session will discuss approaches to developing global outsourcing strategies, identifying outsourcing partners, identifying approaches to mitigate risks, and addressing challenges associated with outsourcing and how to effectively manage partnerships. Representatives joining the panel discussion include Dr Lukas Utiger, President and CEO of DSM and John Nicols, CEO, Codexis amongst others.

18-19 JUNE 2014 HUNGEXPO BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

Whatever your business, if you use chemicals then this is a must attend event for you to find solutions, learn about new innovations and connect with this special industry.

REGISTER NOW online at www.ChemspecEurope.com

Limited stand space left If you are a supplier to the industry and would like to meet with thousands of high-level purchasers and decision makers then please contact the team as soon as possible as stand space is now very limited. Call John Lane now to find out more Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855 076 or email johnlane@quartzltd.com

GET READY FOR BUDAPEST

With over 400 companies from around the world expected to exhibit, you can count on meeting a unique blend of fine chemical suppliers, both large and small. Whatever your business, if you use chemicals then this is a must attend event for you to find solutions, learn about new innovations and connect with this special industry.

FEATURES INCLUDE: • Networking and private meeting areas for you to do business

• Agrochemical intermediates conference – in association with Agrow magazine

• REACHReady Regulatory Services Zone and sessions • RSC Symposium

• Pharma Outsourcing Panel Discussion – chaired by Dr Magid Abou-Gharbia (Moulder Drug Discovery Centre, Philadelphia)

• Pharma Workshops – in association with Scientific Update

• Exhibitor Showcases

In association with

Incorporating

ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

• Green Chemistry Workshops

Official Media Partner

Magazine C H E M I C A L S

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Other features will include Agrochemical Intermediates Conference in association with Agrow Magazine, Chemspec Careers Clinic - in association with Chemical Search International, Scientific Update workshops, an exhibitor showcase theatre and a range of networking and private meeting areas for you to do business.

www.ChemspecEurope.com

ER T S GI OW E R N

CNW EVENTS

CNW Events 15th April Heath Business Park - (9am - 12pm)

CNW REACH User Group (CNW members only) 8th May 2014 Heath Business Park, Runcorn (8.15-9.30)

CNW Breakfast event sponsored by Siemens 22nd May Heath Business Park, Runcorn

Chemical Elements - skills/ apprenticeships/universities

4th June 2014 Heath Business Park, Runcorn (9.30am 4.30pm)

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Other Events

REACH, Time to Plan

7–9 May 2014 – Edinburgh, UK

in partnership with The Royal Society of Chemistry

IChemE - Hazards 24, Process Safety Conference

11th June

Supply Chain network event

Thursday 15th May 2014 BPF House, London

in conjunction with Brabners and Brabners Stuart

REACH Masterclass 2014

11th July 2014 Heath Business Park, Runcorn

18-19 June 2014 Hungexpo, Budapest, Hungary

CNW Breakfast event

Chemspec Europe 2014

sponsored by CRANE ChemPharma & Energy Flow Solutions

15-17 September 2014 – York, UK 17th July Heath Business Park, Runcorn

IChemE - Advances in Process Control and Automation 10

Chemical Elements - Behavioural Safety

Do you have a good news story to tell?

And would you be willing to take part in a BBC programme?

On 14th February, Alex Heys from Chemicals Northwest attended an event organised by Regionplus* which was hosted by BBC North from the new MediaCityUK complex.

facilities to save time and money. They also spoke about the support companies at MediaCityUK and BBC North can utilise them to provide services for the network.

The event was attended by group of business leaders/representatives of North West Organisations who came together to hear about the move and background to the BBC moving up to Salford.

The final presentation given from Steph McGovern was based on how people/ companies can become involved with BBC North. The event was designed to link the BBC with SME activity in the North West to show how they can engage and collaborate. So...If you have a success story for your company/staff member/apprentice or any other ideas then please contact Alex Heys – alex. heys@chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk and we can put forward a case to forward to the BBC to highlight the achievement or idea. This could result in a visit from Steph McGovern to your site and a televised interview.

The event kicked off with presentations from Peter Salmon, Director of BBC North, Alice Webb, Chief Operating Officer and Ken Lee, Human Resources Director all from BBC North. The event finished with a presentation from Steph McGovern, Business Presenter from BBC Breakfast.

