connects - solvay.co.uk · control of an interview so that information can be communicated without...

Summer 2014Nº 29

Magazine of the Solvay Group

in the UK

Chemical Industry Association Awards

Platinum performance for Oldbury

Solvay Science Conference

Connects

Safety First, Accidents Last!

Communications Manager: Martin Griffiths. Magazine Editor: Julie Hitchin. Lostock Co-ordinator: Julie Evans. Specialty Polymers Co-ordinator: Helen Plant. Novecare Co-ordinators: Kirsten Parrish & Andrew Baud. Contributors: Jean Allen, Jean-Francois Berthiaume, Frédéric Bouchat, Valérie Braut, Victoria Cassidy, Georgiana Head, Shahida Khanam, Erica Kornijenko, Guillaume Peron, Taunya Renson, Hugo Robin, Len Sharpe, Sadara trainees, Vic Walters, Keith Woodward. Design Layout: Paula Vickers Limited. Contact us at: Solvay Connects, Solvay House, Baronet Road, Warrington WA4 6HA E-mail address: [email protected] Website addresses: www.solvay.com and www.solvay.co.uk

Magazine of the Solvay Group in the UK. Quarterly nº 29 Summer 2014

Welcome

3 Operating Meeting

4 Training

6 Oldbury

8 CIA Awards

9 Halifax

10 Energy

CoverWarrington Town Hall

14 Social Media

16 Global Business Units

20 Science Conference

22 Community

23 Solvay people

24 Emergency information

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Hello and welcome to the summer edition of Solvay Connects, the magazine for Solvay’s employees in the UK, their families and our many business partners. We've chosen the Town Hall as our cover photo as we were joined by the Mayor of Warrington and former Solvay employee, Ted Finnegan at the Solvay-Priestley conference, see pages 20 & 21. In June we were pleased to host the Annual Operating Meeting at Warrington and welcomed members of the Peroxides Global Business Unit to site, see page 3. Shortly after this visit it was time to say goodbye to our ten Sadara trainees who have returned to Saudi Arabia and ‘au revoir’ to Hugo Robin who has gone back to Lyon – see their feedback on page 4. On page 6, Jean-Francois Berthiaume, Oldbury Site Director, updates us on a major CHP investment and on page 9 we introduce you to Guillaume Peron who is the new Operations Director at Halifax. In line with our watchwords “Safety First, Accidents Last” turn to page 7 for an impressive report on how Oldbury keep its site safe with employee volunteers making up the site emergency team.

May I also draw the attention of our neighbours at Halifax, Oldbury and Warrington, to the back page of this issue where we provide some emergency information of what to do in the unlikely event of a major chemical incident.

This year’s Chemical Industry Association Awards were well attended and Solvay was once again pleased to sponsor Bridgewater High School students to produce the winners’ trophies featured on page 8. On page 10 our corporate pages discuss Solvay’s energy challenges for electricity and gas and page 14 explains how we manage our social media, followed by descriptions of four more of our Global Business Units. Our final farewell goes to Sir Thomas Boteler Headteacher, John Sharples who also featured in Issue 28. Solvay have helped and supported the Warrington school over the years and John is now retiring from teaching after 37 years. We wish him a happy and healthy retirement and look forward to working with his successor, Mrs Bev Scott-Heron.

Julie HitchinEditor

2 SOLVAY Connects[ Summer 2014 ] [ nº 29 ]

Regional

June 19th saw a number of members of the management team of the Peroxides Global Business Unit (GBU) attend the site for the Annual Operating Meeting. Warrington Site is one of the 17 sites across the world that makes up the Peroxides GBU. All Solvay’s employees located on the site were invited

to a presentation by Georges Crauser, President of the Peroxides GBU and Alain Jeanmart, Business Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa. The current position and future directions of the Peroxides GBU were well presented and of interest to all. During their presentations both Georges and Alain recognised the site’s efforts in creating the success of Paramove®.

As you are aware, our first consideration in Solvay is safety. The Safety Audits carried out by all of the Peroxide GBU Management Team clearly demonstrated this commitment.

Accompanying Georges and Alain were James Daly, Industrial and HPPO Manager, Andy Willson, Research and Technical Manager, Uwe Droste , European Industrial Affairs Manager and Jal Dadabhoy, Technology Manager. The feedback from the audits included recognition of the significant improvement in the cleanliness of production equipment over recent years. The audit team received an update on the Process Heat Recovery project (pictured left) which will improve our energy efficiency. They held a number of safety related conversations with the plant operators and from these it was obvious to the audit teams that a strong safety culture exists at Warrington.

Of course, there is always room to improve and the constructive criticism that was offered can only bring about future improvements. Our visitors felt that housekeeping in the plant could be improved and our challenge will be to develop programmes to address these issues.

It was a pleasure to welcome Georges Crauser on his first visit to the Warrington Site. There was no doubt that he left us secure in the knowledge that the Site has a strong sense of purpose and a commitment to continue to produce strong results.

Len SharpeManaging DirectorSolvay Interox Ltd

They came They saw They had much to say They also listened

Operating Meeting

Peroxides GBU Ian Lynch (seated) with Alain Jeanmart

Process Heat Recovery pipebridge is lifted into place

Len with the trophy presented by Bridgewater High School (see page 8)

3SOLVAY Connects [ Summer 2014 ] [ nº 29 ]

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With regards to the technical aspect of my internship, I am very grateful to Wayne Allen, Technical & Engineering Manager, for setting me tasks from which I learned a great deal. The Engineering team provided useful information – from valves and electricity to understanding the day to day work of an Engineer. I would also like to thank the Operators, Shift Team Managers and Security for their help and support. I was also fortunate to attend a Young Enterprise competition and assist at the Solvay-Priestley Conference (featured on page 20).

Thanks to the canteen staff and to those that shared their lunch breaks with me.

First of all we wish to thank Solvay for making it possible for us to come to Warrington to be trained by experienced operators before starting work at the new Sadara plant in Jubail Industrial City in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, we are most grateful for being provided with all we needed: a prayer room, a comfortable environment to study in, the opportunity to improve our fluency in English

Merci Beaucoup!

