What a time to be an engineer in the process industries. That is what is top of mind for me—and everyone here at AspenTech—as we prepare for another OPTIMIZE conference packed with informative sessions ranging from digitalization to sustainability. The engineering discipline is rapidly digitalizing, which means less time spent on mundane tasks such as looking for information and spending more time on high value initiatives i.e., helping to meet the industry’s aggressive sustainability targets. 

These conditions are ideal for attracting and retaining top talent, one of the industry’s most pressing challenges. Current headlines notwithstanding, the entities investing the most and driving real tangible progress on the sustainability front are existing energy and chemical companies. Within these firms are embedded the knowledge, experience, leadership, technologies and execution capabilities that will enable the transition to a greener future through decarbonization and a more circular economy.  

From innovations in the fundamental chemical and physical processes used to derive energy and basic materials to the sound engineering principles and practices required to bring these new ideas to meaningful scale, we will need to drive progress towards sustainability goals from within our industry.   

Part of the responsibility of working in science and engineering is to share, debate and explore new ideas and innovations. This leads me to my favorite aspect of this year’s virtual version of our bi-annual OPTIMIZE conference: Nearly all of this year’s sessions and presentations are from AspenTech customers—practitioners and executives from across the many firms and disciplines that make up the ecosystem of the process industries. 

From the technology licensors who are developing processes that consume and emit less to EPCs who are designing and building the next generation of facilities that generate power and provide the necessities of modern life, to owners who are setting the strategic direction and investing their capital resources, all of these perspectives will be represented at this year’s OPTIMIZE event. So please join us May 18-20, 2021 for our first all-virtual OPTIMIZE 2021 conference to participate in the important process of charting a path to a more sustainable and prosperous future. Register here.

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