May 2015
Summary
Réalités industrielles
The chemical industry: Its prospects in France?
Complete issue
This issue was coordinated
by Jean-Luc VO VAN QUI
This issue was coordinated
Avant-propos : La chimie : un brillant passé, un bel avenir par Bernard BIGOT,
Introduction
By Jean-Luc VO VAN QUI
Ingénieur général des Mines, CGE, ministère de l’Économie, de l’Industrie et du Numérique
1 - The inventory
What is the chemical industry good for?
By Rose Agnès JACQUESY
Rédactrice en chef de l’Actualité chimique (Société Chimique de France)
et Armand LATTES
Professeur émérite à l’Université Paul Sabatier de Toulouse, ancien directeur de l’École Nationale de Chimie de Toulouse et ancien président de la Société Française de Chimie (2003-2008)
Since ancient times, the goods produced by crafts and the chemical industry have been exchanged and, in a way, were at the origin of globalization. The French chemical industry runs up a very positive trade balance and employs 156.000 persons in its 3.350 firms, 95% of them small or medium-sized. Nearly all objects surrounding us — computers, automobiles, building materials, produce, pharmaceuticals, textiles, sports equipment, medical imagery, etc. — rely on chemistry. This most regulated of all industries has the lowest rate of workplace accidents. The chemical industry plays a major role in controlling climate change thanks to its innovations for the “energy transition” — soon to be followed by the “material transition”, as ever more resources are drawn from plants instead of fossil fuels. A few examples show how this industry is irrigating several fields in everyday life.
The European chemical industry at the crossroads
By Jean-Pierre CLAMADIEU
CEO de SOLVAY et président du CEFIC
Europe, a key region for the chemical industry worldwide, accounts for about 17% of sales. The European chemical industry’s trade surplus stood at €48,7 billion in 2013 — evidence of its impact on economic growth and jobs. According to a recent study published by Oxford Economics however, this branch faces a growing threat from players operating in other regions. Among the factors that make Europe less attractive for investors are: a long period of sluggish growth, complicated regulations, and higher prices for energy and raw materials. The majority of investments in the chemical industry went to Europe in 2008, but since then, investors have turned toward other parts of the globe. The shale gas revolution in the United States and stronger economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region further jeopardize European leadership. However this trend can be reversed under condition that Europe improves the conditions for operations in this industry and fosters an environment favorable to innovation and investment.
The chemical industry in France: What prospects?
By Didier LE VELY
Directeur des Études économiques et internationales, Union des Industries Chimiques
Strong with a trade surplus of €7,4 billion in 2014 (65% of its products being exported), the chemical industry weighs heavy in France’s balance of trade. For fifteen years however, it has been becoming less competitive, and now its position is menaced. To reinforce its position, it must act on two fronts. First of all, it must restore its profit margin by being offered a supply of energy at a competitive price and being supported by measures for stimulating productive investments. Secondly, it must innovate and thus provide for the transition toward a more sustainable chemical industry with the energy transition and plant chemistry as its driving forces.
The chemical industry’s fortune and misfortune since 1981 in France and the world: What lessons to draw?
By Pierre AVENAS
Ingénieur en chef des mines honoraire
An industry’s good and back luck can be set down to technical, commercial and social factors and, in the case of chemicals, to the issues of safety and security. In addition, there are the mergers and acquisitions, successful or failed, which have abounded since international finance was deregulated in the 1980s. The outcome of all this has been positive for some chemical firms, which have grown, and bad for others, which have downsized or even disappeared — apparently a misfortune even though all or parts of the firms that disappeared were very often taken over and now operate under better conditions.
2 - Preparing for the future
Can the chemical industry be environmentally friendly?
By Jean-Marie DURAND
Adjoint à la directrice générale de la Prévention des risques du ministère de l’Écologie, du Développement durable et de l’Énergie
For the environment (not to be confused with respect for nature) can be seen in terms of classified installations or from the broader perspective of sustainable development. The chemical industry must be environmentally friendly, the conditions for this being described herein along with the benefits. The grounds for regulations are presented along with the constitutional limits and major principles, such as the precautionary principle and obligations related to public hearings. Agrofuels serve as an example for discussing “green chemistry” and this concept’s limits.