Training

My thanks are due to many people, too numerous to mention here. However, I would like to thank Mr Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, Solvay CEO, without whom this internship would not have been possible and Mr Len Sharpe, Managing Director, for welcoming me into his workforce.

with the help of Miss Christine (Gaumet-Ducros) and our comfortable flats in the centre of Warrington.

In our free time, we visited many interesting places: London, Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool, Chester and for serious shopping the Trafford centre!

We liked the ever changing English weather,

the brick houses, the parks and the English countryside. And most especially the friendliness we have experienced while we stayed here.

A special thank you to Mr Peter (Evans) for all his help both in and out of work and for making our first trip abroad a memorable one.

Sadara Trainee Operators

Since featuring their arrival in Issue 28, our ten trainee operators from Sadara have now completed their training at Warrington. We also said farewell to Hugo Robin who has completed his internship and we held another successful Summer School in July.

Plant Familiarisation

I will never forget all the goals that I scored thanks to the football team (joke)! I was also delighted with my England memorabilia that Cathy Booth, Julie Hitchin and Victoria Cassidy bought me as a leaving gift and will wear it with pride!

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting a variety of nice places in England and leave with many fond memories of all the friendly and welcoming colleagues that I have been fortunate enough to work and socialise with.

Hugo RobinChemical Engineering Trainee

Engineering team members (L-R) Bob McDonald, Wayne Allen, Sam Hardie, Hugo, Ian Pendlebury and Mark Ward


Regional

We were pleased to host six students at our Solvay Summer School this year. Pictured from left to r ight – Olivia B o a r d m a n , J o e M c M a n u s , A l e d

Cropley, Matty Allen and Dan Booth. Gareth Williams (inset) joined us on week 2. Once again they were treated to a variety of experiences in the laboratory, plant, engineering and other departments.

Crisis… what crisis!

Training

Warrington recently hosted a Media Training event, led by specialist training company Witt O’Brien’s. The training programme, developed with the Chemical Industries Association, sought to enhance the competence of key personnel who may be required to face the press in the event of a serious incident.

The course covered Public Relations and Reputation, Media Relations, Preparing for an interview and Utilising social media. Each delegate was then interviewed, on camera,

by Alan Lane, an associate of Witt O’Brien’s who has global experience within the media relations field. Following the interviews, Alan and his colleague, Linda Penman, were able to give critical feedback based on the recorded interviews.

Finally, Martin Griffiths and Madeline French were given the opportunity to conduct a

Thanks to Keith Woodward who sent us this photo following our article about the closure of the Warrington Sodium Percarbonate plant in our last issue. The photo shows the commissioning team during a visit to Germany in preparation for the start-up of the PCS plant in 2001.

More Warrington history

Summer School students say thank you!

Martin Griffiths and Madeline French conduct a mock Press Conference

PCS Commissioning team in Germany 2001

mock Press Conference with a group of “news hounds”.

Everyone found the training useful and took away some useful tips on how to remain in control of an interview so that information can be communicated without causing undue alarm or damage to the company’s reputation.


Solvay Oldbury is set to benefit from a €2.4 million investment in a new 1.5 MW Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit, designed to generate all of the site’s electricity needs, deliver savings on energy costs, and help improve the site’s competitive position.

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Oldbury

The unit – which is being funded by Solvay Energy Services under a 10 year contractual agreement with Solvay Novecare – will also contribute towards a proportion of the site’s steam requirements and generate hot water for heating buildings.

Oldbury Site to benefit from major CHP investment

The Oldbury CHP unit will be powered by natural gas, and comprises a gas engine, gas fired boiler and generator. The generator will deliver electricity, whilst a recovery heat exchanger will power the boiler in order to deliver steam for processes and hot water at 85°C to heat the buildings. The unit will replace one of the site’s existing gas boilers, whilst the other will be retained as a back-up.

CHP units are designed to offer more efficient forms of power generation. Generating heat and power on-site reduces losses associated with conventional generation, whereas off-site supply – typically from power stations – leads to losses through transmission and in wasted heat.

“This project will allow the site to lower its energy costs and maximise energy eff iciency ,” explained Jean-Francois Berthiaume (pictured), Oldbury Site Director. “This in turn will help us to reduce

our carbon footprint, which is better for the environment, and could lead to a reduction in carbon taxes at the same time which makes sense from a financial perspective.”

Total fuel efficiency of CHP units can be as much as 85%, compared to just over 50% for conventional generation from external sources. The site will therefore get a better return on the fuel it buys, and generate less waste. The unit will also be built according to the UK’s CHP Quality Assurance Initiative, which aims to monitor, assess, and improve the performance of CHP schemes. Achieving ‘Good Quality’ status can help companies reduce carbon-related taxes.

Detailed engineering work is underway and will be managed by Oldbury’s Capital Project Group, with a Project Director from Solvay Energy Services overseeing the scheme. The unit is expected to be up and running by mid 2015.

Solvay Energy Services (SES) is a distinct business unit within the Solvay Group. It aims to support Solvay businesses with reducing their energy costs and CO2 emissions. It manages co-generation facilities such as Combined Heat and Power units around the globe, and supports the Solvay’s Group’s aim to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption by 2020. The business also offers its services to third parties.

Sustainability


“It’s about giving management, colleagues and the local community extra peace of mind and confidence that we can act quickly in the unlikely event of an incident.”

Regional

on site and it’s important for the peace of mind of fellow employees and our neighbours that we can step in quickly if needed and help prevent the escalation of an incident,” explains Shaun Watts, Tackle Inspector.

The Chief Fire Officer – or his deputies if he is not on shift – carries a radio at all times when on duty. If the general alarm is sounded on site, anyone involved in the Fire Service will immediately report for duty at the on-site Fire Station. These individuals range from office workers to apprentices and from process operators to maintenance workers. They would then work alongside the site emergency team dealing with the incident, according to clear roles and responsibilities outlined in the site’s emergency procedures.

