Asia’s petchem market to grow alongside region’s strong growth

With Asia’s strong economic growth of about 5.6% in 2018-2019 and expected population of 4.9 billion in 2030, Asia continues to be well-positioned as the fastest-growing region in the world.

The past three years have largely spelled positive margins for well placed petrochemical companies with access to cheap feedstock. Industry watchers are calling for players to strengthen collaboration in order to create more value and sustain profitability in the longer term.

The Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC) 2018 to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 20-21 August 2018 will provide a platform for the industry thought leaders and market movers to work on these opportunities and challenges together as discussions revolve around its theme:

With the positive forecast, there is a need for industry players to work in concert to consider the impact of digital revolution and advanced analytics on operating models as well as to capitalise on industry innovations for a sustainable and extensive value creation.

“The focus of APIC2018 will be on technology and innovative solutions aligned with global trends which will ultimately generate future growth platforms. These include alternative feedstock and energy sources, improved energy storage, intelligent materials, which among others, will allow the petrochemical industry to derive unique products which are essential for the growth of the industry,” said Akbar Mohd Thayoob, President, Malaysian Petrochemicals Association (MPA) – the event host for this year.

Since 1979, Asian petrochemical corporations have staged discussions and critical analysis from across the petrochemical industry value chain. Over 2,000 industry experts, opinion leaders and senior corporate executives from the petrochemical, chemical and chemical-related industries are expected to attend APIC2018.

The APIC2018 speaker list includes a number of high profile speakers and industry captains including:

• Alan Gelder, Vice President Refining, Chemicals & Oil Markets, EMEARC Research, PCI Wood Mackenzie;
• Peter Huang, CEO, Consulting Division, China National Chemical Information Centre (CNCIC);
• Datuk Md Arif Mahmood, Executive Vice President & CEO, Downstream, PETRONAS
• Datuk Sazali Hamzah, Managing Director and CEO, PETRONAS Chemicals Group Bhd
• Lau Chee Ming, Director, Polymer Sales & Marketing, Lotte Chemical Titan
• Cheong Peng Khuan, Senior Vice President, Human Resource & Procurement, Lotte Chemical Titan