Insights

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Innovation and new blood are essential for the future of Chemistry Chemelot Industrial Park: there’s something for everyone at Chemelot! Providing quality and safety services to the industrial world


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Contents 2 Innovation and new blood are essential for the future of Chemistry

8 There’s something for everyone at Chemelot!

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providing energy and synergy at Chemelot

Supplier of sustainable residual heat

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Arbo-dienst DSM keeps its finger on the pulse of Chemelot

A confident future for Mammoet at Chemelot!

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Providing quality and safety services to the industrial world

Different name, same top-quality service

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Grow with Fertilizers!

we do what we love & we love what we do!

43 List of advertisers

Foreword

is being set up to enable close collaboration with existing industries and research institutes. In this way, transfer from the lab bench to process engineering and innovation can be promoted and accelerated. The chemical sector however needs more investment, innovation and focus on education to help stimulate and strengthen the Dutch economy.

by Ernst Delfos, publisher

The Dutch chemical industry looks to the future in a positive light, even when faced with long-term global challenges from emerging economies, and short-term challenges like the cur­ rent financial crisis. This is because the industry is innovative and has a strong tradition of cooperation in the value chain and across borders. Chemelot’s Industrial park is as dynamic as ever; great successes have been achieved in bio-based technologies and biomedical science, and a European crossborder research institute on advanced bio-based materials

These and other developments in the chemical industry have prompted the editorial team of Chemical Parks Insights to take a closer look at this sector. You are reading the result; an informative compilation of articles that will provide new perspectives on a rapidly changing market.

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The chemical industry in the Netherlands has a bright future, even when faced with long-term global challenges and short-term challenges like the financial crisis. This is because the industry is innovative and has a strong tradition of cooperation in the value chain and across borders, although in the short term, challenges loom for the industry. “For the chemical industry in the Netherlands, 2011 has been a better year than 2010, but it has still not been as good as we had anticipated.” So says VNCI’s Dr. Colette Alma, General Director of VNCI (Vereniging van de Nederlandse Chemische Industrie). “What we have also observed is that companies are being cautious about the uncertain economic climate in Europe, and they are delaying or cancelling investment programs. In addition, countries like China and India are emerging at full speed with modern production facilities, which bring their own challenges to the chemical industry.”

“T

Chemical innovation is essential The economic and social importance of chemistry in the Netherlands has always been high, even if its role has not always been obvious. What VNCI has revealed is that some stakeholders and even the financial world has the chemical industry characterized as a declining business. As one of the ‘top sectors’ designated by the government, the chemical industry has an important role to play in the future earning potential of the Dutch economy. “The chemical industry sees a positive future for itself in the Netherlands over the long term”, says Colette. “Innovation will be an essential part of this. The challenge for the coming period will be to overcome the economic crisis, while at the same time laying the foundations for a new period of innovative growth.”

hese trends will have a tremen­ dous influence on the chemical industry”, continues Colette, “not just in the Netherlands but through­ out Europe. Innovation in chemistry is essential for us to successfully face the social challenges over the next 20 to 40 years.” To see what kind of impact these trends will have in the future, and to make sure it is prepared to address these impacts, the VNCI commissioned an investigation into the future of chemistry in the summer of 2011.

Colette Alma

Studying global trends The research contract was awarded to Deloitte, principally because of the knowl­ edge gained by this global management consultancy in previous chemistry studies. The study began with a literature study based on analysis of the future industrial landscape, the question of who the various players are, and what the opportunities and threats for the chemical industry might be. The result is based on the input of more than 100 top executives of chemical companies and stakeholders who completed the analysis through interviews, round tables and discussions in workshops. “We concluded that the study is relevant not only for the Netherlands but also for the chemical industry internationally”, says Colette.

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Photo: BASF

Innovation and new blood are essential for the future of Chemistry

Vision for the future “The Netherlands can’t be good at every­ thing”, continues Colette”, so the Dutch government has decided to select nine top sectors in which it feels the country can excel in the future. The chemical sector is one of these; others include agriculture, horticulture, energy and water.” This topsector policy focuses not just on innovation, but also on education, and attracting talent that ‘fits’ in with each industry. “The topsector policy is a government initiative”,

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Photo: BASF

Kick-starting manufacturing “Over the years we have seen the drive towards a knowledge economy, and the drive towards a service economy”, continues Colette, “while the manufacturing industry seems to have been all but forgotten. There has been a steady trend to move manufacturing plants to the Far East, and even now we still see this continuing. On the other hand there’s a realisation that it’s important to have our own manu­ facturing industry. We have a number of advantages that make our industry more efficient, and increase our productivity. These balance out the costs, since it becomes cheaper logistically to manufac­ ture at home. In terms of innovation, it’s always better to be close to the end market, close to the customers, so there are advantages to home manufacturing. This is an important development in the Netherlands, and we hope to see a lot of benefits from this.”

says Colette, “but it has been left to the chemical industry and academia to ‘drive’ the policy. Government grants are available to the sectors that are most successful in entering intelligent propositions, so of course this means that there’s competition between these sectors for funding.” Effects of recession Europe is an important market for the chemical industry. “About 75% of every­ thing that’s produced in the Netherlands is exported to Europe”, says Colette. “The other 25% is for international export, and we can expect to profit from growth elsewhere in the world. On the other hand, the ongoing recession in Europe will certainly impact the industry. We see companies preparing for this in terms of cost-cutting, and becoming fit and slim to weather the recession.” Meanwhile, countries like China and India are on the rise and succeeding in building sophisticated production facilities to develop at full speed. “If you look at how the balance of power has shifted in terms of sales”, says Colette, “about 10 years ago China had about 6% of global sales; now it’s 24% of sales. In terms of trade, Europe is importing more from China than we’re sending out. That’s a huge difference, and it has crept up almost unnoticed. If you didn’t see the figures, you probably wouldn’t believe it!”

Growing in Europe In Europe, the chemical industry is longestablished and deep-rooted. “In order for it to grow, it has to build on the strengths that it has”, explains Colette. “We have a number of strengths, in and around the Netherlands. Our logistics position for example, and the chemical clusters that we have, which are mutually integrated,

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Biomass as feedstock VNCI members are looking seriously to biomass as an alternative feedstock. “Gas and oil supplies are becoming uncertain or very expensive”, says Colette. “We have the climate problem to contend with as well, so biomass can be seen as a positive add-on. It won’t fully replace current use of fossil fuels, but it gives more flexibility in terms of feedstock dependence.” VNCI are involved in discussions with the European authorities to ensure that the chemical industry has access to biomass at world market prices. Currently there are tariffs in place on commodities like sugar and bio-ethanol. “It doesn’t make sense that we have oil and naphtha being imported to the Netherlands without tariffs”, continues Colette, “but biomass products have always attracted tariffs. It’s a perverse strategy for a Government that is also proposing ways to enhance sustainability. We are trying to have the legislation on these tariffs changed, and we are doing so with our European colleagues. It’s a remnant of policies that protected the agricultural sector, but we think there are options that can benefit the chemical industry without hurting the agricultural industry, and we are actively seeking those options.”

Photo: BASF

will help us in terms of our cost structure and efficiency.” The Netherlands is strong not just in chemicals, but also in agriculture, “where food is one of the top-sector pillars for our economic future”, says Colette. “We think it is very important to establish a real synergy between big companies and SMEs (Small and medium-sized enterprises). Moreover, collaborating with the endmarkets through innovation is one of the strategies that will help us to keep on competing.”

To achieve that, European greenhouse gas emissions should reduce by 80-90%. Europe has set out a roadmap for this very ambitious target. VNCI is also developing a roadmap for 2030, where the ambition is to halve CO2 emissions for the chemical industry, “but this will include the contributions that we get from reducing CO2 in the value chain”, explains Colette. “For example, super-efficient insulation materials can reduce the amount of energy required to heat homes and offices, which reduces the

Photo: Dow

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050 is the agreed objective.

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Always flexible when taking on services hertel.co om

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Photo: BASF

CO2 impact. There have been enormous advances in lighting technologies, again leading to significant reductions in CO2 emissions. In the automotive industry, special plastics are being used to replace metal, which leads to lighter cars. New polymer coatings minimise resistance, which also reduces fuel use; this applies to both the automotive and ship industries. There are additives to tyres where road-grip is im­ proved and fuel consumption is reduced by 5%. Composites are being used to replace metal on airplane wings, which also reduce fuel consumption. So there lots of options that we can bring to the table, and if we calculate these in, we think our goal is achievable.”

Attracting young people to the world of chemistry The future development of the chemical industry will also depend on attracting talented young people. “We had a pro­ gramme running for the last four years called the Human Capital Agenda”, says Colette. “This project is now complete, but in the context of the new top-sector policy we have started to make a new ‘human capital agenda’ program. We have program­ mes in place aimed at very young children, through to secondary schools, universities and 3rd level technical levels. We are also designing a program for the industry to sponsor students for further studies, because we need to attract the brightest students to this industry. The decline, which had being going on for a long time, has stopped, but we need an increase in talent to cater for the needs of the industry. I think a lot of it has to do with the perception and status of the industry. Not enough people realise how exciting it is to work in the world of chemistry, and the fact that it pays really well; it’s definitely worthwhile checking out this exciting environment!” Photo: BASF

Bio-based plastics Another challenge that the Dutch chemical industry faces is the transition from fossilbased chemistry to bio-based chemistry. Bio-based products are made from renew­ able raw materials so they reduce our dependence on oil or gas. Some types of bio-plastics are biodegradable. “The challenge is to work out which materials we really want to be biodegradable”, says Colette. “For some packaging applications, being biodegradable can reduce the performance of the material because it might degrade too quickly. Ultimately it’s the consumers and the policy makers that choose what they want to use for certain applications.” There’s no doubt that the niche market for bio-based plastics is growing. “Soft-drinks companies are willing to pay a premium for bio-based plastics”, explains Colette, “which is also the market pull for developing biomass for plastic production. Bio-based plastics are much less of a burden to our

climate than oil-based plastics. Improved recycling and re-use is another way to reduce CO2 emissions.”