“Having a well-trained, on-site fire service which is very visible to our visitors and the local community also encourages a safety mindset,

That’s the opinion of Solvay Oldbury’s Training Coordinator Kevin Hadley, who’s been working at the site for nearly 28 years, and signed up as a volunteer for the on-site fire service just a few months after joining the company.

The Oldbury Site Fire Service is designed to provide a first line of defence, and help deal quickly with emergency incidents as soon as they occur. It is not a replacement for the West Midlands Fire Service, which regularly trains at the Oldbury Site and works alongside Solvay’s fire service in exercises, but can, where circumstances allow, provide immediate, on-site response. The team is led by Chief Fire Officer Shaun Watts, who has officers and deputies serving and supporting him.

Every member of the team is a volunteer – they do it because they care for the site, for their colleagues and the community around them. “We do handle hazardous chemicals here

gives extra confidence in our ability to respond quickly to incidents – and generates a real sense of pride in the volunteers that make up the Oldbury Site Fire Service, who care about the future of the site and the people that work here,” concludes Kevin.

Oldbury Site to benefit from major CHP investment

Site Fire Service puts safety first


Awards

This year the Awards ceremony was held at “The Point”, Lancashire County Cricket Club in Manchester and was once again hosted by BBC Business reporter, Steph McGovern. Awards were presented to winners of 11 categories. See www.cia.org.uk for details.

CIA Chief Executive, Steve Elliott, said; “The 2014 Chemical Industry Awards celebrated the very best of our industry and I believe the very best of business and workforce achievement throughout the UK. All who entered have great stories to tell. Our winners should be very proud of their outstanding achievements”.

Jo Garry, Head of Design & Technology, thanked Len Sharpe (pictured) for the ongoing sponsorship; “Both the students and staff really enjoy the link we have made with Solvay and it’s great for us to work for a real commission which helps the students to understand what it’s like in the real world of work”. Jo then presented Len with a special trophy as an expression of the school’s thanks. This is pictured on page 3.

Solvay was once again pleased to sponsor Year 10 students at Bridgewater High School (pictured below) to produce the trophies for this year’s Chemical Industry Association (CIA) Annual Awards. The project formed part of the student’s Product Design GCSE course.

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Chemical Industry Association Awards

The winners with Steph McGovern


Regional

When did you take over as Site Director for Halifax?Officially, as of June 1st 2014, replacing our previous Site Director, John Hamnett.

How long have you worked for Solvay?I’ve been with the Solvay Group for eight years. I originally joined in 2006 as a Process Manager for the Clamecy site in France.

What did you do prior to joining Solvay? I spent eleven months working at Cambridge University in research. I love chemistry, and gained a PhD from Southampton University but I soon realised it was the hands-on, industrial scale side of science that really grabbed me!

What three words would you use to sum up the Solvay Group? Safety, People, Challenges.

What were your key impressions about the Halifax site when you first arrived? It’s got a very dedicated team with great spirit and a really friendly atmosphere.

Has the Halifax site changed since you joined?The site has certainly seen changes since it became a top tier COMAH (Control of Major Accident Hazards) site in 2010. It has also seen three different company names above the door since 2009.

What would you say are the three key priorities for Halifax for the rest of this year? 1) Safety always comes first and we must achieve

Halifax employees have already had a good chance to get to know their new Site Director Guillaume Peron; but how many know that when the 43-year-old Frenchman is not at work, he might well be riding thoroughbred racehorses across the West Yorkshire countryside? Or that he’s father to four boys? We talked to Guillaume to find out more about this ‘dark horse’…

successful renewal of the COMAH status.2) We need to maximise the profitability of the site to ensure its competitiveness.3) We must improve the robustness of our processes and operations to support manufacturing excellence.

All of these can be achieved through the commitment of each employee - everyone has a role to play in the site’s future.

What do our neighbours expect from you as new Site Director?We will continue to put our key focus on health, safety and the environment, as our number one priority must be to maintain a safe working environment for employees and the local community. I also want the site to participate as much as possible in local community activities.

Talking of living – where do you call home? I live in Rishworth with my wife and three of my four sons, just 15 minutes away from the site. My other son has remained in France to study. What do you enjoy most about living and working in the UK? The countryside is really wonderful, and each region has its own particular charm; although. I do miss the French weather!

How do you relax when you’re not at work?I love to ride racehorses – I was a very keen amateur jockey growing up in France. I also really enjoy hill walking – and it’s a great place to do that around here!

Halifax

Guillaume Peron, Operations Director, Halifax

Halifax bets on Guillaume!


Energy

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Finding the Energy to Succeed

The challengeEnergy-intensive companies sell final products fixed at international market prices. Their price competitiveness is largely determined by the cost of energy used to make the product.

Comparing industrial locations across the world, one sees large differences between North America, South America, Europe and Asia. "In China the electricity price is regulated and quite low for industrials. In the US, the shale gas revolution has a big impact on energy costs, which are very low. In South America and Europe energy prices are high," explains Philippe Rosier, President of Solvay Energy Services (SES). Moreover, in a lot of countries, energy-intensive industries benefit from specific measures to lower energy consumption costs. For example in Canada, electro-intensive companies have direct access to inexpensive hydraulic electricity. In China, industry accesses

electricity through regulated tariffs, which are set low, mainly based on coal prices.

For electricity, Europe is one of the most expensive places in the world, perhaps topped only by some countries in South America. For gas, the most competitive place in the world today is the US, whose price is three times lower than Europe’s. In 2012 Solvay, for example, could have benefitted from a saving of EUR 300 million in energy costs if it would have had access to gas at the same price as producers in the US.

What can be influenced? Let’s first understand how energy prices are determined. The formula can be described as:Energy cost = cost of unit of energy + transportation costs + taxesHow costs can be influenced differs between gas and electricity.

