4th ICIS Asian Surfactants Conference
November 2014 – Singapore
Here are my thoughts and opinions on some of the highlights from our surfactant conference held recently in Singapore. This was the 4th in Asia and the 11th in the series of conferences, produced by me and ICIS. It was the biggest and, in my opinion, the best yet.
Opening up the proceedings, I gave some introductory remarks, building on my theme for 2014, which is “What have Surfactants done for us?” This of course, building on a classic sketch from Monty Python.
For more on what this is all about, I intend to build on this theme in a presentation at CESIO in Istanbul, June 1 – 3, 2015. That is if the organisers accept my paper, which is not a foregone conclusion by any means.
In any event, back to Singapore: Chris de Lavigne, of Frost & Sullivan led off with a paper on outlook for the Asian Surfactants Markets. The theme of vertical integration was featured heavily. The question of the viability of small, independent companies was raised. In my view, the jury is still out on this question. Many small independent (that is non-vertically integrated) companies will fail and or be gobbled up by the big players (established ones like BASF or emerging ones like KLK). That is not a bad thing or a good thing. It is, in fact, a trend noticed in many other industries over time and one that is in full swing today in our surfactant industry.
LMC delivered as usual impeccable analysis and information of great interest to our audience. The speaker. Yu Leng Khor, new to the company and to our industry, did an outstanding job, pouring cold water on the MES phenomenon (for now) and also (for now) on the commercial viability of West Africa as a source of palm oil in the near future.
Next up, Wonsoo Byun of Nexant delivered a data-rich analysis of the Asian EO market. Capacity, especially in China, is growing through the roof. The question remains as to whether demand can even keep close to the same pace.
An interesting paper from a brand new participant in our conference series, Inventa Technologies, dealt with the use of pilot plants in the surfactant industry. Some very interesting engineering aspects to scale-up of continuous stirred tank reactors vs loop reactors. Loop reactors being easier to scale and operate vs the CSTR.
In the same vein, that is chemical technology, our firm friends and favourites, Desmet Ballestra, gave a masterful survey of advances in process technology for surfactant manufacturing. Some interesting perspectives from the point of view of total value added to surfactant feedstock were presented.
Another first time presenter than captivated the audience. This was Derom Bangun, Chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Board. Derom delivered a detailed account of the Indonesian Palm Oil Industry and the steps it has taken to set and meet standards with respect to sustainable agriculture.
With an update on the Phillipines, Marco Reyes of the Hancole group was up next. This extremely resource-rich country is, according to Marco, hobbled by a lack of infrastructure, in order to fulfill its true potential.
Rounding out day 1, we had a trio of papers that dealt with future trends in consumer markets and how these impact the surfactant markets. Jane Barnett of Mintel led off with a presentation of the Mintel “6 futures” that impact the consumer markets. Then Yulia Fransisca of Euromonitor went more in – depth to look at the future of laundry cleaning. I then, did my best to interpret both these looks into the future to derive what they meant in terms of the surfactant industry. I built on some favorite themes such as the emergence of the large vertically integrated palm-based companies and the value of “cheap and cheerful” surfactants and formulations, not only in emerging markets but in the so-called rich but aging markets.
Day two started with an outstanding but very sobering assessment of the Chinese economy by noted ICIS author and analyst, John Richardson. John’s message is simple and powerful. Don’t rely on optimistic projections of China growth for your business. To get the full flavor of what he is saying, I urge you to attend his next speaking engagement, or visit the blog.
Another ICIS speaker, Angeline Soh, followed up with an outstanding paper on alcohol ethoxylates in Asia. Angeline is the author of the highly successful new ICIS pricing report on alcohol ethoxylates and deftly showed her expertise in this subject area – acquired over a relatively short period of time.
Newcomers to the conference series, Indian consulting company, Tata Strategic Management Group, presented a compelling analysis of the new growth applications for oleochemicals. This was of course of immense interest to many of our attendees in light of the enormous over-capacity in this sector.
Another newcomer to the conference series, Dr. Mujizat Kawaroe of the Surfactant and Bioenergy Research Center in Indonesia, presented a fascinating survey of the use of algae in the chemicals value chain. All the more remarkable as the work is taking place at the very heart of the global palm industry.
A new perennial favorite topic is the oil and gas industry and their use of surfactants. Solvay, once again, displayed their mastery of this subject and market area with a presentation from Brian Downward.
Finishing up the conference, a paper from Archroma on the subject of textiles. This is a market of great importance for surfactants but one that we do not hear too much about. Rajesh Ramamurthy gave an outstanding introduction to this growing field.
That finishes up the conference series for 2014. Next year, we have our first scheduled event in May and that is the 5th World Surfactant Conference, at our usual venue in Jersey City, NJ, just over the river from Manhattan. We have moved into the largest auditorium the hotel has to offer and we are expecting a sell-out crowd. I look forward to seeing you all there. In the meantime, stay tuned, we are working on a couple of new initiatives, including a potential new conference in another region of the world and a new surfactant business survey initiative for which invitations will be sent early next year. As always if you have suggestions or questions, please get in touch.
Neil