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There’s something for everyone at Chemelot! Chemelot is one of the largest chemical parks in Europe, in which companies can join in a community where innovative ideas are shared and every essential resource is available on site. It is the perfect breeding ground for start-up companies, and the perfect site for mature companies to expand their businesses. Aad Brouwer, Chemelot’s Managing Director, relates how Chemelot began its journey to where it is today, and explains why new companies are so attracted to the facilities that the site offers.

“A

Aad Brouwer

t the end of the 1990’s DSM decided to change its business from base chemicals to materials sciences and life sciences, so it started the process of divesting specific parts of its assets”, explains Aad. “The park at that stage was owned mainly by DSM, and was occupied by the company’s manufacturing plants and processes. Following strategic discussions, DSM sold off several key busi­ nesses; SABIC, for example, took over DSM’s petrochemical facilities, and so the concept of Chemelot began.” Attracting new com­ panies to Chemelot was necessary to fully utilize the company’s industrial site, and after a series of investment programs set up by DSM and Limburg Development Fund LIOF, companies of all sizes started

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coming to the site to set up business. Today, it is one of the biggest and most successful industrial parks in Europe. New companies on the block “The Chemelot site can be split into two main locations”, says Aad; “the northern side of the site handles natural gas, from which ammonia is made. This is the raw material for making fertilizer, and melamine.” DSM still has some facilities in here. Recently, DSM sold off a big chunk of its business to Orascom Construction Industries (OCI Nitrogen). “OCI Nitrogen took over all the ammonia, fertiliser and melamine activities from DSM”, explains Aad, “along with most of the former DSM employees, whose expertise was invaluable to the company.

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Developing road links… Since OCI Nitrogen and LANXESS decided to move to Chemelot, there’s been an enormous upswing in the amount of energy and investment being pumped into the area. For example, OCI Nitrogen plans to increase its fertiliser production from 1.1 to 1.45 Million tons per year, and more production capacity will require more resources. Shed installations and facilities at Stein harbour, from which this fertilizer is shipped, have already been upgraded and renovated. In addition, OCI Nitrogen is changing the way it transports its goods to Stein harbour. “The rail transport over that route simply doesn’t have enough capacity to cope with the increased volume”, explains Aad, “so OCI Nitrogen is switching from rail to road. I know it sounds environmentallyunfriendly, but because the plant is only four kilometres from the port, locomotives use far more diesel and release far more fine particulates than trucks transporting the fertilizer over the same distance. It’s an innovative plan.” The region’s road improvement plan will also handle the increase in traffic by highway (A2/A76) from the north to the south of the Netherlands, and will include a flyover and extra traffic lanes. In Maastricht a new tunnel will be built to bypass the city.

OCI Nitrogen has actually moved its Euro­ pean fertilizer headquarters to Chemelot, because it’s a perfect location from which to grow the fertilizer business.” The southern part of the site concentrates on oil and naphtha crackers, from which ethylene and propylene are produced, and these are the raw materials used for polyethylene and polypropylene, and even­ tually rubber and plastics. “In May 2011, DSM sold another chunk of its business to LANXESS”, says Aad. LANXESS is a global supplier of Ethylene-Propylene Rubbers EP(D)M, and offers all EP(D)M grades under the brand name Keltan®. “As a result of this purchase, Chemelot is now the biggest rubber-producing site for LANXESS”, contin­ ues Aad. “This company has also relocated its headquarters here from Germany. As soon as its new head office on the Chemelot Campus will be completed by early 2013, it will have exhibition and conference rooms as well as its own research and development facility on the site.”

...rail links… The rail system on Chemelot will be im­ proved. At the moment a lot of goods, especially from SABIC, are transported by truck from Chemelot. This has increased

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Z-Safety Services | Your partner in innovative Safety Management


the amount of traffic on the motorways in the region, so it was decided to build a rail container terminal. It also makes more sense environmentally to use a train network instead of trucks for goods being transported over long distances. In addition, southbound train transport will be accom­ modated by an additional shunting yard on Chemelot, which will replace the current shunting yard in the centre of Sittard. “This makes more sense”, explains Aad. By creating a south-bound rail track on site, it is more convenient and safer to transport goods – especially chemical or hazardous products – directly from Chemelot, instead of having to transport them first to Sittard and change locomotives from diesel to electric-driven, which would otherwise be the case. “A lot of what we produce here is transported to France, Italy and Spain”, continues Aad. “This new southbound rail network extension will improve transport safety, provide us with more options to transport goods, and improve time-keeping and logistics.” What’s interesting is that the new rail facilities will be available for public use. The expansion of the rail terminal should be realized by April 2013.

opment is part of a European incentive to improve the commercial quality of waterways.” A place to be for everyone Today, Chemelot is a dynamic corporation of a number of chemical plants owned by different companies. “What’s interesting about this Park is that it started off as a fully integrated site”, says Aad. “Every­ thing, from roads and rail links to utilities, such as electricity, steam, heat and nitrogen, are all in place. A newcomer coming to Chemelot has the advantage of having land to build on if required, along with low running costs, thanks to the site’s cleverly managed utilities infrastructure.” Chemelot also boasts its own first-rate fire brigade service, “and that’s pretty special for a chemical park”, says Aad. “We have it now for 80 years, back to when coal was mined here. We have a medical centre on site that’s manned 24 hours per day. We also have service level agreements in place where costs are shared by everyone. Any company that feels it can fit into a fastgrowing, dynamic and innovative chemical park situated in the heart of Europe should consider Chemelot as a first choice!”

…and waterways Another development in the works is that the nearby canal will be dredged to make it deeper so that much bigger barges can operate on it. “This improvement will cater to the growth of goods being moved to and from Chemelot”, says Aad, “this devel­

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Providing energy and synergy at Chemelot Utility Support Group BV (USG), together with its partner EdeA, produces or sources utilities such as steam, water, natural-gas and electricity for delivery and distribution to its on-site customers at Chemelot’s site in Geleen. USG is a cooperative for all customers within the Chemelot community, with a variety of buyers including DSM, SABIC, OCI Nitrogen and Lanxess Elastomers. The company also takes care of the CO2 emission allowances trading for its customers at Chemelot.

Jan Kaptijn

“O

ur services include supplying steam at various pressures and electricity”, says Jan Kaptijn, USG’s Commercial Affairs Manager. “We also supply a number of technical gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, compressed air, instrument air, natural gas and different types of water. In addition to these activities, we also handle various waste- products (like residual gases, waste gases, excess steam and condensate) from customers and process them for re-use, which results in a high level of synergy.

interprete the European regulation in a more strict way, opening the possibility to divide the Chemelot site in more ‘green­ housegas installations’, this neutralised the disadvantage considerably. “Concerning natural gas and electricity we are success­ fully lobbying both on national level as well as on European level”, adds Jan.

Effective lobbyists for customers About 25 employees are engaged in pro­ curing electricity and natural gas, as well as providing contract management, technical support, issue management and lobbying. “The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EUETS) is an ongoing process”, says Jan, “and we are actively involved in lobbying with the European Commission and the Dutch Government. Our lobbying objective is to obtain regulations which are fair for industry and by which the ‘level playing field’ is guaranteed.” An example of the lobbying of USG is our work performed for the latest request for free allowances for the third period. The Netherlands has a permit system which differs from most other countries. Due to this the companies on Chemelot should have had a large disadvantage compared to their colleague companies in other European countries. USG took leadership in an industry wide lobby to convince the dutch authorities to

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Maximising energy efficiency The Chemelot site has a complex steam and gas network running from one plant to another. In total a few hundred kilometres of pipelines is installed. Any excess steam from one plant is transferred to another plant, so there’s nothing wasted. “Waste gases from the giant naphtha crackers at

so that we might get excess heat in the future of especially low pressure steam and residual heat. It’s a challenge to find an outlet for this kind of energy.” At the moment there is an initiative to supply sustainable heat to thousands of house­ holds in the Limburg region through what’s called the Green Network.

the Chemelot site, still have an energy value, and these are incinerated in our boilers.” says Jan This improves energy efficiency and leads to enormous savings because less natural gas has to be bought. The Chemelot site takes part in the MEEEEP covenant. USG coordinates this program for the site. “We challenge and gather the individual studies and projects from the site,” explains Jan, “and we take care of overall site synergy” “What we have noticed in recent years is that our customers have been quite successful in their energysavings programs,” continues Jan, “so much

Newcomers are always welcome We are always looking for newcomers to the site as we can offer the complete set of utilities to new customers and the other way around new customers help us to improve even more on synergy and costs! We can offer clients steam pressures from high pressure to low pressure and every­ thing in between.” USG actively promotes its services to companies who may otherwise not be aware of the energy synergy at Chemelot. “Quite simply, this synergy adds a lot of value to the companies at Chemelot”, says Jan. “We are able to buy our gas from the outside world at the lowest cost as a result of our sourcing strategies. To put it into perspective, this site consumes about 4% of the total Dutch gas market! We make sure that the gas gets transferred into the utilities needed on the site, and we rigorously police the synergy of the site. Getting the best deals for our customers is what we are about.”