Energy-intensive companies like Solvay are under great pressure caused by a huge imbalance in energy prices across the globe and increased volatilities. Perhaps worst hit are companies with a large number of production facilities in Europe and South America, which are the least competitive regions when it comes to energy costs. As Solvay has historically been a strong producer in both areas, we take a closer look at the energy challenge and its causes, and the tools Solvay has at hand to ease the imbalance.

Energy cost = cost of unit of energy + transportation costs + taxes


Finding the Energy to Succeed

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…for electricityThe cost of a unit of electricity – an electron – reflects the production mix in a region. "In Europe, this is a mix of nuclear, hydraulic, coal, gas and renewables," explains Gildas Barreyre, Asset Manager

at SES. Today in Europe, the electron unit price quoted on the market is rather reasonable.

Next is the transportation cost, and it differs from country to country. "An electro-intensive company in France for example pays 5 to 10 times more than in Germany because electro-intensive companies in Germany benefit from specific exemptions. Such exemptions are technically justified as base-load consumers tend to stabilise the high voltage network, and this is an actual means to increase the competiveness of electro-intensive industry."

As for technical issues, electricity grid operators must always be careful that production is equal to electricity consumption, otherwise problems arise that could lead to blackouts. Therefore, large industrial sites could offer flexibility to the grid by – if needed – cutting their consumption almost instantaneously in order to help the transmission system operator balance the system. Today operators buy such services from producers directly, but not as much from consumers and not at a high price. Spain and Italy are exceptions though. They have developed ‘Demand Side Response’ mechanisms that compensate industrials for the services they provide. If other locations

would adopt this and pay industrials, this could be another way to lower overall electricity costs.

Another part of the equation is taxes. This is particularly challenging in Europe because there are a lot of subsidies to renewables. These taxes are paid by electricity consumers. Such taxes are quite high for residentials, but for industrial sites they used to be quite low because electro-intensive industrials benefited from exemptions.

Europe’s new Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy 2014-2020, published in April, defines the minimum taxes to be paid by industrials and electro-intensive industries. "Discussions on these guidelines and on the specific issue of financial support to renewables exemptions have mobilised all governments across Europe, demonstrating how this issue of electro-intensive industry competitiveness is being taken seriously by the region’s leaders," explains Philippe Rosier.

Finally, when looking at electricity overhead costs, there is the indirect impact of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. "We in Europe have an indirect cost when we pay the electron; part of the payment covers CO2 emissions costs. Some European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and the Flemish region of Belgium have decided to compensate this indirect effect of CO2 on electricity prices. Consequently if in France industry must pay €40 per megawatt hour, in the Netherlands, it may only have to pay €37 per megawatt

hour, and the government carries the remaining €3 per megawatt hour cost burden," says Gildas Barreyre.

So not only is Europe at a disadvantage compared with the US and China, but within Europe the playing field is vastly uneven as well.

"Essentially, in Europe, some officials think that the cost for developing renewable energies must be shared, including by industry. In theory this is fine, but only if our competitors in North America and Asia have to submit to the same reasoning. If not, then Europe loses out… it’s as simple as that," says Philippe Warny, Industrial Director of SES.


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…for gasGas is different. Whereas electricity is produced locally, the gas price is linked to suppliers. For example, Europe’s biggest suppliers are Norway, Russia and Algeria, which provide gas through pipes. There is also gas transported through LNG, which can come from elsewhere in the world. The Fukushima crisis, however, caused LNG prices to increase greatly because Asia (especially Japan) required a lot of it. As a result the European gas price today hovers just between the shale gas price in North America and the Asian price.

"Again, there is a big problem with the competitiveness of Europe compared with the US," says Philippe Rosier. "One response

could be for Europe to be much more aggressive on domest ic shale gas development. Some countries such as the UK or Poland are going this way. France, though, decided to ban shale gas."

Other ways to impact the gas price include lowering transportation costs with either exemptions or consumption modulation, or interruptibility mechanisms. Additional tax exemptions could be useful as well. Together, however, transportation and taxes only represent 10 to 15% of the price, so the main lever should be re-negotiating the gas price itself from international suppliers like Gazprom or Sonatrach.

United States

Brazil

Europe

China

3.7

8.7

11.1*

9.7

Price of gas in 2014 in US$/million BTU * Germany

Source: ACC April 2014, IMF April 2014

(Sonatrach is the largest oil and gas company in Algeria and Africa. It operates in exploration, production, pipeline transportation and the marketing of hydrocarbons and by products.)

Price of Gas in 2014


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What is to be done?"In a context where Europe is now facing a very significant cost disadvantage versus the US, the first it needs to do is build a real European energy policy," says Solvay CEO Jean-Pierre Clamadieu.

"Today the region’s policies are totally different from one country to another and few take into account the need for competitive energy access. Germany is exiting nuclear energy and investing heavily in renewables, while France is willing to keep its nuclear power plants. We at Solvay pay 20-30 % more for electricity in Belgium than in Germany, and we have seen the gap widening in the past few years. We need a real policy, a true European vision."

On business level, the Group has adapted its own strategy to the new reality. Solvay has set its priorities for investment in Asia because it is a strong growth market, and the US because of the cost of energy and the dynamism of its chemical industry.

Finally the Group’s focus on energy is core to its business, demonstrated by two recent transactions. Chemlogics, now part of Novecare, enables oilfield service players worldwide to competitively and safely extract oil and gas, while reducing water consumption. The newly created Solvay Biomass Energy joint venture between Solvay and US company New Biomass Energy (NBE) produces torrefied biomass, or ‘greencoal’, which modifies the chemical properties of biomass to make a practical substitute for coal.

Read more about Solwatt, Chemologics and Solvay Biomass Energy on WeLink at http://welink.solvay.com.

The Group is also working steadily to increase capacity in Europe and Latin America where possible.

Moreover, Solvay is limiting its own energy consumption. "We have a clear goal: 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and 10% reduction in our primary energy consumption by 2020 vs 2012, at constant activity perimeter," explains Jean-Pierre Clamadieu.

