From June 10 to 14, 2024, Achema will once again be the place to go for the entire technology and service spectrum of the process industry. With five innovation themes and the special hydrogen show, the world's leading trade fair for process technology will again focus on the key challenges facing the industry in 2024. The process industry is a growth driver of the global economy and is itself undergoing a transformation at the same time. The "green" transformation is by far the most challenging project in its history, and hydrogen could become a game changer. Digitization is seen in many places as the key to renewal across the industry, starting with large-scale plant engineering and extending into the laboratory sector. Supply chain fluctuations and geopolitical drift are also forcing flexible and regional plant projects. That's why Achema 2024 will showcase concrete approaches to solutions with five focus topics, the associated "Innovation Stages" and the special hydrogen show.
Process technology innovations have always been at the heart of Achema. Process technology is at a crossroads: while new investments in "green" technologies are increasing, it is becoming more and more complex to maintain operations and control installed plants competitively. This is where the "Process Innovation Stage" comes in, with topics such as electrification, flexibilization and efficiency enhancement of chemical processes, as well as contributions on smart technology, equipment, analytics and operations.
Pharma technology is the fastest-growing area at Achema, and a lot is happening in the pharmaceutical industry: as new research and production methods are developed and new sites are built around the world, existing processes must meet increasingly stringent requirements and standards. Among many other pharma innovation topics, biopharmaceutical production will be the main focus of Achema 2024.
Production-integrated environmental protection, efficient industrial water management, and the integration of molecular and industrial biotechnology have already become hallmarks of Achema. But Green Innovation now also means solving the challenge of carbon-neutral production in the process industry, as well as addressing issues around circular economy, ESG and sustainable investment. In this context, climate-neutral production is the biggest transformation task in the history of the chemical industry and in some cases requires a technological leap in apparatus and plant engineering.
The laboratory is both the place where new products are created and the guardian of product quality. More than ever, success in the laboratory is determined by the technologies and standards used here and at the interfaces with engineering and production. In addition to laboratory design, planning, construction and management, advanced bioanalytics and pharmaceutical applications will be highlighted. In addition to the Lab Innovation Stage, Achema 2024 will feature an action area all about the digitalized, miniaturized and automated laboratory of the future.
Digitization and the innovations it generates, such as advanced analytics or Industry 4.0 technologies, continue to be a hot topic. At the same time, the complexity of the issues is increasing rather than decreasing: IT vs. OT, connectivity vs. security, or smart vs. smart enough. The challenge for operators is to find the right configuration for their business. In this context, the "Digital Innovation Stage" will address numerous topics around what is currently the most important enabler of innovation.
Scaling up hydrogen production and infrastructure is one of the most important prerequisites for a "green" energy transition and achieving climate targets. Achema therefore offers a wide range of solutions for the production, handling, transport and storage of hydrogen. The Hydrogen Innovation Stage covers aspects relevant to the process industry: rapid scaling of production and infrastructure, power-to-X, industrial applications, sector coupling and much more. The Hydrogen Special Show presents the milestones of the hydrogen economy so far as well as future challenges. With the special show, the process technology exhibition offers insight into new technologies for global and regional hydrogen projects as well as pre-competitive collaboration to solve hydrogen challenges.
"Achema is the showcase for process technology worldwide. It is precisely in the field of hydrogen that the central role of the Achema community becomes evident, with its many technologically mature innovations paving the way to the hydrogen economy,” says Dechema Austellung CEO Björn Mathes. "With its technological diversity, Achema will once again be the central hub in the global innovation network in 2024 and thus the basis for setting the course for the future in the process industries and far beyond."