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A

AFM Facility Management (formerly ARCADIS AQUMEN) is now a wellknown player on the Chemelot site. DSM, Sitech Services, and OCI have all outsourced their facility management portfolio to AAFM. Aad Brouwer, Managing Director of Chemelot, said of the cooperation with AAFM: “We’ve been outsourcing our facility management to AAFM since 2005. They’re capable of improving the performance of facility services while also reducing the costs. AAFM has a prominent position in managing the chain for us, by fully implementing facility concepts and constantly optimising existing processes.” Ralph Hennes, AAFM’s Account Director, added: “A lot changes for an organisation when its facility management is taken over. Thanks to the care AAFM takes, the changes have a positive impact on the people as well as the organisation’s success. Our strength lies

in developing and implementing customised solutions that are in line with the existing culture, which means that structural cost savings and risk reductions can be achieved.“ Would you like to know more about AAFM’s management solutions? Please accept our invitation to an exploratory discussion. AAFM is part of ADG Dienstengroep, which has its head office in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

AAFM Facility Management Urmonderbaan 22 6160 AP Geleen Contact: Ralph Hennes M +31 (0)6 - 4664 7335 E ralph.hennes@aa-fm.com I www.aa-fm.com

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Securitas provides Security

W

e focus on security. Securitas provides security services aimed at protecting homes, workplaces and society. Whatever the nature of your business, Securitas can provide a range of solutions, that will meet the needs of your business. Securitas provides exactly the required safety. Every day. Through a risk analysis we assess the risks of your company from which we offer the optimal solution for the whole security-issue. For the segment Industry & Manufacturing Securitas works with specially trained security guards. They know the market and the clients. Their activities are tailored to the specific needs and risks. For many years Securitas is also working at the Chemelot site and the associated sites of DSM. With a team of 70 people Securitas works in close cooperation with Sitech Park Services for a safe workplace on the various sites.

For questions please contact our Chief Security Officer John Fels (jfels@securitas.nl) or Account Manager Martijn Janssen (mjanssen@securitas.nl) Securitas Arendstraat 8, 6135 KT Sittard The Netherlands T F E I

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Local know-how and international expertise

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or more than seven years Tebodin Consultants & Engineers is present at the Chemelot site in Geleen, which is the largest chemical production site in the southern Netherlands. Mr. Niek de Koning, Office Director of Tebodin Maastricht explains: ‘Both Project Engineering, Consultancy and the Quick Service Engineering activities at the Chemelot site can be carried out from our Chemelot office, as well as our Maastricht office. Tebodin Site Office Chemelot currently accommodates over 40 engineers at site. Our main clients have their own Tebodin account engineer, who is fully acquainted with the installation, resulting in quick and adequate responses to all engineering requirements.’ ‘Tebodin’s global network of offices can offer local know-how as well as international expertise. This broad knowledge network enables us to execute larger projects on site, as well as Quick Service Engineering’. It is Tebodin’s philosophy to focus on developing long-term relationships with the client, and thinking in practical solutions. One solution is implemented by moving permanently on site, which contributes to maintaining a longterm relationship and higher efficiency in the execution of projects. Mr. Niek de Koning: ‘The communication lines between Tebodin and our clients on site, including plant engineers, become shorter. This is well demonstrated with many productive years in cooperation with e.g. DSM, SABIC and EdeA on the

Chemelot site and with new clients such as OCI Nitrogen and Lanxess, also in cooperation with Sitech Services.’ Tebodin was established in the Netherlands more than 65 years ago, and is now an international operating organization with around 3,500 employees. Tebodin operates from 50 offices strategically located throughout Western, Central and (South) Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. By integrating strategic advice and technical expertise Tebodin is able to offer a broad range of global services that include consultancy, design and engineering, project management, procurement and construction management.

Tebodin Netherlands B.V. Franciscus Romanusweg 2 P.O. Box 3102 6202 NC Maastricht T F E I

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Tebodin Site Office Chemelot T +31 (0)46 - 702 21 11


Supplier of sustainable residual heat

gether”, says Bert; “we were looking for an additional heat source, and Chemelot had exactly what we wanted!” A sound financial investment Talks began just over 2.5 years ago amongst the interested parties, and a declaration of intent was signed to study the construction of a heating network pipeline through the Limburg region. Building such a project is both complex and expensive – in the region of €100 Million – and that’s where the municipalities come in. The munici­ palities of Sittard-Geleen, Beek and Stein took the lead and want to invest and the Province of Limburg has put The Green Net on the Regional Agenda and is supporting it with knowledge and funds. It’s attracting a lot of attention from businesses, but a public call for tenders is needed to find a private partner to co-invest in the project and develop it in the future. Four parties are interested in specifying the scope in more detail. “The Ministry for Economic Affairs is providing support via a ‘Green Deal’ and will also underwrite any losses we may have in the difficult first years of exploitation”, says Bert, “so now banks are interested in lending us money because they see that we have sound financial backing! We also received a European subsidy for the project.”

The Green Net (Het Groene Net) is an initiative to supply sustainable heat to thousands of households, and dozens of offices, institutions and businesses via a 50+-kilometre District Heating Network pipeline through the Limburg region. This ambitious project is being led and supported by the municipalities of SittardGeleen, Beek and Stein and the province of Limburg, in cooperation with the heat producer Biomassa Energiecentrale Sittard (BES), the Utility Support Group (USG) representing Chemelot, and the housing corporation ZO Wonen.

T Bert Bosman

he main players at Chemelot are SABIC, DSM and OCI Nitrogen. The USG is an important link for the transport of residual heat through the pipeline network, which may in future run from Maastricht Aachen Airport via Beek, Geleen, Stein and Sittard to Holtum Noord. “The Green Net initiative started from two directions”, explains Bert Bosman, SABIC’s Technical Manager for Energy and Climate Services. “The municipality of SittardGeleen had drawn up a document that proposed a 20% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020 in an effort to make the city more sustainable.” Sittard-Geleen already had the advantage of having its own bio-power plant (BES) in the city, which is used to generate renewable electricity and heat over 1200 homes.

How will The Green Net work? The main pipeline (‘backbone’) will run from Holtum, via Nedcar, the BES, Sittard and Geleen to the new business park at Maastricht Airport, with branches off to

Supply meeting demand “We already had a renewable heat source”, continues Bert, “so we did a survey to see who else could use the heat in an effort to become even greener. We quickly found out that the demand for this heat was much more than the bio-power plant could produce, so we had to look for an addi­ tional heat source.” Meanwhile, at nearby Chemelot, some of the big companies like SABIC, DSM and OCI Nitrogen use enormous amounts of steam for their processes, and Chemelot management had initiated a ‘Master plan Energy Site Chemelot’ (MESC), to see how residual heat could be re-used efficiently to improve the heat synergy at Chemelot even more. “These two initiatives fit perfectly to­

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Beek and Stein. It’s estimated that, in due course, it will be able to supply 835.000 GJ heat net a year to over 5,000 households, as well as dozens of offices, institutions and businesses. “The actual daily heat demand isn’t yet clear”, says Bert, “as we may have hard winters and hot summers. On the coldest day the demand can be three times the average consumption, but The Green Net will continue to provide an integrated sustainable supply.” To cover peaks, for example in very cold weather, The Green Net can use back-up supplies from USG (boilers), but it will aim to supply the heat as sustainably as possible. Tens of potentially interesting sites have been identified for the delivery of residual heat at Chemelot. “We will invest in the most promising ones”, says Bert. “They can then produce sustainable heat that will be supplied and transported through the Chemelot pipeline network to heat transfer stations where the actual delivery to The Green Net takes place.”

in their own heating or cooling systems. “And because these households have no individual boilers to install”, continues Bert, “there are no yearly maintenance fees to pay.” Protecting the consumer The Green Net benefits not only businesses and homes, but also socially responsible entrepreneurs for whom sustainable energy is a priority. “There is a law in the Netherlands which states that households who take heat from a District Heating Network should not pay more than a comparable situation where they use, say, natural gas”, explains Bert. “That’s because when you’re a client of natural gas, you can change suppliers whenever you want, but when you’re a client of a heating network, there’s no way of changing over to another supplier, so this law is there to protect the smaller consumers.”

Very cost-effective What makes this project so promising is that the capital investment is a one-off cost. “If you buy natural gas or oil”, says Bert, “you can be sure that these products will increase in price every year, on average by 6%. With residual heat, the price buildup is completely different. Once the capital investment is paid off, the heat source is practically free!” The Green Net takes the supply of sustainable energy much further, enabling consumers to save on their energy costs and avoid the need to invest

The future looks greener and cleaner The construction phase of The Green Net should start by the end of 2012. “SittardGeleen’s bio-power plant is already heating 1200 homes in a sustainable way, simply by using local organic waste from trees and parks”, says Bert. “I think that in the near future, many areas will utilise heat sources based on this idea; local initiatives using local companies to provide energy and other sustainable solutions.” The EU is looking for 20% less carbon emissions, 20% higher efficiency on energy, and 20% more renewable energy, “and here we are addressing at least two of them; less carbon emissions – because there are fewer chimneys per household in this region – and increased energy efficiency”, says Bert. “So we’re in line with EU objectives. We’re feeling very positive about this project, the demand is there and, for us, the spadework should begin very soon!”