Today, through the Solwatt programme, GBU Solvay Energy Services conducts audits at all Group sites to help determine where businesses could achieve between 8 and 12% energy savings per location, with investments that have payback of less than three years.

Alain Michel, Energy Efficiency Services D i r e c t o r a t S E S : " S o l w a t t i s a n innovative and dynamic programme that allows a site to get a diagnosis

of its energy consumption and a detailed action plan to improve its energy efficiency

by 10% on average. Solwatt contributes also to building a long-term energy

strategy at site level. Based on strong collaboration with the site’s teams, S o l w a t t t ra n s f o r m s t h e w a y management and operators see and manage energy. It implements a sustainable energy management system in factories, laying the foundation for ISO 50001 certification."


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Social Networking

That’s the advice being given to companies worldwide who are dipping their toes into the world of social media. For businesses, the pitfalls are easily recognisable – corporate secrets being made public and less control in managing reputation. Nevertheless, oppor tunit ies to connect with stakeholders and nurture communities of supporters are highly attractive.

"For a business, it is about new ways of working,” explains Pascal Juéry, member of Solvay’s Executive Committee (Comex) “And social media is now part of the equation."

Solvay EngageEarlier this year, Jacques Benoît Le Bris, the Group’s Head of Worldwide Information Services, established a new Digital & Collaboration Office. "The idea is to leverage new possibilities for internal collaboration," explains Fernando Birman, Department Head. "Social networking is one of these tools. Today it is smarter to collaborate via discussion groups than email."

The tool endorsed for the Group’s internal social networking is Solvay Engage, a platform available to all employees with access to the Solvay Intranet. On it colleagues can provide status updates, create discussion groups, exchange documents and comment on conversation threads.

Levels of engagement among colleagues remain uneven across the Group, however. "When a new tool is offered, it is normal that there is a learning curve before people really catch on to it," acknowledges Fernando. Nevertheless, since the launch of Solvay Engage in 2012, the number of users and discussions created on the platform has steadily risen.

"If we want Solvay Engage to become a real point of reference, we need to make it something that I absolutely need to open in the morning," says Pascal. "Also some important decisions must be made if we really want to move towards open collaboration. For instance, we have an intranet and a collaboration platform, today. Couldn’t the collaboration platform also be an intranet – a place where you could push information across the company and a focal point where colleagues could find everything they need to work, in addition to collaborating?"

Like, tweet, link and watch – Solvay’s external social media strategy"Traditional one-way communication no longer delivers," says Marie-Béatrice du Cray, Solvay 's Communi t y Management Officer. "To be credible on the web, Solvay has developed an integrated external online strategy enabling Solvay to build awareness and interact with stakeholders."

Social Media… It’s like riding a wave – nearly impossible to swim against, so knowing the best way to navigate it and manage risks is the key to thriving!

Solvay goes Social Media

*REACH – the European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.14 SOLVAY Connects[ Summer 2014 ] [ nº 29 ]

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Pascal Juéry Fernando Birman Marie-Béatrice Ducray

The Group has identified three reputation objectives for its target audiences, comprising of influencers, graduates, researchers, and local and global stakeholders. Solvay aims to establish its position as:

1. a global leader and model of sustainable chemistry;

2. an innovative brand, providing solutions to meet sustainable development challenges; and

3. an expert.

The transition is no easy breeze. "One challenge is the mindset shift that the company must make. Everything on social media is quick. We must receive answers from internal partners rapidly, and responses must be short and concise. That’s a big change from our previous validation processes," explains Marie-Béatrice. "For example, a few weeks ago Jean-Pierre Clamadieu spoke about Solvay’s position on energy transition and renewables, and on the Saturday, someone external commented on Twitter that they disagreed with part of our position. As I monitor everything that is said about Solvay in the ‘Twitterverse’ I immediately set to action so that on the same day, with the help of Alexis Brouhns, Head of Corporate Government & Public Affairs, and his colleague Johan Van Regemorter, we were able to tweet a constructive response."

Rules of the toolsSolvay has published a set of guidelines for all employees engaging in Social Media, which may be adapted locally in line with local laws. "Colleagues can basically publish anything within limits. For example, company secrets cannot be divulged, and colleagues cannot speak on behalf of the Group unless they are a designated spokesperson," explains Marie-Béatrice. To that end, the policy offers guidelines for social media for private use and for use by Group spokespersons.

To access a copy of the Group’s Social Media Policy visit: http://welink.solvay.com/en/binaries/Solvay_social_media_policy_20140120.pdf

Where our audience is…There are different target audiences depending on the social platform used.

Solvay Engage: employees

Facebook: employees, and members of the local community /solvaygroup

Twitter: journalists, investors, professional organisations and companies @SolvayGroup

LinkedIn: job seekers, students, employees /company/solvay

YouTube: job seekers, stakeholders, members of the local community /user/SolvayGroup

Solvay goes Social Media


GBU ID Cards

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"Through strategic marketing and operational competencies, Coatis is taking advantage of a strong regional positioning in Latin America to build a growth strategy based on first and second generation biochemicals and the diversification of sustainable product portfolios, evermore adapted for global applications."

José MatiasGBU President

GBU Coatis

GBU Coatis designs oxygenated solvents that are commercially available throughout the world, and manufactures phenol-based products and derivatives specifically for the Latin American market. This product range is used to develop synthetic resin used in foundries, the construction industry or in abrasives.

Phenol chain• Phenol and derivatives – bisphenol,

alphamethylstyrene, acetophenone and cyclohexanol. The main applications of phenol focus on phenolic resins applied in markets such as industrial, foundry, plywood and laminates. Derivatives such as BPA are used in epoxy resin production and cyclohexanol for internal consumption in the nylon chain.

Oxygenated and Sustainable Solvents• KetonicSolvents – Acetone, Methyl

i s o b u t y l k e t o n e ( M I B K ) , Metilisobutilcarbinol (MIBCOL), Diacetone alcohol (DAA), Hexylene glycol (HGL), Isopropanol (IPA).