The chemical industry: A responsible, unavoidable player in a sustainable economy
By Luc BENOIT-CATTIN
Directeur général Industrie, Arkema
Accidents do not happen very often in the chemical industry, but they can have a big impact, deeply marking public opinion, which is not always aware of the advances made in this branch of the economy during the last twenty years. Given abiding questions about the safety of its operations and the harm caused by its products and, more broadly, the issues of societal and environmental responsibility, the chemical industry is continually striving to make improvements on these questions. Remarkable progress has been made, as measured not just by the industry’s pledges but also by the considerable means devoted to implementation and, above all, the results obtained. But these efforts amount to more than the attempt to control the industry’s environmental footprint. The chemical industry is proposing innovative solutions for handling the new challenges arising from climate change, the supply of drinking water, population growth and new energy sources. At the cutting edge of technology and sustainable growth for our societies, this industry has promising prospects. Public authorities in France and Europe must adequately support it while establishing a fair balance between legitimate environmental objectives and the exigencies of economic performance imposed by global forces of competition.
Green chemistry and plant chemistry
By Eric FIRTION
Délégué général de l’ACDV (Association nationale de la Chimie Du Végétal).
et Christophe RUPP-DAHLEM
Président de l’ACDV
The chemistry of plant life has made a bound in the past fifteen years. It is a pillar of “green chemistry”, which uses the biomass as a raw material and develops new products with new features. Plant chemistry has become an industrial reality as several projects have been carried out in Europe and created jobs. To accelerate the deployment of plant chemistry in France, a bioeconomic strategy must be drawn up similar to what has been done in several countries, such as the United States and Brazil. The Association Chimie du Végétal (ACDV) seeks to back up, and speed up, the development of a chemistry based on plant resources in France and Europe. It has a part to play in this process. For more information: www.chimieduvegetal.com
The chemical industry and energy: The situation in France and the world
By Virginie SCHWARZ
Directrice de l’Énergie, ministère de l’Écologie, du Développement durable et de l’Énergie
et Julien TOGNOLA
Sous-directeur des Marchés de l'Énergie et des Affaires sociales
Heavily conditioned by the cost of energy, the chemical industry is sensitive to price differences — in particular, of natural gas and electricity — between various regions on the globe. Although the retail price of electricity in France is still lower than in neighboring EU lands, the situation varies for electricity-intensive consumers. In certain countries, they benefit from both low wholesale prices and measures for helping chemical firms to be competitive. In this context, French public authorities intend to ensure a supply of energy that enables these big consumers to remain competitive. To this end, concrete measures are foreseen in the bill of law on the “energy transition for green growth”, and measures are in the pipeline for improving energy efficiency.
The price of energy and the European chemical industry’s competitiveness
By Jacques PERCEBOIS
Professeur émérite à l’Université de Montpellier (CREDEN - UMR CNRS Art-Dev 5281)
Thanks to the large-scale production of shale gas in the United States, the American chemical industry, a big consumer of ethane, has improved its competitive edge on international markets, notably in relation to Europe. The European chemical industry still depends on naphta, which is distilled from petroleum — and the price of oil stayed high till into 2014. Competition also exists with the Near East and Asia, in particular China. The European chemical industry needs to be restructured. The lower price of petroleum and the euro’s lower exchange rate (in late 2014) open opportunities that the industry must seize.
Research in chemistry on the frontier of knowledge
By Dominique MASSIOT, Claire-Marie PRADIER, Jacques MADDALUNO, Jean-François TASSIN, Joël MOREAU, Mehran MOSTAFAVI, Anne IMBERTY, Pascal BREUILLES et Catherine LARROCHE
Institut de Chimie du CNRS
“Mixed research units” are building blocks, flexible but permanent, in rapidly evolving fields of research. Several measures shape the activities of research teams and thus give rise to “poles of research”. They also help consolidate national networks, identify strong points, boost the sharing of top-level equipment and stimulate collaboration between academics and industrialists. Chemists’ diverse activities lie on a thematic continuum that reaches beyond disciplinary bounds and crisscrosses the industrial and academic spheres. The dichotomy between, on the one hand, the structure in terms of disciplines used by the authorities in charge and, on the other hand, the socioeconomic priorities set by funding agencies should enable scientists to pursue topnotch research. It should also lead to the emergence of new concepts corresponding to breakthroughs that will reshape chemistry in the future.
