• Excellent opportunities for international trade in chemical equipment and process technology
• Exhibitor numbers up by 25% from 2001

ACHEMASIA 2004, the international exhibition and congress for chemical technology and biotechnology, opened its doors on Tuesday 11 May at the China International Exhibition Centre in Beijing. The event, which is the sixth in the ACHEMASIA series, runs until 15 May. Occupying 6,400 square metres of exhibition space in four halls, ACHEMASIA 2004 brings together 414 exhibitors from 25 countries to present products, technologies and know-how for the chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries.

The emphasis among the exhibitors is on process equipment and plant construction (41%), process technology (33%), petrochemistry (25%), pharmaceutical technology (23%), food technology (18%), environmental technology (15%), laboratory and analytical equipment and systems (13%), water technology (11%) and agrochemistry (10%). Most exhibitors said they were pleased with the first two days of the exhibition. They praised the quality and level of interest of the visitors, and said they had already held profitable discussions and made useful new contacts.

China accounts for the largest number of exhibitors by country, with 167 companies, including many subsidiaries of multinational firms as well as joint ventures. The second-largest exhibitor group, with 134 companies, is from Germany, followed by Australia (17 exhibitors), the United Kingdom (15 exhibitors), France (14 exhibitors), the USA (12 exhibitors) and Switzerland (10 exhibitors). The number of Chinese exhibitors increased by 44% compared to the previous ACHEMASIA, in 2001, while the number of international exhibitors grew by 20%.

As the largest event of its kind in China, ACHEMASIA is highly valued by the Chinese process industry sector, said Professor Cao Xianghong at the official opening ceremony on Tuesday. Professor Cao is Senior Vice President of China’s state-owned petrochemical company SINOPEC, and President of CIESC, the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China. For the opening ceremony he was joined by a wide-ranging lineup of dignitaries from industry and politics.

The Chinese government has announced its aim of promoting sustainable development in the chemical and petrochemical industries and increasing emphasis on high technology, resource conservation, technical efficiency and environmental protection. This will only be possible with the help of technology and collaboration from foreign organisations. There are many examples to show that in the expanding Chinese market, western small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) — both manufacturers and service providers — can find just as many business opportunities as their larger counterparts.

In recognition of his exceptional services to the organisation of ACHEMASIA and fruitful co-operation between SINOPEC and DECHEMA, Professor Cao was awarded the ACHEMA Plaque in titanium during the ACHEMASIA 2004 opening ceremony.

Business meetings and scientific presentations

The scientific congress that forms an integral part of ACHEMASIA sees the presentation of the latest research results, and those with the highest value for commercial development, in areas including pharmaceutical technology, separations, biotech, environmental technology and water treatment. A new feature of ACHEMASIA that has proved very popular is a series of business meetings and workshops on especially relevant topics. Their themes include industrial and municipal water management, gasification of coal and biomass for both clean energy and chemical feedstocks, and co-operation in biotechnology between China and the European Union. Also popular have been the plenary lectures, such as those by Professor Cao on the development of China’s petrochemical industry, and by Professor Borge Diderichsen, President of the European Federation of Biotechnology, on the global status of biotech.

The organisers of ACHEMASIA are DECHEMA (Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie e.V., Frankfurt am Main, Germany) and its Chinese sister organisation CIESC (Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China). In setting up the event, DECHEMA and CIESC have worked closely with CCPIT-CIEC (China Council for the Promotion of International Trade – China International Exhibition Centre), Chinese government ministries and around 20 other organisations covering a wide range of functions in Asia and the rest of the world.

Contact:

E-Mail: ;

(http://www.achemasia.de)