• AceticSolvents–EthylAcetate,ButylAcetate and Propyl Acetate.

• SustainableSolvents–Augeofamily:Augeo SL191, Augeo Clean Plus, Augeo Clean Multi and Augeo ACT. Augeo is a unique range of sustainable solvents providing excellent solubilisation power, low odour and degreasing properties in applications such as paints and coatings, hard surface cleaners, polishes, fragrances and agrochemicals.

GBU Strategy

Coatis uses several levers to expand its business: a portfolio of competitive, alternative products that meet the current challenges of sustainable development, a historical presence in Latin America and privileged access to bio-sourced raw materials such as ethanol and glycerol. Phenol and derivatives produced at the Paulinia site in the southeast of Brazil are used in the production of synthetic resins. Its production capacity enables the GBU to supply the constant growth of the Latin American market and increase its market share.

In 2013, Coatis confirmed its development in bio-sourced solvents by expanding the Augeo®

range of solvents produced from glycerin (a renewable feedstock derived from biodiesel).

After piloting and achieving high results with Cobalt Technology, Coatis has joined forces with a Brazilian biotechnology company, GranBio, to build the first n-butanol plant at competitive cost using sugarcane residues. The mid-term ambition is to build several bio-refineries alongside sugar plants in Brazil and in other Latin American countries. They are also keen to capture new markets with chemical companies.

Key Figures for 2013RevenueEUR 545 million

Employees 650

% of R&I spend from total revenues1.5%

GBU ID Cards Series 2014/ 5 of 16*

*This series will introduce 4 new GBUs each issue of this magazine throughout 2014.

End Products


"Our GBU has developed an ambitious growth strategy, having already achieved good results in 2013 on our growth path. Key enablers are the various Excellence projects we launched in 2013, as well as a clear focus on market-driven R&I projects. The new center in Korea, at the EWHA University campus in Seoul, demonstrates our commitment to Research and Innovation. Moreover, Health, Safety and the protection of the Environment were and remain a top priority."

Dr. Bernd WilkesGBU President

GBU Special Chemicals


Employees 2,300



GBU Special Chemicals provides a range of Fluor, Barium / Calcium Chemicals and high purity Wet Chemicals to global markets such as automotive, construction, semiconductor, agro and pharma. As a world leader in Fluorine Special Chemicals, the GBU leverages its knowledge in Fluorine Chemicals by reinforcing Research & Innovation for applications in the markets it serves.

Special Chemicals operates globally 21 production sites, serving global markets with both standard grade and high purity Special Chemicals:• Electronic grade H2O2, HF and H3PO4 to

integrated circuit manufacturers;• FluorEthylenCarbonate (F1EC) to improve

the safety and lifespan of Lithium Ion Batteries;

• SOLKANE® Blowing Agents for thermal insulation (polyurethane foam);

• SOLKANE® High Performance Refrigerants for air conditioning and refrigeration;

• SOCAL® and WINNOFIL® – Precipitated Calcium Carbonate for sealants and paints;

• NOCOLOK® flux for brazing aluminium heat exchangers for automotive and residential air conditioning systems;

• Barium and Strontium products used in glass, ferrites, bricks and tiles; and

• Fluorinated Organic Intermediates for agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals.

GBU Strategy

Innovation and geographic expansion are two key strategic levers for Special Chemicals. The GBU is quite active in Asia, where it is capturing the growth of regional automotive and electronics markets. In 2013, the Chinese joint venture Lansol, held in partnership with Sinochem Lantian, laid the first stone of a new NOCOLOK® plant, based at Quzhou (Zhejiang Province). The GBU has also set up a new R&I centre in Korea to strengthen its research capacities in screens, electronics and energy storage. In order to serve the growing markets for Wet Chemicals, its H2O2 capacity in Deer Park (US) will be expanded. A capacity extension in Bad Wimpfen for the new molecule ETFBO*, a Fluor Specialty for Agro applications, which was developed in its R&I labs in Germany, will start production this year. (* ETFBO: 4-Ethoxy-1,1,1-trifluor-3-buten-2-on)

End Products

Our G

roup


"Solvay Specialty Polymers is an exciting adventure that started three years ago. In this period we have reached impressive goals and are eager to do more. The full commitment of our team will allow the GBU to achieve ambitious objectives, accelerating innovation and strategic growth projects, dashing upwards towards the summit of our mountain."

Augusto di DonfrancescoGBU President

GBU Specialty Polymers

With over 1,500 products, Specialty Polymers offers the widest range of specialty polymers in the world. Its solutions derive from four technologies in which the GBU boasts tremendous expertise: aromatic polymers – covering the full spectrum of high-performance polymer applications – high-moisture barrier polymers, fluoropolymers and high-performance cross-linkable compounds.

Key Figures for 2013RevenueEUR 1.288 Billion

Employees 2,850



Solvay Specialty Polymers (SpP) manufactures over 1500 products, across 35 brands of high-performance polymers – fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, aromatic ultra polymers, high-barrier polymers and cross-linkable compounds – for use in a wide variety of industries to include, among others:

• Automotive and Aerospace, where lightweight materials deliver pioneering, safer and more sustainable transportation;

• Mobile Electronics and Semiconductors, where SpP innovative materials inspire advances in technology;

• Oil & Gas and Alternative Energy where specialty polymers deliver sustainable energy solutions;

• Consumer Goods, Membranes and Construction where high-performance plastics play a role in enhancing daily living; and

• Healthcare and Personal Care where superior polymers help people to take better care of themselves and live longer.

End Products GBU Strategy

GBU Specialty Polymers has a six-point strategy:

1. Focus growth in emerging and fastest growing markets

2. Develop faster growth in Asia3. Reinforce its global innovation platform4. Drive performance excellence5. Explore acquisitions and partnerships6. Engage global workforce

With its broad portfolio of specialty materials, SpP meets the demanding requirements of the markets it serves, providing innovative solutions to satisfy customer requests. Its innovation platform develops new materials to support megatrends such as pollution, water scarcity, energy consumption and people care. Key elements of the GBU’s success are its skilled and passionate professionals who are committed to achieving SpP goals and who are fully dedicated to customers, and its focus on excellence in Commercial, R&I, Supply Chain and Manufacturing.