Chemistry and chemical industries: University curricula and occupational training
By Catherine BEUDON
Union des Industries Chimiques (UIC)
Jacques BOUSQUET
Délégué Fédération Gay-Lussac (FGL)
Anouk GALTAYRIES
École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris (Chimie ParisTech)
et Daniel GUILLON
École Européenne de Chimie, Polymères et Matériaux de Strasbourg (ECPM)
When focusing on wage-earners’ skills in a given branch, such as the chemical industry, it is necessary to examine employees’ educational backgrounds: the curricula they have followed to acquire the knowledge and skills needed by firms as well as the training programs for updating skills or acquiring new knowledge. The studies (in particular by the Observatoire Prospectif des Industries Chimiques) identifying these skills can be used to match corporate needs with the supply of education and training throughout careers.
Interventions by the Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Digital Technology in favor of the chemical industry
By Marc RICO
Chef du bureau de la Chimie et des Biotechnologies, direction générale des Entreprises (DGE), ministère de l'Économie, de l’Industrie et du Numérique
With nearly 160.000 jobs and sales of €82,4 billion, the chemical industry is a leading business in France. Despite its undeniable advantages and successes on certain markets, it must cope with several difficulties. To boost its development, the Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Digital Technology has intervened, its priorities being to ensure the supply of energy at a competitive price to this industry, develop “chemical platforms” and stimulate investments. This support has been extended to using the biomass as a raw material and other innovations, notably in biotechnology. Most of these interventions ensue from applying the industry contract “Chimie-Materiaux” and the plan “Chimie Verte et Biocarburants”.
3 - A few illustrations
Changes in the Rhône-Alps chemical industry: Between defending what exists and conquering the future
By Simon-Pierre EURY
Chef du pôle Entreprises, Emploi, Économie, DIRECCTE Rhône-Alpes
et Patrice LIOGIER
Chargé de mission Développement économique, DIRECCTE Rhône-Alpes
The chemical industry in the Rhône-Alps Region is a web of interwoven plants with several “poles of excellence” in R&D. It now lies at the crossroads. Faced with problems of competitiveness and with corporate difficulties, which have necessitated defensive actions and strong interventions by public authorities, this industry must create the conditions for its future in the region. This means that it must be more innovative and “greener”. The sensitive point is the interdependence between all these parameters. To survive and be robust, this industry must maintain a complete chain from petrochemistry (in Feyzin) to the specialties — fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, green chemistry, etc. — scattered over the region, not to forget the big platform installations.
The chemical technology cluster in Lacq: An exemplary reconversion
By Nicolas de WARREN
Directeur des affaires institutionnelles d’Arkema
The seat of the fantastic adventure in natural gas from 1951 to 2013, the Lacq Basin has seen the emergence of a chemical industry with high added value. At the start, this occurred in thiochemistry and polymers and then — as part of a policy of reconversion-diversification (launched in due time) — in fine chemistry, which is based on small businesses and, more recently, dynamic start-ups. Fertilized by research, these industrial activities are established in a homogeneous area with quality infrastructures. They now form a chemical technology cluster, one of the best in Europe. Its success does not come from isolation. On the contrary, this cluster has, thanks to ongoing cooperation between all players, contributed to diffusing a “culture of technological excellence” that is now fertilizing the whole Aquitaine area, evidence of this being the breakthroughs in advanced materials.
Innovating the world of specialty chemicals for electronics and surface finishing
By Nathalie BRUNELLE
Directrice Stratégie Développement Recherche de la Branche Raffinage-Chimie, Groupe TOTAL.
et Reinhard SCHNEIDER
Président-Directeur Général d’Atotech
Atotech is the leading company in the electroplating sector based on worldwide sales. It is active in the markets for electronics (printed circuits, semiconductors) and general surface treatments (automotive, construction, furnishing). Atotech has seventeen production sites worldwide, including seven in Asia, six in Europe, three in North America and one in South America. The company’s sales totaled circa 1 billion Euros in 2014, up by 7% compared to 2013, primarily due to the growth in sales of electroplating equipment for the electronics market. In 2014, Atotech successfully pursued its strategy to differentiate its products through a comprehensive service provided to its customers in terms of equipment, processes, design of facilities and chemical products and through the development of green, innovative technologies to reduce environmental footprint. This strategy relies on global coverage provided by its technical centers located near customers. Atotech intends to continue to grow in Asia, which already represents approximately 67% of its global sales. In order to strengthen its position in the electronics market, Atotech plans to increase and modernize its production capacity in Asia with two major projects in Malaysia and China. By relocating production as close as possible to its markets, these two projects are also part of its cost-cutting strategy.