The presentations gave an insight into “The BBC North Story” and the move to MediaCityUk, the most ambitious project the BBC Corporation has ever undertaken and why the BBC chose to move to Salford. The buildings are now home to twenty-four departments and 2600 members of staff. The speakers gave some examples of challenges faced in moving staff and programmes

up North yet managing to retain a continued service for viewers and programme continuity, including relocating staff over 36 consecutive weekends without any breaks in programme output. The presentations also focussed on the recruitment of new staff, apprentices and the Young Ambassador scheme, working with local organisations giving 16-19 year olds with few or no qualification a six-month salaried placement. This was followed by a video of a Young Ambassador and the journey she had made to become a broadcaster. The speakers discussed how they utilise the buildings and

*Regionplus is an innovative online forum for the North West covering the five counties of the area. They run events, produce a monthly e-newsletter and provide up to date regional information and internet links. To find out more about Regionplus please click the following link – www.regionplus.co.uk

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CNW EVENTS

Cheshire, a great place to do business!

BT sponsored this fresh way to bring investors and businesses together, held at the Grosvenor Centre in London on 21 January.

Bill Glass (BakerRisk), Bryan Hughes (CRA Europe) Robert Magraw (BakerRisk), Justin Wrench (C-Tech Innovation) and Martin Grindrod (PICME)

Chemicals Northwest Breakfast Event sponsored by BakerRisk Europe Ltd Our 31st January 2014 event featured 4 speakers and had over 40 people in attendance.

Bill Glass from BakerRisk spoke about BakerRisk being a global provider of comprehensive consulting, engineering, R&D, incident investigation and testing services to companies involved with hazardous materials. Their work ultimately assists clients to reduce risk and conduct operations in a safe manner. BakerRisk focuses on a client’s needs and strives to provide solutions that are of the greatest benefit to the client’s overall needs. BakerRisk who have recently invested in a new test rig capability shared information on the latest tests and planned developments.

Our second speaker, Bryan Hughes from CRA presented on the internationally accepted standard for the development, implementation and application of an effective environmental management system and how it is being revised. This fundamental revision of the ISO standard is due to be re-published as ISO 14001:2015, and will have far greater implications than the revision of

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ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

2004. Bryan spoke discussed how CRA has identified seven major changes planned for the standard, in particular for the supply chain.

Janet Morris, RGF Programme Manager, and Justin Wrench (C-Tech Innovation Ltd) spoke about the £8m Catalyst for Growth scheme funded through the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF). With capital investment grants of up to £500,000 available to eligible chemical sector companies in the North West. Information was also provided on the application process, eligibility criteria and how to access RGF-funded technical support.

Martin Grindrod from PICME discussed picme’s Clear Advantage™ programme and how it can help organisations deliver significant business improvement in terms of cost avoidance, working capital optimisation, process efficiency and equipment reliability. Their bespoke framework of support helps organisation’s drive these gains through the active engagement of people at all levels of the organisation, enabling a truly sustainable continuous improvement culture to thrive.

The event was hosted by The Duke of Westminster with an initial address given by Christine Gaskell, Chair of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership. Leaders of both county councils, Mike Jones of Cheshire West & Cheshire and Michael Jones of Cheshire East also attended. John Roche of Chemicals Northwest represented the chemicals sector for the region and highlighted the importance of the sector to various contacts during an informal networking period. Mr Sajid Javid MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, gave praise to local economies such as Cheshire in making a strong contribution to the recent economic recovery observed on a national basis. For more information contact: RocheJ@cia.org.uk

Responsible Care reaches its quarter century!

It started in March 1989 here in the UK and the programme’s longevity is credit to the value it continues to bring our chemical businesses. Within CIA and across our membership we are keen this year to mark this remarkable milestone with a series of events and communications. This established initiative belongs to us all, so please help us celebrate! For further details on Responsible Care please follow this link www.cia.org.uk/ ResponsibleCareRoot/ ResponsibleCare.aspx

CNW EVENTS

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Opportunities in Saudi Arabia On 12th March Chemicals Northwest and UKTI Northwest hosted Mr Mohammad A. Alazzaz, from Sadara Chemical Company in Saudi Arabia, who presented on PlasChem Park, the 12 sq km park in Jubail adjacent to the new SATORP refinery and SADARA chemical complex.