Our

Gro

up


"RES operates in an interesting industry characterised by complexities associated with uncertainty and risk. Our teams did an excellent job in turning threats into growth opportunities during the rare earth crisis in 2010. We intend to further improve our value creation efforts by focusing on operational excellence, step out innovation and external growth opportunities."

Hua DUGBU President

GBU Rare Earth Systems

GBU Rare Earth Systems (RES) is a leader in rare-earth formulations used in automotive pollution control, flat screens, low-energy light bulbs and high precision optics.

Rare Earth Systems' roadmap aims to develop its leadership position in rare earth applications with two specific focus areas:• Maximisingvaluecreationincurrentmarkets

through operational excellence programmes; • Drivinggrowththroughinnovationand

acquisition.To reach these strategic objectives, RES will build on key differentiating capabilities developed during the rare earth crisis triggered when China suddenly reduced export quotas

by 72% in July 2010.• Efficientglobalsupplychain• Globalcommercial,industrialandR&Ifootprint• Strategicflexibilitytoadapttodynamicand

volatile marketsWith its Separation asset in La Rochelle, France, RES will seek further growth opportunities from new rare earth mining projects outside of China. The GBU intends to grow its REBITDA at 8% CAGR* between 2013 and 2016.


Employees about 1,087



Our G

roup

Automotive Catalyst

Recycling & Separation

Electronics

GASOLINEMixed oxides : Actalys®, Optalys®

Alumina : Stabylis®

DIESEL Additives : Eolys®, Powerflex®

Mixted oxides : HSA® , Actalys®, Optalys® Alumina : Stabylis®

CHEMCATPrecursor : Nd Versatate and Phosphates

Recycling of Phosphors powdersRecycling of Permanent MagnetsHeavy Rare Earth Separation

LIGHTINGPhosphors Precursor : Luminostar®, Morningstar®

HIGH END POLISHINGLCD, Glass Hard Disk, PhotomaskCerium oxides : Cerox®

SEMICONDUCTOR CMPHigh Purity Cerium : HPCCColloidal Cerium

eCERAMICDy & Y oxides : Superamic®

MEDICAL DEVICESHigh purity rare earth oxidesENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY PIGMENTSCerium derivatives : Neolor®

NUCLEAR ENERGYHigh purity rare earth oxides

End Products

*CAGR= Compound Annual Growth Rate

GBU Strategy


Loca

l

Education

Solvay recently teamed up with Priestley College to inspire scientists of the future. The college welcomed more than 60 pupils from Sir Thomas Boteler and St Gregory’s as well as the Beamont Collegiate Academy into college. They were challenged to tackle several scientific projects and discover what learning is like in a college laboratory.

The conference was opened by Priestley Tutor Shahida Khanam, who welcomed the students and encouraged them to meet the challenges presented to them during the day in order to learn more about the opportunities which science provides for them and the community at large.

The third annual Solvay-Priestley Conference focused on green energy and sustainability. During the day pupils, supported by College tutors, students and Solvay employees, took part in a number of experiments in the college laboratories. This year, Naomi Smith, Education Manager at space

Solvay Science Conference


Local

Former employee becomes MayorCouncillor Ted Finnegan was elected as the 131st Mayor and first citizen of Warrington at the annual meeting of full council, taking up his duties in June. Ted and wife Mavis feel honoured to serve the people of Warrington during the coming year.

He was born in Warrington and began his working life as an office boy before developing a career in engineering. Eventually he became an engineering buyer, working on large projects for both Laporte and Solvay. One such project was the rebuild of the Warrington AO hydrogen peroxide plant in 1986.

Ted became a Parish Councillor in 1983 and in 2000 he became a Borough Councillor for Latchford West. Ted recalls the support and encouragement both he and Ted Lafferty, also a former Mayor of Warrington, received from the company at the time. Since 2012 he has served Grappenhall and Thelwall.

The Mayor's charities for this year are Warrington Disability Partnership and Combat Stress (ex services mental welfare society which helps veterans cope with their suffering).

L-R Martin Griffiths, Councillor Ted Finnegan and Wendy Brennan

observatory Jodrell Bank, also discussed atoms, radiation and the universe and the students took part in a maths challenge led by College Tutor Wendy Brennan.

Solvay’s Martin Griffiths said “taking part in the conference was a way of continuing the work of Solvay’s founder who established the ‘Solvay Physics Council’, attracting many eminent scientists including Marie Curie and Albert Einstein.” “Ernest Solvay (pictured on page 22) was passionate about science and we see this conference as a way of continuing his legacy,” he said. “We are not looking at this from Solvay’s point of view, but to inspire young people to provide future scientific developments which will benefit society at large.”

Solvay Interox Managing Director, Len Sharpe, also spoke with students on

Priestley’s Graduate programme, which is designed to help top performing learners reach the UK’s best universities.

Guest of honour at the conference was Warrington Mayor and former Solvay employee, Councillor Ted Finnegan, who said he hoped the occasion would inspire the pupils to greater things.

“I’d like to see as many of you as possible

getting those top degrees so you will be of interest to the employers working in these technical areas,” he said.

After another successful conference, Shahida said: “It was an opportunity for us and for the pupils to interact with local industry. We hope those who took part will be inspired to pursue science in the future either in education or in a career.”


Loca

l

The top, Platinum level recognition comes after the site achieved Gold level status in 2013, and recognises the fact that after a Christmas appeal for more employees to enrol in the scheme, regular donations have increased by 30%.

Give As You Earn enables employees to make regular charitable donations through the payroll. The donations build to create a pool of funds, which a Solvay Oldbury committee then distributes to nominated charities every six months.