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Sekisui goo.indd 1

24-11-11 13:41

Innovatieve Innovation bouwer met and DSBGUNBOTIJQ rijke traditie -"6%: #PVX 0OUXJLLFMJOH $POTUSVD UJPO BOE %FWFMPQNFOU DBO MPPL CBDL PO B MPOH IJTUPSZ JO UIF CVJMEJOH USBEF 8IFSFWFS ZPV HP JO -JNCVSH -BVEZ IBT MFGU JUT NBSL *O NPSF UIBO ZFBST PG CVTJOFTT XF IBWF HSPXO UP CFDPNF B GVMM TFSWJDF CVJMEJOH BOE DPOTUSVDUJPO PSHBOJTBUJPO XJUI DSBGUTNFO PQFSBUJOH JO WJSUVBMMZ FWFSZ NBSLFU TFHNFOU 0VS GPDVT PO EFWFMPQNFOU QSPDFTT CBTFE BQQSPBDI LFFO QSJDF QPMJDZ BOE TUSPOH DPNNJUNFOU UP SFHJPOBM JTTVFT NBLFT -"6%: UIF JEFBM QBSUOFS GPS FWFSZ LJOE PG CVJMEJOH QSPKFDU

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21-11-2011 08:17


OCI Nitrogen, a new company with a history of 80 years

O

CI Nitrogen is one of the market leaders in nitrogen fertilizers in Europe and worldwide the largest producer of melamine. The current agriculture cannot survive without fertilizers. The demand for food is increasing worldwide. To meet this increasing demand, the agricultural sector is always improving their productivity. Nitrogen fertilizers play an essential role in this. Next to fertilizer producer, we are also the largest producer of melamine worldwide. Melamine is mostly used as an adhesive for glues and resins in many applications. Melamine is an important component for wood-based panels, laminates, coatings and paints. Melamine can be found everywhere: in the kitchen, on the floor, in your car and on your walls. Since June 2010, OCI Nitrogen is part of the Fertilizer Group of the Egyptian multinational Orascom Construction Industries (OCI). OCI is a company that is worldwide active in the industrial and infrastructural construction and fertilizer production and employs about 84.000 people. We have manufacturing locations in Indonesia, China, the USA and the Netherlands. Our head office is located in Geleen (NL) and we employ over 600 employees worldwide with more than 20 nationalities. Strong bond with Limburg Although the OCI Nitrogen-brand is relatively new, the historical bond with the region exists already for over 80 years. In fact, our fertilizer business is one of the founders of the current Chemelot site. Next to the head office, our main manufacturing facilities

are located in Geleen. Here we offer direct employment to 450 employees. Most of them live close to our facilities. Furthermore, we source a great deal of our external resources via regional service providers. Constant effort is made to improve our manufacturing facilities. Process innovations and the use of advanced production techniques are the center of attention. In addition, the principles of Responsible Care, developed by the international chemical industry, are adhered. This means that constant efforts are made to improve performances in the fields of Safety, Health and the Environment. For the future, ambition and becoming the best performing company in our markets are our focus. Our strategy is concentrated on growth; organic and via acquisitions. If you like to know more about OCI Nitrogen, take a look at our website: www.ocinitrogen.com

OCI Nitrogen Mijnweg 1 6167 AC Geleen The Netherlands T

+31 (0)46 - 702 01 11


A.Hak Industry Born Visiting address location Chemelot park, Ketenpark noord, vak 147, weg AH / weg 14701 P.O. Box 27, 6160 MB Geleen, Urmonderbaan 22, 6167 RD Geleen T: +31 (0) 46-7022390, F: +31 (0) 46-7022392 Our business unit at the Chemelot site integrates our knowledge and experience in the field of above- and underground pipeline and cable systems and projects within the (petro) chemical industry to a unique combination of an effective service concept. Thanks to our years of experience at the Chemelot site for projects and maintenance, we make a contribution to the success of our clients. By using innovative techniques, cost-effective practices and by working according to the quality-, environment-, safety- and health control systems we strive for the best price/quality ratio. Our activities include: • Construction above- and underground infrastructural pipelines for transportation or distribution of water, gas, oil, heat, etc., in various materials including carbon steel, stainless steel, HDPE, PVC, GRE; • Maintenance and repair above- and underground precinct piping systems and mechanical installations and constructions; • Construction of complete electrical energy distribution systems up to 30 kV and assembly of medium and low voltage distributors, transformers; • Public, industrial and constructional lightning projects; • Pressing and rocket drilling, Frontal drilling, Horizontal directional drilling, Culvert technique; • Sheet pile constructions.

Mechanical Contracting Limburg B.V. P.O. Box 55, 6120 AB, Haaskoul 3-7, 6121 JN, Born T: +31 (0) 46 485 33 55, F: +31 (0) 46 485 62 13 E: info@mclbv.nl, I: www.mclbv.nl We manufacture and maintain process equipment for production plants. We cover all stages from design, fabrication and installation to replacement, modification, repair and maintenance. As our client, you benefit from our wide expertise and experience, combined with craftsmanship, flexibility and quick service, as well as the best possible fabrication site and workshop. We produce a broad range of equipment such as, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, air fin coolers, reactors, storage tanks and skids. From a business as MCL you expect modern craftsmanship. Our engineering is therefore working with the latest software such as AutoCAD Mechanical 2D and 3D Inventor 2009. We comply with several design codes such as ASME, RToD, AD-M, TEMA, EN 13445 and PD 5500 and on request we can provide HTRI calculations and verify your thermal design. Obviously we hold all relevant certifications, such as ISO 9001 and VCA P. You can rely on us, around the clock when necessary.


Arbo-dienst DSM keeps its finger on the pulse of Chemelot Arbo-dienst DSM was established over 80 years ago to offer professional, high-quality occupational health and safety services in the first-aid rooms of the mining industry. For years the organization provided these services exclusively to DSM. Today, however, Arbo-dienst DSM has extended its health and safety services to provide front-line acute care for other companies at Chemelot.

“W

e offer an occupational health service (OHS), which provides a comprehensive range of support to Chemelot”, says Mr. Arno Parren, the company’s Managing Director. “Our emergency room on-site is manned by a first-response team of nurses and doctors around the clock, and we continue to provide initial medical support to any patient right up to the time they arrive at a hospital.” At the core of Arbodienst DSM is an expert team of thirty employees, including five company doctors, three occupational hygienists, two company welfare officers and seven company nurses.

Arbo-dienst DSM is an ISO 9001 and 9002 certified OHS Service. Focusing on health “When Arbo-dienst DSM was first estab­ lished, its primary aim was to cure sick people”, says Arno. “A lot has changed since then! Now we are in the business of preventing illness. We focus on how we can help our clients on the site to stay healthy.” Arbo-dienst DSM has occupational hygienists who can advise on measures for managing physical and chemical aspects of the working environment. “Our hygienist does a check-up on the site and liaises with both employer and employee. We are registered to go to all of the buildings in our network and carry out a series of checks on everything from noise level, water quality, and air quality to the ergonomics of the workstation. We compare our findings with a limits value list, and submit a detailed description and a list of possible solutions for ‘weak points’ in the working environment to our clients.” Re-integrating into the work-place With years of experience in dealing with Dutch health and labour laws, Arbo-dienst

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Consultancy and Engineering

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A risk, to balance the budget or an asset?

Operating income, production capacity and image in the market are important issues for a company. And yet, business is often focused more on financial result and much less on valuation of supporting resources. Buildings, bridges, roads, sewers, water treatment plants and railways are of vital importance for the continuity of your business, and with that, your turnover.

Just like you, we do not consider assets as an expense, but instead as a tool to create added value. Based on our technical know-how and familiarity with your business, we can support you with your asset management. Not only strategically, but also looking at the tactical and local operational management of your company assets.

Gateway to solutions


66; “our job is to offer them any advice we can to keep them healthy, because healthy employees perform well, which means their employers are content. I think that this health coaching is a good model for all of the companies at Chemelot!”

DSM is fully qualified to help site users conform to all of the rules and regulations regarding health, absenteeism, and advice about re-integration of employees. “We have an occupational health practitioner available who is qualified to decide what kind of work an employee is capable of following an injury or period of ill-health”, says Arno, “and we can help the employee re-integrate into their work-place. Our occupational health services cover all DSM employees, along with other clients on the Chemelot site including LANXESS, OCI Nitrogen, SABIC, and EDeA.”

The modern employee In today’s work-place, studies point to a shift in the causes of absence, and the main culprits are no longer accidents. Employees are complaining more often of physical and psychological problems: work pressure and stress are taking their toll. “Close, multidisciplinary cooperation, both internally and externally, between psychological services and physiotherapy is often necessary”, says Arno.

Knowledge and experience Most of the doctors working for Arbodienst DSM are more than 20 years with the company so they know the employees, the site conditions and possible risks of the site. “Our doctors are knowledgeable in the nature of chemicals being used on site, and are familiar with policy and risks of the employees and their environment”, continues Arno. “They are also knowledge­ able in Dutch law and the social welfare aspects, and the re-integration of the employees. They should know the risk of the employees, and what they have to do with regards to illness, but also what can they do in order to improve behaviour for health.”

