Using innovation to make chemical transport safe
Print Edition
GERMAN chemicals manufacturer Covestro AG, working with domestic logistics companies, is seeking to upgrade the transport of chemicals in China.
Its work has won it notice in the “Invest in Green Future” Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Awards.
Since 2009, Covestro has been collaborating with local logistics companies such as Sinotrans, Cosco Logistics and SIPG Logistics Co on 12 emergency response stations across the country to provide rapid assistance in case of industrial accidents. Participating cities include Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Chengdu and Chongqing.
The group has set up a monitoring system to check driving conditions and transportation routes used to transport hazardous substances.
Since the chemical explosion in Tianjin last year, Sinotrans has been designated by the Tianjin government to take charge of the transferring of dangerous chemicals remaining on the explosion site to reduce the potential further impact to human and environment, according to Wang Dupeng, chemical logistics manager of Sinotrans.
The company has been a partner of Covestro for almost a decade. As the strategic logistics partner, Sinotrans make continuous investment in building and maintaining nationwide emergency response stations with the consistent support and guidance from Covestro to not only benefit Covestro but also to the society.
Covestro provides two different equipment lists for categories of chemicals, covering breathing apparatus, protection suits, gas mask air compressors and anti-explosion toolboxes.
Every staff person at these stations undergoes extensive training, with on-site drills periodically held.
The Chinese government, keenly aware of mounting public concern about industrial chemical accidents, has appropriated 4.3 billion yuan (US$644 million) for emergency response mechanisms since 2010.
Gao Shoufeng, an official of the National Administration for Work safety Emergency Response, said in a recent interview that 68 emergency response groups have been set up across China, involving 12,400 employees.
These groups have been called to action a total of 67,800 times in accidents threatening hundreds of thousands of people.
Since the disaster in Tianjin, the Chinese government has been urging local governments and companies to set up response and rescue systems.
It’s one thing to set them up; it’s another thing to structure them for maximum efficiency.
To do that, Covestro has devised what it calls the “hub-and-spoke system.” That means emergency response stations assigned to different regions are interconnected. One region can quickly provide help to another if needed.
Both Sinotrans and Cosco said the system has helped enhance response time and the capability to diminish the impact of accidents readily.
The transport and use of chemicals in China still has some way to go in guaranteeing public safety. Emergency response is just one part of a sound supply chain system that Covestro is helping to set up.
There have been reports of people who fall ill when using online-purchased goods that contain toxic ingredients. One report cited the case of two express company workers who were taken ill during the transport of women’s shoes.
Zhao Shiqi, an online pseudonym used by a chemical engineer, said people are often reluctant to hire professional logistics companies because of higher costs. As a result, they may not know risks they are taking with cheap hires.
To forestall accidents, inspection of chemicals being transported is high on the agenda.
Under Covestro’s logistics system, drivers are monitored and vehicles inspected. Monitors installed in the logistics vehicles can track the routes being taken and advise drivers of adverse weather or traffic congestion ahead.
Covestro is helping build logistics transfer stations across China that smooth the handling of goods and avoid costly duplication. The measure also helps reduce the carbon footprint of transport vehicles.
Shi Yong, vice president of the China Machinery Industry Information Research Institute, told Shanghai Daily that China is catching up with advanced nations in industrial technology, but there is still a lot to be learned from multinational companies.
Covestro officials said they are pleased by the progress.
What they are contributing to China is a whole set of mentality and expertise in chemical treatment.
The knowhow of chemicals accumulated in long-time experience has been pumped into cooperation between Covestro and their customers. Under the guidance of Covestro, Sinotrans and Cosco appreciated that they opened the niche market of chemicals transportation after learning how to distinguish dangerous chemicals, put out fire, prohibit explosions, and equip the proper facilities.
Cheng Fang, director of operations at Cosco, commented that the expertise taken from their work with Covestro has made prevailing chemicals logistics network possible in China and more suppliers would find easier accesses to deal with chemicals.
Efficiency of chemicals production and environmental protection are the focuses of Covestro throughout the operations line. Producing polycarbonate and polyurethane as their core business, Covestro managed to combine polycarbonate with glass fiber to make a polymer material hard enough to substitute metal, which helps reduce carbon emission by avoiding metallurgy process. Recently they’ve developed an approach to convert carbon dioxide into polymers by cracking its molecules to form a carbon chain which is the major ingredient of polymers. They are performing pilot projects in Germany and intend to generalize it in China once succeeds.
Dr Christian Haessler, head of Innovation for Covestro Asia Pacific, said innovation is the key to capturing a larger market share.
“It’s not difficult to understand why we do this,” Haessler said. “He who moves most quickly with the best solutions will win in the long run.”
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