Solvay Oldbury has a list of 12 charities that it donates to through the Give As You Earn scheme, ranging from St Basil’s Youth Hub in Birmingham to the West Midlands Lupus Group. The key focus is on supporting local charities and giving to causes which have personal connections for employees on the site.

“We have had a number of personnel changes on site recently, so to have achieved an increase in pledges, despite the changes, really is a great success story and testament to the generosity of people on site”, said Glenn Clewes, Quality Assurance Manager and chairman of Solvay Oldbury’s Give as You Earn committee. “We were thrilled to achieve the Gold award last year, so to go one step further and achieve Platinum is the icing on the cake!”

To find out more about Give As You Earn visit www.cafonline.org

Community

Solvay Oldbury has been awarded the highest level award for charitable giving by the Charities Aid Foundation in recognition of its sustained efforts to support promotion of the Give As You Earn scheme.

In-house Tax Network Event held at Solvay in June

Solvay Warrington kindly loaned their conference facilities last month to the In-house Tax Network (ITN) a tax technical discussion group for finance people working in commerce and industry. Guests were greeted with a buffet lunch and networking organised by Georgiana Head Recruitment. Then the event saw the Solvay Transfer Pricing Team, led by Bob Brisenden, give a presentation to 24 senior tax professionals on their work. Team members Katy Tait, Elnaz Azough and Joanne Rattigan talked through the complex reporting needed for a group of Solvay’s size and international complexity.

Daniel Head and Grant Ashbrook of KPMG then gave a talk on the new Base Erosion and Profit Shifting rules. The guests really appreciated the conference facilities with break away area and many commented on the intriguing photo (above) of Mr Solvay with the great and good of the scientific community from the early twentieth century.

CHECK EMAILS

SAVE THE PLANET

PREVENT DISEASE

FEED THE WORLD

ATTEND MEETING

WRITE REPORT

It’s all in a day’s work if you

donate to your favourite charity

through CAF Give As You Earn®

Registered charity number 268369

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09/09/2013 15:40:14

Platinum performance for Oldbury!

Ernest Solvay, seated 3rd from left, at the Solvay Physics Council in 1911


Warrington

Local

Solvay People

New Starters

Retirement

Goodbye Sam, Hello Greg!

Daniel LansleyEnvironmental Trainee

Jonathan Musgrove Engineering Trainee

Steve Beedham 40 years

David Hughes 40 years

Warrington

Long Service

Nathan Saunders

Tax Advisor

Dr Phill Wyborn has retired after 30 years with the company. He started life in Interox in 1984 working for Research & Development in Widnes having spent time working in the mining industry and various spells of living in the USA and Brazil. In R&D he continued his association with the mining industry, developing the use of hydrogen peroxide for cyanide removal which required him spending time in Africa and Australia.

In recent years Phill was also involved in the development of environmental applications and latterly in the healthcare business. When he is not busy with his properties in Portugal he plans to start work on an allotment. We all wish him well on his retirement.

Sam Fear left Oldbury site after 9 years to start her new position as Production Manager at Halifax. She came to Oldbury from Avonmouth Site where she joined Rhodia in 1998.

Sam's seen here saying goodbye to colleagues Iain Sayer (left) and Gregory Druilhe (right). Gregory will be taking over from Sam as Oldbury Production Unit Manager. We wish them both all the best in their new positions.


In the unlikely event of a major chemical incident, we will sound our COMAH alarm to alert the local community. If you hear the alarm, take the following actions:

EMERGENCY INFORMATION FOR OUR NEIGHBOURSSolvay’s Halifax, Oldbury and Warrington sites are subject to the COMAH

(Control of Major Accident Hazards) regulations which aim to prevent major chemical accidents and limit the consequences to people and the

environment of any accidents that may occur.

The regulations require us to assess the hazards associated with our operations and describe the controls we employ in order to reduce the risks to

“As Low as is Reasonably Practicable”.

Remember, GO IN, STAY IN and TUNE IN

Go indoors immediately. Consider inviting in passers-by who may also be at risk.

Close all doors and windows and pull curtains or blinds across any windows facing our site. Stay in a room furthest away from the industrial area. Switch off any ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Tune in to local radio which will be used to broadcast information or instructions. Co-operate with instructions given by the Emergency Services. Do not collect children from school, which may or may not be in the affected area. They will be properly cared for.

Only use the telephone for essential needs until the emergency is over. This ensures lines are free for emergency services to use.

Remain indoors until you hear the all-clear signal or you receive instructions from the Police.

Solvay Interox Emergency Instructions

for our Neighbours This card is produced in accordance with the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) regulations. Its purpose is to advise you what to do in the unlikely event of a major incident occurring on our premises that could affect you and people near you. Please ensure everyone in this property reads the instructions overleaf carefully and keep this card in an accessible place. Please pass this card on to any subsequent occupier. In business or community premises, please display this card in a prominent place. If you require further copies of this card, or any other information, please contact: Martin Griffiths Safety & Communications Manager Solvay Interox Limited Solvay House Baronet Road Warrington, WA4 6HA.

01925 651277 www.solvay.co.uk www.solvay.com


for our Neighbours

GO IN, STAY IN, TUNE IN

If you hear the two-tone warble warning siren (apart from the test at 10:00 am on the first Monday of each month):

1. Go immediately into a house or building. 2. Look out for and assist any elderly, deaf, blind or disabled

neighbours. 3. Close all doors and windows and pull curtains or blinds

across any windows facing our site. 4. Stay in a room furthest away from the industrial area. 5. Whilst the emergency is in progress, do not leave your home.

If you have children at school, which may or may not be in the affected area, please contact the school by telephone.

6. Switch off any ventilation and air conditioning systems. 7. Tune in to local radio which will he used to broadcast

information or instructions. 8. Only use the telephone for essential needs until the

emergency is over. This ensures lines are free for emergency services to use.

9. Please cooperate fully with any instructions given by the emergency services.

10. Remain indoors until you hear the all-clear signal, a single tone siren, or you receive instructions from the Police.

For your safety, access to the surrounding area may be restricted during a major accident.





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