Mr Alazzaz outlined the opportunities within the Conversion Park area for “off-take” companies of Sadara’s EO/ PO, PE and elastomers, amines, glycol ethers, isocyanates, polyols and propylene glycols. Off-takers of C4‘s pygas and pyoil would suit investors in the Chemical Park area. Sadara Chemical Company hope to attract the “missing middle” in Saudi Arabia, namely small to medium sized entrepreneurial companies.

Julian Birchett, from the UKTI NW Strategic Alliance Service, then clarified

Trish Francis (UKTI), Julian Birchett (UKTI) & Mr Mohammad A. Alazzaz (Sadara Chemical Co.)

how UK downstream petrochemical businesses, ready for strategic growth into KSA to enhance business in the MENA region, could utilise financial assistance from the Wa’ed entrepreneurship company and, potentially, British Offset.

After the presentations delegate companies met with Mr Alazazz on a oneto-one basis to discuss their interest in the initiative.

New and emerging legislative impacts event Our January 2014 Chemical Elements event was on New and Emerging legislative Impacts on Businesses and was sponsored by Harrison Goddard Foote LLP.

Left to right: Chris Goddard (HGF), Patricia Jones (Jones Legal), Dan Bickerstaff (E3 Employment Law), Paul Bratt (Symmetry Law), Rachel Wilkinson (RW Legal) & Dan Allan (Eversheds)

The event featured six CNW member companies, all experts from the legal sector who gave presentations on the very latest in compliance and new regulations. These legal companies make a point of being aware of legal changes and through their range of services aim to help disseminate the implications of new directives from Europe and other UK legislation.

Paul Bratt from Symmetry Law gave an update (see also article in this edition of Elements) on Environmental sentencing.

Rachel Wilkinson from RW Legal presented some recent cases that now impact on the fundamentals of commercial contracts.

Dan Allan from Eversheds updated the delegates on employment law which covered issue companies need to consider

when recruiting foreign staff and also an insight into social media and the law. Dan Bickerstaff from E3 employment Law gave some further employment law updates which covered developments in TUPE and Whistleblowing. Patricia Jones from Jones Legal updated on the latest developments in intellectual property. The event was

rounded up by Chris Moore from sponsor company Harrison Goddard Foote who gave a presentation on intellectual property for overseas businesses. The event received excellent feedback from attendees and the vast array of topics that got covered in a relatively short space of time proved very interesting.

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SYMMETRY LAW

Environmental Sentencing : £700K in fines where no environmental harm was caused In 2013 Sellafield Limited (“SL”) pleaded guilty to seven waste related offences.

Radioactivity instrumentation had given misleading readings and approximately 5,000 waste bags had been sent to a conventional landfill without the correct verification.

Although there was no evidence of harm to persons or the environment, there were failings that gravely concerned the court, not least with the management system and operating culture where the mistakes were made. SL was fined £700,000. That fine was later affirmed on appeal.

The Court of Appeal reviewed the issues of principle concerning the level of fines to be imposed on large companies. SL had a turnover of over £1.6 billion, a profit of £29 million (or £560k per week).

The objective of prosecutions…for offences in the work place is to achieve a safe environment for those who work there and for members of the public who may be affected. A fine needs to be large enough

to bring the message home where the defendant is a company not only to those who manage it but to its shareholders.

Viewed in the financial context of this company, the court felt that £700,000 reflected moderate culpability, where actual harm was in effect nil and the risk of harm very low. The fine was intended to provide a real incentive to remedy the failures.

COMMENT - Sellafield Limited carries out a large and technically complex operation of national importance and manages a range of waste arisings.

SL had offended previously and the court imposed a level of fine intended to

make the shareholders take notice and bring pressure to bear in order to rectify the identified failings which appeared to stem from a complacent approach to core functions such as radioactivity measurement and waste segregation.

The level of fine was seen as commensurate to the annual and weekly turnover and profitability of the company.

Presumably a company with a smaller financial footprint and with a lower consequence operation would face a proportionately smaller penalty.

For further information please contact; paul.bratt@symmetrylaw.co.uk victoria.joy@symmetrylaw.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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ELEMENTS SPRING 2014

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Large UK stock available for same day delivery

www.depapumps.co.uk www.elropumps.co.uk Call free: 0800 10 777 10 Š Copyright 2013 CRANE ChemPharma & Energy

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.