Keeping customers happy Arbo-dienst DSM has developed from an internal service to an independent company with over 11,000 clients on its list. “We are very happy with the service we are providing to the site-users”, says Arno. “Our main clients are DSM and SABIC, along with customers in small and medium-sized enter­ prises in the logistics sector, government bodies such as local authorities and health­ care providers. We don’t look for extra clients, because we are busy enough! I think that if we took on more customers, it would affect the quality of service and attention to detail that our own clients have become accustomed to.”

Better performance through healthy lifestyle Health is a very important issue in work. “We encourage better lifestyle behaviour to provide better performance in the work-place, through exercise, proper diet, proper sleeping, and a good mind-set”, says Arno. “One of the biggest problems right across Europe right now is obesity. That’s why we have programs for employees (called “Allemaal Vitaal”, Vitality@DSM) where we give advice about exercise, eating, sleeping, and mental health. We think that every employee should get 7-8 hours of proper sleep at night; this is based on research carried out in the United States.” Health coaching is key Arno says that they try to coach employees at Chemelot using the same techniques used for Olympic participants. “In this way we aim to help employees achieve top work performance. We started a DSM health program four years ago, to try and keep healthy people healthy, and for those with poor health, the program helps people to become healthier.” In the Netherlands people now have to work until the age of

23

chemical parks


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Portfolio The portfolio of quality products of KPN for the Corporate market is large and divided into the following areas. Datacenters KPN is the leader in green datacenters and has 11 datacenters available in The Netherlands (30.000 m2). In addition to housing facilities, KPN provides innovative hosting products and infrastructure services. The datacenters offer a secure environment for systems, applications and information. Workspace In cooperation with the workspace parts Support and Devices, Collaboration KPN anticipates any new requirements and requests made by management and employees in relation to ICT-workspaces. Delivery takes place both based on traditional scales and cloud computing. By using a KPN workspace solution, you are ensured a reliable underlying ICT-infrastructure, a secure network and the right balance between mobility and control of ICT-recourses. Connectivity Our portfolio of connectivity products and services are created around the themes of Personal communication, Client interaction and Enterprise infrastructure services. Personal communication Employees want to have the availability of communication assets that can (co)operate anywhere and at any time. Not only will our technology make communication easier for your employees, but it will result in faster and more efficient productivity. KPN provides a customized package of communication services to every company: • Professional PABX • Integrated collaboration & Unified Communication Services • Video- and conferencing services • Integrated services • Managed Mobile workspace Client Interaction To provide the best customer service possible, it is important that your customers are able to communicate with you at all times. This means your employees must have accessibility to the customer database from every location, at every moment and through every communication device. Our portfolio of services consists of contact center products, arbitrage systems, alarming systems and voice logging.


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Enterprise infrastructure services Your business network must be reliable, future ready, flexible and expandable but at the same time, cost effective for your business. KPN provides solutions for all sizes of businesses, small businesses to large enterprises. KPN will take care of your business-critical enterprise infrastructure. We supply, install, maintain and manage local networks with fixed or wireless LAN connections, security solutions, and storage of equipment and servers. Because of our total portfolio of products, your infrastructure is available and reliable everywhere you go. With Building Infrastructure Services from KPN, you can achieve (with minimum investment) a maximum of flexibility, availability and continuity of your workspaces and ICT-applications.

Chemelot Chemelot is a private business solution – generic services using public infrastructure will be supplied to the edge of the Chemelot site location. The ‘extending’ activities of these services to the buildings at each location will be coordinated in connection with SITECH Services. Specific customized services are created and KPN will take the end-to-end management responsibility. Between SITECH Services and KPN, several agreements are committed to the following specific services: • Broadband, datacommunication connectivity between buildings with connections to the public infrastructure; the Chemelot Shared Network (CSN) • Point-to-point fixed connections between buildings (both optical fibers and copper cabling connections) • Data communication connectivity inside buildings through Managed LAN and wireless LAN • Value Added Network services such as Internet Access with expandable bandwidth • Building Infrastructure for voice, video, and data communication • Server housing to the location • Telephone services For the delivery and management of these services, KPN composed a dedicated Client services team under the leadership of Client Director, Alberto Daniels. His team, the service delivery unit of organization management, is highly experienced with all specific Chemelot circumstances and manages these 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

From left to right: Johan Janssen Business Consultant, Alberto Daniels Client Director, and Richard Reggers Service Level Manager

For further information about the generic services of KPN: http://www.kpn.com/corporatemarket/home.htm For further information about Chemelot specific solutions, please contact: KPN Client Services: Client Director, Alberto Daniels. alberto.daniels@kpn.com


A confident future for Mammoet at Chemelot! Mammoet, a service provider of lifting and transportation equipment, has started construction of a new facility in the Chemelot Industrial Park in Sittard-Geleen. “This investment in a new headquarters is a clear signal that we are looking to the future with confidence. We have confidence in our clients, our organization and our motivated and well-trained staff”, says Cees de Bont, Mammoet’s Branch Manager.

M

ammoet provides tailor-made heavy lifting and transport solu­ tions. A customer driven company with Dutch roots, the company has evolved into a world-class player that sets trends and records. “In virtually every part of the world, Mammoet’s presence is visible both onshore and offshore”, says Cees. “Our regional offices serve customers in various markets around the globe. The main economic sectors that we cover include the petrochemical industry, civil projects, power plant facilities, offshore business and marine projects. Two of our great industrial clients – DSM and SABIC – are here on the Chemelot site, and from our new offices we will be able to proactively serve them.”

we have the knowledge to cope effectively with working our equipment in confined spaces, and we comply with all safety procedures – issues which are crucial for the petrochemical industry.” Mammoet came to this site initially because Chemelot was looking for a company that could provide a service for regular maintenance activities and turnaround maintenance activities. “These are two separate ways of working, and it’s unique in the business we are in”, says Cees. “We can provide com­ plete turnaround maintenance solutions together with the main contractors and other delivery companies, so you get all of the disciplines coming together.” Just-in-time concept for maximum effi­ ciency “Each maintenance activity requires trans­ portation to clean up and remove equipment parts, and these can be very small or very large”, explains Cees. “We work very closely with the main contractors by drawing up a total logistics plan together. We transport heavy industrial equipment parts to a cleaning area and from there to the over­ haul and repair area, or to the company who carries out the final quality control check. Then we transport the equipment back to the plant, where we re-install it. We work to a just-in-time delivery concept, and this makes a big difference in the total turnaround execution time.”

Cees de Bont

Complete turnaround solutions provider The petrochemical industry especially is an important target group for Mammoet. For this industry, Mammoet makes or develops maintenance, parts replacement, total revisions and the expansion or con­ struction of new production sites. Cees: “we have the expertise to minimise downtime,

chemical parks

Innovation is what we do! Mammoet is in business for 45 years already. It was found by the Dutch family van

26


contractors to achieve better streamlined scheduling and logistics.

Seumeren, a very enterprising and talented group of entrepreneurs who built the company up to what it is today. In 2003, the family decided to expand the company globally, so they adopted the brand name of Mammoet. Worldwide, Mammoet employs around 4,000 people. Around 1,000 of these people are employed in the Netherlands, while most of the other people work in the United States and Canada. “Our cranes are transportable, and can lift just about anything”, says Cees. “Funnily enough it’s often the small equipment parts that create more difficulties than large pieces of equipment!” One of the most wellknown projects that Mammoet carried out was the raising of the ill-fated Russian submarine, the Kursk. Mammoet was the only company that could do the job in the allotted time frame. The methods they used were very new and innovative at the time and involved building a special pontoon with a lifting gear on it.

A stronger presence in the region In 2008, Mammoet took over the crane rental activities from Convoi. “The Mammoet building on the Chemelot site was too small to accommodate the two companies”, explains Cees, “which is why Mammoet looked for a suitable location to house everyone. After 18 months of working separately it was time to integrate, to let both organizations learn from each other, to put both activities together, so that we can reach maximum synergy.” The new building, which should be ready by mid2012, will have 325 m2 of office space, 625 m2 of garage space for maintenance, “and for our auxiliary equipment we have allocated around 325 m2 and facilities for 110 personnel”, says Cees. “Building here at the Chemelot site will bring us even closer to our biggest clients, and operating from this new base allows us to strengthen our position in the region even further.”

