Management
Reliability: Plan startups wisely and involve SMEs
DE, a retired former colleague of mine, recounted his experience as an expert witness for ABC in litigation against XYZ. (Note that I picked the letters A through M for the plaintiff’s side; N through Z are assigned to the defendants.)
Business Trends: Are chemical companies ready for the future of work?
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant, short-term disruption to the chemical industry, potentially leading to long-term impacts.
Safety: Do companies have the right tools to make proactive safety decisions?
A process safety management/operational risk management survey conducted by Sphera in 2020 polled respondents on the following items.
Risk: Escaping the “cyclone market” in downstream energy
To say that the downstream energy sector is facing a time of unprecedented challenge would be the understatement of the decade.
Business Trends: Case EPC-2020: Increasing competitiveness and profits
Prior to the hardships faced during the global pandemic, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) industry was already facing several challenges.
Optimizing methanol plant operations through minimal capital investments
In the constant search for improvement, Methanex has developed a state-of-the-art project to improve plant operation at its methanol production facility in Punta Arenas, Chile (FIG. 1).
Executive Viewpoint: The talent pipeline: The construction industry’s quest to find a skilled workforce
The oil and gas industry experienced unprecedented disruption in 2020.
Executive Viewpoint: How digital transformation improves safety and reduces emissions
Digital transformation is a strategy for improving performance by applying technologies for measurement, connectivity, data storage, analytics and visualization
Workforce: Five lessons to get the most out of remote training and tools
The past year has been a time of great challenges, and of great opportunities, for people to adapt and overcome the current restrictions on in-person meetings.
Editorial Comment: HPI spending forecast to reach $491 B in 2021
Who could have known that the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) would have been hit with such market volatility entering the new decade?

- CLG and INA successfully produce SAF from biogenic feedstock 7/29
- Johnson Matthey’s tech enables successful start-up of the world’s largest single-train methanol plant 7/29
- Clariant and Shanghai Boiler partner to develop green methanol/ammonia and SAF projects in China 7/29
- China ramps up exports of refined fuels as margins rise 7/29
- Baker Hughes to acquire Chart Industries for $13.6 B 7/29
- Dangote Refinery drops lawsuit against Nigerian fuel importers 7/29