From rental to turnkey Mammoet’s activities range from turnkey projects to equipment rental. “Rental activ­ ities are part of our core business”, explains Cees. “We support numerous local projects that require mostly versatile smaller cranes. At large construction sites, we can provide complete fleets of smaller and larger cranes, transport vehicles and additional equipment.” The service to mobilize a huge range of equipment to serve rental activities is often considered a competitive advantage. It offers customers extra onsite flexibility and may support other

27

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Professionals for the chemical process industry and logistics

F

or over 25 years, companies at the Chemelot site have been able to experience ProfCore’s professional services, ranging from process operating to filling gas tanks or professional forklift or reach truck operation. ProfCore guarantees that in all new and existing companies within the Chemelot community work is carried out correctly, reliably and professionally. ProfCore provides innovative and flexible solutions for capacity issues encountered by logistics and manufacturing companies. ProfCore focuses on efficiency and cost reduction for its customers, distinguishing itself through insourcing and outsourcing of certified staff, who hold a permanent contract with ProfCore. JOB SECURITY WORKS. More and more customers are aware of the added value of ProfCore’s formula; it delivers an optimum response to the growing need for flexibility in the labour market. ProfCore provides its clients with highly-trained staff. Paul Sweron: “We use a number of different modules, in which our people are deployed to clients on an hourly or team basis. Also, in a combined effort, clients can insource or outsource projects, in which case we waive our hourly rates and take joint responsibility for the results.” Piet Thomassen adds: “Among other things we supply VAPRO-certified employees for the industry and forklift truck drivers for logistics. We offer our employees the opportunity to attend a VAPRO course, and at present 90 ProfCore employees are in the process of completing the VAPRO training course. Mode of operation Most process-engineering companies focus on their core competences, and often the following question will arise: do we want to take care of your own production and employ our own people for our factories? How flexible do we want to be? Organisations consciously choose to fill part of their flexible layer by involving us. Our staff hold permanent contracts with ProfCore and have their own collective labour agreement. As our client, you do not need to offer them a permanent position after three years of employment, as is required by law, because they are already employed by ProfCore. “Of course you must realise that hiring temporary workers costs money. Taxi companies choose Mercedes

Piet Thomassen (left), Paul Sweron (right)

because they have the lowest price per kilometre; our clients choose ProfCore because we increase their output, reduce costs and improve their efficiency.” Availability guaranteed ProfCore is the answer to a demand for flexibility in the process industry and logistics. Piet Thomassen: “Organisations want to bind well-educated people to their company, however, giving them fixed contracts will make the organisation less flexible. And this in turn will lead to more risks the moment there is less work. On the other hand, especially in today’s market, these people are not going to wait until they are needed again for temporary work. So Paul Sweron concludes: “ProfCore provides a solution for both parties: we give our people a job guarantee and our clients the flexibility they need.”

ProfCore Business Services BV Mauritslaan 111 6161 HT Geleen The Netherlands T F E I

+31 (0)46 - 478 77 77 +31 (0)46 - 475 01 96 profcore@profcore.nl www.profcore.nl

Geleen – Weert – Venray


Providing quality and safety services to the industrial world

regulations. In addition to this we can also support substance notification.” Fast response, around the clock “The technical services we offer include analytical chemistry for quality control and quality assurance, trouble shooting for process and materials failure analysis, and pilot-scale processing and manufacturing on a routine and ad hoc basis”, explains Chantal. “We work with many companies to ensure that their safety and quality systems and processes make the optimum contribution to their business success.” Intertek is a supplier of laboratory support for the biggest industrial players at the Chemelot facility, “but we also work for many other companies at and beyond Chemelot”, continues Chantal. “At this loca­ tion we have 250 people, many of whom are involved in shift-work on a 24/7 basis to provide quick response services to our clients.” Full in-house capabilities Intertek’s laboratory is fully equipped to perform production performance tests on polymers, and operates pilot plants for injection moulding, cast film and blown film extrusion. “With these services we can support clients by testing the processability and characteristic of their material(s) during development, or by preparing test specimens according to international and customerspecific standards”, says Chantal. “We also support production processes with our safety and environment-related services including water and occupational health and engineering for online measurements. We also support clients’ new recipe devel­ opments for new applications.” Testing a product or process at an early stage is advantageous for the client, because it becomes quickly evident whether or not it is suitable for the intended application. “This is very cost-effective for our clients”, continues Chantal, “because they don’t have to invest in their own equipment and can use our experts’ knowledge.” Over one hundred thousand analytical tests are conducted each month at the laboratory, “with our continuous technical and ana­ lytical innovation in the polymers and plastics industry we help our clients stay ahead of the competition”, says Chantal.

Intertek Group plc is a leading international provider of quality and safety services to a wide range of industries, with over 30,000 people in over 100 countries. In 2006, Intertek acquired the Polychemlab operations from DSM. Located next to Chemelot, Intertek Geleen is among Intertek’s largest laboratory operations in Europe, and provides expertise and capabilities in polymer and plastics testing, pilot/prototype polymer processing and manufacturing, on-line analysis, process control, environ­ mental support and associated consultancy.

P

reviously, the laboratory was the on-site laboratory for DSM, and specialized in polymers, chemicals and environmental issues “We do have a high focus on polymers”, says Chantal Haarmann, Intertek Business Development Manager. “We have a comprehensive range of specialised equipment and highly expe­ rienced technical and analytical experts to examine the characteristics of polymers for clients.” Every polymer has its own characteristics, and there are many different kinds of polymers. “We can carry out phys­ ical and analytical testing to identify the characteristics of a material for multiple purposes”, says Chantal. “We can also test the material to see if it complies with specific regulations, such as EU or FDA

Coping and complying with regulations For a polymer to be compatible with its intended use, it has to comply with a wide range of parameters and regulations, de­ pending on the application of the product

Chantal Haarmann

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Wim Bosman Logistic Services Geleen B.V. The logistic activities of Wim Bosman Geleen B.V. include: - Maintenance materials - Project logistics - Quality control - Expedition Support / Forwarding & Documentation - Raw materials and additions Wim Bosman Logistic Services Geleen B.V. Mauritspark 1 6160 MJ Geleen, the Netherlands T: +31 (0)46 402 19 00 F: +31 (0)46 702 19 08 www.wimbosman.com

Your logistics specialist at the Chemelot site MEMBER OF THE

TEAM

Bosman goo.indd 1

30-11-11 11:31

Reliability Availability

Safety

Your asset integrity is our core activity Your operations have enough challenges. The last thing you want is downtime. So it’s vitally important to keep critical plant and equipment working optimally. That is exactly the strength of Stork Technical Services. We help our customers in the oil & gas, power, chemical and process industries to make the difference. We combine ‘Thinking and Doing’ in asset integrity management. We offer you a single point of contact for a unique total solution. Ranging from plant maintenance and monitoring, through to

advising on and implementing methods for working more efficiently, more cost-effectively, more safely and more sustainably. How? www.storktechnicalservices.com

Thinking and Doing

Stork goo.indd 1

07-12-2011 14:02


are very important to a company like ours”, says Chantal. “Our clients have their core business, and our job is to offer them the expertise that they may sometimes need to process, develop or market their products. They always have their own IP of course, but there are areas where we can assist with extra resources and extra knowledge. Data and client protection is something that we depend on; integrity and confiden­ tiality are key factors to us existing here.” Auditing clients Intertek also provides audits to verify the quality and safety of products, operations and processes. “Our client-focused services range from verifying individual transactions to full process and system inspection, devel­ opment, safety and compliance checks”, says Chantal. “If, for example, a client is looking for ISO certification, we can audit them to prove their processes. We also do corporate social responsibility auditing, to verify a company’s social performance.”

and the country it’s being used in. “Our materials experts can assist companies in putting together an appropriate verification program”, says Chantal. “We can also support companies in their research and development on many types of polymer materials.” In Europe there are strict safety regulations for polymers that come into contact with food. Intertek’s advisory service can help a client to comply with these regulations by following set proce­ dures.

Located in the industrial heart of Europe Since it was established over 75 years ago, the Polychemlab has evolved in line with the development and changes in DSM’s production portfolio. With Intertek as its new parent company, the laboratory has secured a sustainable business and provides a very crucial, high-quality service to the Chemelot-based companies and beyond. Its location on the boundary of the Chemelot site near Maastricht, Aachen and Liège, puts Intertek Geleen in the very heart of Western Europe.

Added value “One of the main reasons that companies come to us is that added value that we supply”, says Chantal. “We use inter­ nationally approved methods, standards, equipment and guidelines to test products, commodities, food, water and materials to ensure that what our clients produce will meet not only their own quality standards, but all external safety requirements.” Chantal also explains that “reading the regulations and translating them into a test program for specific products is something that a client could really struggle with, but it’s what our experts are trained to do. We can draw on a complete understanding of government regulations and the rules that apply to any industry, to help our clients monitor and optimise their process chain.” Confidentiality is key As a completely independent company, Intertek treats every order with complete confidentiality. “Intertek Geleen is ISO 9000 certified and for many tests ISO 17025 accredited, and quality and safety solutions

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T

wo things are crucial in the process industry in Europe: optimal production and safety, and this with concern for the environment. Sitech Services is the ideal partner in this regard. Sitech Services has set itself the goal to be continually searching for opportunities to optimise the installations of its customers. This can lead to an increase in production, a decrease in fixed costs, and extending the working life of the installation, all depending on the objectives of the customer. Furthermore, Sitech takes responsibility for complete maintenance of these factory installations, from troubleshooting to implementation and from obtaining permits to managing a crisis situation. Sitech Services is highly regarded for its extensive experience in the area of site and manufacturing services. Peter Groenen, General Director of Sitech Services, explains: “Our goal at Sitech is to make the plants of our customers function optimally and safely, dome permit for the whole site, safety at the site and a well-equipped fire brigade.” Jos Keulen, Director of Sitech Park Services, is very proud of his organisation: “Our fire department is at the forefront when it comes to prevention of incidents at a chemical location. The authorities also like to call upon our expertise when it comes to large incidents which they themselves are not equipped and thereby to generate as much profit as possible for our customers. Now, but also in the future. The amount of knowledge and experience we can provide as a full service company is unique. Within the area of manufacturing services, we have an enormous amount of specialised knowledge and experience. We have a unique team of specialists. And in these times when the work force is growing older and fewer young people are opting for a technical education, it is important to secure and reinforce this knowledge. And that is also one of Sitech’s objectives.” “Together with providing manufacturing services”, Peter Groenen continues, “for the Chemelot site we ensure the right working conditions so that the plants on the site can operate optimally. Some important aspects here are an efficiently functioning infrastructure, our waste water treatment, one


Sitech Services: expertise and ambition to handle.” Together with providing good services, intelligent cost management and synergy are important for the site. “Because our company fire department has a team ready 24/7, Park Services can also support customers at the site for solving mechanical malfunctions that occur outside the working hours of the day shift. This provides 2 advantages to the customers: direct availability and a dilution of costs.”

Jos Keulen (left) and Peter Groenen (right)

In an industrial environment, it is also important that proper treatment of waste is available. At the Chemelot site, Sitech Services runs its own waste water treatment plant, the IAZI. Jos continues: “In the IAZI, organic substances and nitrogen compounds are removed biologically by bacteria. We are always looking for opportunities to find the right balance for treatment. For example, we work closely with Van Gansewinkel which delivers rejected soft drinks that ‘our bacteria’ are crazy about.”

At its start in January 2009, Sitech was still a full subsidiary company of DSM. With the further expansion of the DSM strategy, and corresponding sale of a number of factories to OCI Nitrogen and Lanxess, shares were also transferred to these parties. The manufacturing services, which were previously only provided to shareholders, are now also available to third parties, just like our other services in the areas of infrastructure and park services. Right now there are more than 700 permanent staff members working for Sitech Services.

devote much attention to training our people. For example we train our people in Six Sigma. Using this method, you can get more out of your existing assets and you do not need to invest as much to make improvements. Furthermore, we also increasingly work for third parties to strengthen our competences.

Sitech Services Infra is responsible for the common infrastructure at the site, including roads, sewers, port and rail, pipelines, a large number of buildings and the green areas. Sitech Infra is continually performing maintenance and optimisation on behalf of our customers with the goal of being efficient use of the site. Development of key competences Sitech Services has many in-house specialists such as Chemical Engineers, Reliability Engineers, and also people with specialised knowledge in the areas of Materials and Corrosion, Civil Engineering, Rotating, Process Control, Instrumentation, and Safety. In order to maintain and reinforce our expertise, we

It is important for Sitech to look for opportunities to strengthen our position. Therefore we are also taking steps to expand our working area. As of 1 January 2012 we will have a 2nd establishment in Venlo where we will provide DSM Pharma Chemicals similar services as we offer here at Chemelot. This is a great opportunity for Sitech to further develop our know-how, but also to achieve maximum synergy.”

Sitech Services B.V. PO Box 18 6160 MD Geleen T I

+31 (0)46 - 476 60 66 www.sitech.nl


different name, same top-quality service AAFM (formerly ARCADIS AQUMEN Facility Management B.V.) provides facility services for public and private sector clients. At Chemelot, AAFM brings its specialized knowledge and experience to provide management solutions for multiple facility services. Founded in 2002, AAFM is based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and has offices all over the Netherlands and in Belgium.

“E

ntrepreneurs who come to Chemelot to turn their dreams into reality generally have lim­ ited resources to start with”, says Ralph Hennes, AAFM’s Account Director, “so every Euro has to count. They don’t need the stress of having to organize the facilities that they need, and that’s where we come in, that’s our added value. We take the stress out of your operation, and let you concentrate on your core business.”

“We use a Facility Management Informa­ tion System (FMIS) to log all of the service requests”, explains Ralph. “This helps to maximize cost transparency and improve

Integrated management solutions pro­ vider AAFM has become a well-known player on the Chemelot site. “DSM, Sitech Services and OCI Nitrogen are just some of the companies that have outsourced their facility portfolio to us”, says Ralph. “We have specialized knowledge of and experience in delivering integrated management solu­ tions for facility services. We work closely with all of our clients to gain insight into their business motivations, needs and problems. We continuously strive for quality improvements, and at the same time, achieve cost savings where possible.” AAFM also leverages best practices between DSM and other clients. And there’s no conflict of interest between managing a supplier and providing a service, “because we only outsource the function”, says Ralph. “A supplier can be replaced when necessary by another who offers a better, more competitive service.” Adapting to every situation “Our task”, continues Ralph, “is to allow com­ panies to focus on their primary processes such as manufacturing and production, while we take care of the facility management business.” To make this work effectively, every service request goes through AAFM.

chemical parks

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helped to accelerate the success of out­ sourcing to the company. “Our main strength is derived from our wealth of experience in facility management, which many of our international clients have experienced over the years”, explains Ralph. “We can develop and apply solutions to every sit­ uation. To ensure that we remain focused on the satisfaction of the customer, we develop joint objectives and our facility teams take these objectives in their daily work and responsibilities. Our facility man­ ager has weekly meetings with our suppliers to provide a more professional service. That’s our model. There’s always room for improvement. Our providers are always on the move, and so are we, so there’s always a special dynamic about the place!”

service levels for our clients. We work with an output contract with guaranteed added value, which means that the clients who use our management model can see the advantages on a daily basis in terms of flexibility, increased quality and savings in hard cash.” Professional approach AAFM’s ability to identify the full savings potential for its clients from the start has

Ralph Hennes

Evaluating our performance In pursuit of perfection, AAFM constantly monitor their own performance. “We have internal audits and external audits frequently to ensure the highest degree of quality control”, says Ralph. “It’s also part of our business model. It’s a very good incentive not only for us, the facility management providers, but also for the professional contractors; it tends to keep everyone on their toes!” Dynamic team with a ‘can-do’ attiitude AAFM is for a good part made up of a very young, dynamic team, mid-twenties, and they have lots of pride in their work. “most of our people are in their mid-twenties”, explains Ralph. “With a facility job, you have to be enthusiastic. The professionalism of these young people is very high, and that’s why we can make the difference; this young, dynamic team brings a real ‘can-so’ philosophy to the table.” A growing player in Europe Because AAFM operate with more volume, they get better deals for the site users at Chemelot. They have a new contract up for renewal in 2012, but are quite optimistic that all will go well. “Our strength lies in developing and implementing tailor-made solutions”, says Ralph. “We try to connect to the existing culture on-site, then con­ centrate on quality, volume, and costs using Key Performance Indicators. Being at Chemelot not only allows us to provide top-quality service to on-site customers, but also gives us relatively easy access to pursue new clients in the region, especially Germany and Belgium. Europe is at our fingertips!”

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Utility Support Group (USG)

U

SG organizes the cooperation between enterprises located in Geleen at the Chemelot site in terms of Utilities. USG is sourcing electricity, natural gas and industrial gases and supplies these next to steam and water to the site. Shared production and sourcing is most cost efficient and generates ample opportunities for leveraging. The total natural gas consumption on the Chemelot site is about 2 billion m3. Electricity consumption is 250 MWe, of which 180 MWe is produced in an efficient CHP unit. Steam production, including steam produced in various processes, is about 1000 ton per hour.

incinerated in own steam boilers. The advantage of this synergy is reflected in lower utility rates and high reliability.

USG is continuously striving for synergy. For example, with an extensive grid, steam and waste-gases are connected from one plant to the other. In addition, residual gas is

Heat and steam are available in different forms at competitive rates. USG knows how to unlock residual heat and steam from its own facilities as well as from the different existing plants on the site. New plants will be integrated into the existing infrastructure.

On behalf of all companies on the Chemelot site, USG provides services such as lobbying and advocacy. USG has a leading role on National and European level especially with respect to natural gas and CO2 emissions. New opportunities There are ample synergy opportunities for companies who plan to establish new operations at or near the Chemelot site and which require energy and utilities

USG is constantly looking for synergies and continuity.

Utility Support Group BV Transportlaan 123 6163 CX Geleen T T F E I

+31 (0)46 - 410 77 79 +31 (0)46 - 410 79 70 +31 (0)10 - 264 40 65 info.usg@usgbv.com www.usgbv.com


Grow with Fertilizers!

also produced by OCI Nitrogen on the Chemelot site, as a base material for their products, and having access to fertilizers and melamine markets was beneficial to the OCI group, so it was logical to keep them this way.”

On May 31st 2010, the fertilizer and melamine activities of DSM were sold to ORASCOM Construction Industries (OCI). Together they form part of OCI Nitrogen, one of the market leaders in Europe for nitrogen fertilizers, and the world’s largest producer of melamine. The company plays an essential role in improving agricultural productivity, which helps support the increasing global demand for food. Melamine is used as a raw material for adhesives and resins in numerous applications such as boards, laminate flooring, coatings and paints and plastic tableware.

The Limburg connection According to Frank, it was also logical for OCI to move its European fertilizer head­ quarters to Chemelot. “We needed the expertise of the people who were already here. Next to that, Chemelot is a very important location from which to grow our fertilizer business. We are heavily involved in the Chemelot site”, explains Frank, “not only through manufacturing, but also as a shareholder in Sitech Services. We benefit from Sitech because of the services that they offer. We now have the capability to increase our capacity and to improve the outputs of the plants.”

O

Frank Frissen

CI Nitrogen has its head office in Geleen (the Netherlands), with production sites located in Geleen, Indonesia and China. “The OCI Nitrogen brand is relatively new, but the historical bond with the Chemelot region has existed already for over 80 years”, says Frank Frissen, OCI Nitrogen’s Director of Human Resources & General Affairs at Chemelot. OCI Nitrogen has its origins within DSM. Some years ago DSM shifted its sights from base chemicals to life sciences, and two of the businesses being sold off included the fertilizer and the melamine factories. “They came together as a package, which makes sense”, says Frank, “because both businesses use ammonia, which is

Optimizing business potential Under DSM, the melamine and fertilizer activities were two separate business groups, with different business strategies. “We decided to bring them together and

37

chemical parks


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say, Egypt and Algeria, so we have to do something special, and what we do is produce a very good product and deliver excellent logistics services!” OCI Nitrogen is renowned for producing fertilizers of the highest quality. Trading under the brand name of Nutramon, OCI adds an orange colour to the fertilizer pellets to differ­ entiate them from competitors’, and to ensure that customers know exactly what they’re buying.

move forward as one company”, says Frank, “and do it in such a way that we can add new businesses and new initiatives.” Re­ cently, OCI Nitrogen re-started one of the melamine plants (short-liquid phase melamine plant or MELAF4). “Melamine is very interesting to us”, continues Frank, “because our melamine customers are also in the market for technical urea, which we also have in our product portfolio.” In OCI’s Texas plant in the U.S., methanol will be produced from this year, and this is also used by melamine customers. “Our global melamine customers are also potential clients for products that our other com­ panies within OCI bring into the market”, says Frank.

Maintaining quality control OCI’s quality control is built into the manu­ facturing process. “There are two elements that influence quality”, says Frank: “one is our production method, which is part of the manufacturing organization, and we have established all kinds of quality controls here. The second element is logistics; once the product comes out of the factory we have to move it quickly to our customers by rail, road and ship.” From a logistics point of view, the real challenge for OCI is that the product requirement is seasonal, even though the factories produce it continuously. “Once one customer comes looking for our fertilizer, they all do!”, says Frank. “What really separates us from our competitors is the flexibility and accuracy of our logistics network. Naturally, there are limitations, because you can’t access every­ where at once, but our logistics network is very professional, and we get very positive feedback from our customers.” Expanding market share From its headquarters in Chemelot, OCI Nitrogen is ideally placed to expand into regions throughout Europe and beyond, via its sales channels. “We will set up dis­ tribution channels and investigate where to hire warehouses for our products that are suitable to each particular region”, explains Frank. “As an established company here, our main focus now is to grow. We are constantly improving our manufac­ turing facilities. We have, for example, de-bottlenecked our Calcium Ammonium Nitrate and integrated urea plant facilities”, continues Frank. “Capacity will increase more than 20% because of the extra investment we made there.” OCI is looking for projects to increase production capacity within the next five years. “Also, we have an open eye for other opportunities to grow our business”, says Frank. “We are not striving to become the biggest producer of fertilizers in the world, but we are striving to become the best, both in performance and product offering.”

Global demands for fertilizer Taking over DSM’s fertilizer production activities was also a very strategic move for Orascom’s Fertilizer Group. “The world’s growing population is putting greater demands on agriculture”, says Frank. “By expanding into the fertilizer business, OCI will capitalize on the growing global demand for food.” Just five years ago, OCI had an annual capacity of 1 million tons of fertilizer; in 2012 that figure will grow to 7 million tons. “Over 2.5 million tons are manufactured here at Chemelot”, says Frank: “the rest is manufactured in the African countries of Egypt and Algeria, and in Texas in the U.S.” Renowned for quality To keep the whole operation running smoothly requires a steady flow of gas. According to Frank, “gas is very important to us since it is our main feedstock. Gas is far more expensive here in Europe than in,

39

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Z-Safety Services, until recently one of the three Business Units within the Z-Group – has success­ fully overseen and accomplished hundreds of safety projects in a wide variety of industrial installations in Europe. Since December 2011, Z-Safety Services and Total Safety, a global player on the integrated safety solutions market, joined forces to become one strong global partner. Through this partnership, both safety specialists unite all of their experience and knowledge. This allows them to bring their shared vision on industrial safety to a global level, and follow their company mission: ‘to ensure the Wellbeing of Workers Worldwide’.

We do what we love & we love what we do!

W

Tony Zadnikar

ith more than 500 employees in Europe and an annual turn­ over of €65 million distributed over 7 branch offices, Z-Safety Services is active as an integrated safety solutions provider in the petrochemical business and energy markets across Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, The United Kingdom and Switzerland. “We started our business in 1999”, says Tony Zadnikar, the company’s Business Unit Director. “Our first customer was in Belgium, with the Antwerp-based chemical company BASF. Initially, we delivered safety personnel, including safety supervisors, fire guards and gas analysts. Shortly after that, our customer was interested in renting materials from us. Once you start renting materials, you need to provide a maintenance program, and for this you need to have logistics! Everything went really fast from there on, but we were up to the challenge, and all the solutions and services we provide today began with us responding to a niche in the market!”

LANXESS – also have facilities in other countries, and very quickly, Z-Safety Services became an international provider of safety projects all over Europe. “These companies often want to have one Full Safety Services partner for turnarounds as well as every­ day activities”, says Tony. “We had the same turnaround team, sharing the same experiences and best practices, so con­ fidence in our business was reflected in the demand for our services.” Total Safety With over 2,400 employees, a turnover of approximately €226 million, and a presence in 21 countries served by more than 100 branch offices, US-based Total Safety is the world leader in offering integrated safety solutions. As Total Safety has been, until recently, mainly active outside Europe, Z-Safety Services is the ideal partner to expand their services to the European mainland. Z-Group The two other Business Units within the Z-Group, Z-Safety Systems & Z-Project Staffing (Flexible Staff), will continue as exclusive partners offering technologi-­ cal solutions & flexible staff under the guidance and supervision of Z-Safety Services.

Meeting market needs With a firm foothold in the Belgian market, Z-Safety Services quickly became the supplier of choice to many other companies in the region. Many of these companies – including BASF, TOTAL, BP, BAYER and

chemical parks

40


Innovative solutions developed “In 2006 we began to look at the Dutch market, specifically in the Limburg region”, continues Tony. “We are Limburgers, so we really understand each other. With an eye to Chemelot, we started with two employ­ ees, and today we provide our services to many companies on the site. Because of the diversity of companies there, we supply not only personnel, but also a full range of safety equipment, including gas detection equipment, breathing apparatus, gas suits etc. We handle all the logistics, and maintenance, and supervise and coor­ dinate safety procedures on site.” As a technology innovator, Z-Safety Systems created Z-Monitoring, a system that can monitor and record the actual situation inside confined spaces such as towers and tanks at all times. Another technology, the Z-Tracker, allows the exact location of workers to be monitored at all times. Both of these systems allow supervisors to re­ spond promptly and with the appropriate level of manpower in emergency situations. “These systems are ideal for turnaround operations, because we can offer the perfect mix between people en technology. Partly by replacing personnel with permanent equipment for gas detection, cameras for monitoring, communication and registration via a control room in combination with expert observers patrolling the area”, says Tony. “By combining safety personnel, safety materials and project logistics with these safety technologies we bring inno­ vative, integrated safety solutions to the market.”

involved in many activities at Chemelot; we have established a level and range of services that no one else can deliver in the same way.” Tony loves the experience of working at Chemelot, because it has a certain flavour. “It’s rewarding to work with companies that are best-in-class in their own right, they really go for inno­ vation, they want to achieve the highest standards, and that fits perfectly with our values. And being so close to Chemelot is a big advantage. If my partners call me, I’m there in literally 15 minutes!” Long-term planning Like many similar companies across Europe, Z-Safety Services is facing a shortage of qualified personnel in the labor market. “We are looking at ways to combine our forces as main contractors on the Chemelot site with partners from Chemelot, to attract the very best people to our business. We want today’s students to come and work here, not just for Z-Safety Services, but also for our partners on the Chemelot site, to strengthen the image of all companies active at Chemelot. That’s the image that we want to create together, and that’s what we’re working on at the moment. It’s a strategic exercise, it’s a different level of cooperation, and it’s for the long-term future of the site and its partners. And that’s how we like to do business; create long-term strategies like this one, which hopefully will provide added value for all partners. We are a young, dynamic team, and we’ve got our eyes on the rest of Europe.”

Self-selling organization One of Z-Safety Services’ strengths is that the company has a very strong technical organization. “We don’t have (or need) a large sales force”, explains Tony. “Our force is self-selling through our technical expertise and quality. That’s what sells us to other companies. We started from zero, and today we represent a sales turnover of €65 Million in Europe. Our goal is to be a global integrated safety solutions provider in our domain, and now with our new partnership with Total Safety, we are taking the next step towards that goal!” Working with Chemelot – a great experience! Z-Safety Services has plenty of challengers in several domains also at Chemelot, “but we try to complement the other players’ activities on site instead of competing with them”, explains Tony. “We are structurally

41

chemical parks


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Insights is published by Goo Media T +31 (0)71 - 70 70 161 I www.goomedia.com Management Ernst Delfos Erik Eckhardt Realisation and coordination Mandy van Aerde Eveline Jansen Nima Larkani Peter Molenaar Marinka Peeters Editing John Hickie – Carrick Communications Design and production Goo Media

Chemelot Industrial Park T +31 (0)46 - 47 69 366 I www.chemelot.nl © Goo Media March 2012 No part of this publication may be reproduced or publicised in any form by print, photocopy, microfilm or any other means without written permission from the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken in compiling this publication to ensure the accuracy of the content, the publisher and authors cannot be held responsible for the consequences of any errors or omissions.

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