Connects - Solvay

1 Winter 2014 -15N 31 Magazine of the Solvay Group in the UK Welcome to our new Country manager Solar Impulse 2015 flight plan Solvay helps Scouts fight firesConnectsHappy New Year!Communications manager : Martin Griffiths. Magazine Editor: Julie Hitchin. Lostock Co-ordinator: Julie Evans. Specialty Polymers Co-ordinator: Helen Plant. Novecare Co-ordinator: Andrew Baud. Contributors: Shayel Ahmed, Jean-Fran ois Berthiaume, Fr d ric Bouchat, Val rie Braut, Victoria Cassidy, Sophie Chaddock, Melvin Dawes, Erica Kornijenko, Guillaume Peron, Taunya Renson, Len Sharpe, Vic Walters, Warrington Town Football Club, Peter Webster. Design Layout: Paula Vickers Limited. Contact us at: Solvay Connects , Solvay House, Baronet Road, Warrington WA4 6HA E-mail address: Website addresses: and of the Solvay Group in the UK. Quarterly n 31 Winter 2014 -15 Hello 3 New Country manager 4 MP Visit 5 Warrington 6 Halifax 7 OldburyCoverHOBY attendees at the World Leadership Congress in Chicago, USA (see page 17) 8 GBU ID Cards 10 Philanthropy 12 Solar Impulse 14 International Career MobilityeditorialHello and welcome to the winter edition of Solvay Connects , the magazine for Solvay s employees in the UK, their families and our many business Solvay employees, the Group are launching an Employee Survey by email.

2 This will be open until 15th February and your participation is key. As the New Year begins we welcome Melvin Dawes to the position of Country manager , UK & Ireland. Turn to page 3 for an introduction to Melvin and we wish him well in his new role. On page 4, David Mowat, Warrington South MP, enjoyed a visit to our site in October and the Oldbury Business Centre have welcomed a new tenant after an official opening by the Town s Mayor. Pages 5, 6 and 7 provide business and community updates from Warrington, Halifax and Oldbury with Lostock news on pages 18 and corporate pages, starting on page 8, present two more Global Business Units along with articles on Solvay Way, Global Performance and Solvay Careers. Page 12 details 16 Solvay Specialty Polymers 17 Student Sponsorship 18 Charity and Community 19 Solvay Peoplethe Solar Impulse flight plan for you to follow, departing from Abu Dhabi in February and returning in May after various stopovers including India, China and page 16, Mark Wright reports on a European Automotive Sales Meeting that was hosted at our Warrington site.

3 And in line with staying safe, page 18 describes Solvay s support in the purchase of a defibrillator for a local football team and training provided for our employees and , the front cover shot in Chicago is linked to feedback that we have received from student Sophie Chaddock. With Solvay s support Sophie was able to attend a HOBY World Leadership Congress in Chicago and tells us about her life-changing experience on page do hope that you enjoy reading Issue 31 of Solvay Connects and we are always grateful to hear from you with any feedback or suggestions for future HitchinEditor2 Solvay Connects [ Winter 2014 - 15 ] [ n 31 ]Thanks and a bit about me!I am proud to have been appointed Country manager for the UK & Ireland as successor to Bob Tyler and I would like to take this opportunity to again thank him for his significant contribution to the Solvay Group over his 26 years with us.

4 Throughout this time, Bob has led by example and we have learnt much from him. Good luck to Bob in his future those of you that don t know me, I am a lawyer by background. Since joining Solvay in 1999, I have held various legal responsibilities for Solvay UK and Solvay Corporate in Brussels. I will continue in my role as Head of Legal for the UK and Ireland alongside my new Country manager Group reshaping the businessOn the global scene, we see that the global economy continues to struggle. The UK economy is recovering faster than many other countries, but times continue to be difficult. In this context, cost control remains a key ingredient of ongoing success. Solvay is well placed to face the challenges ahead. The Solvay Group continues to evolve with reshaping of our portfolio, the ongoing strategy of reducing cyclical and low growth businesses and strengthening of the Group s growth engines, with recent acquisitions and investments in Novecare, Specialty Polymers and Special are lucky to have a number of very capable directors who bring a wealth of experience with them and one of my first jobs as Country manager has been to review the composition of the boards of directors of the 27 Solvay companies in the UK & Ireland.

5 There are four trading companies in Solvay UK, two holding companies, a financial company in Ireland and 20 dormant companies. As part of this review, we have been looking for efficient and balanced boards with a good mix of skills and experience. ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL FOCUSES OF OUR BUSINESS IS SAFETY, AND WE MUST ALL CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE SAFETY PERFORMANCE, REMEMBER THAT NOTHING WE DO IS WORTH GETTING HURT FOR. PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU RAISE ANY QUESTIONS, CONCERNS OR IDEAS FOR FURTHER IMPROVEMENT WITH YOUR MANAGERS, THEY WILL BE PLEASED TO HEAR FROM YOU. Solvay in the UK & IrelandSolvay UK has strong businesses centred around the manufacturing sites at Oldbury, Warrington, Lostock and Halifax, and you should take pride in your contribution to overcoming the various hurdles and challenges to ensure continuing success of these businesses.

6 Without your ongoing hard work and diligence none of the business achievements would have been possible. RegionalHappy New Year and welcome to the first edition of Solvay Connects in 2015 WelcomeI look forward to continuing to work with you all during 2015 on our journey together within Solvay DawesCountry manager UK & Ireland3 Solvay Connects [ Winter 2014 - 15 ] [ n 31 ]RegionalDavid visited the site in October and was welcomed by Len and Perstorp Site Director, Elin Sohlberg. David was given a guided tour of the Solvay and Perstorp manufacturing facilities and was impressed to see the levels Solvay s efforts to find a new tenant at Oldbury have been rewarded following the official opening of an office and training suite for SGS a world leader in inspection, verification, testing and certification by the town s will accommodate up to 40 staff in the building, which was re-named Langley Business Centre as part of Solvay s bid to better reflect the regional appeal of its location.

7 Jean-Fran ois Berthiaume, Site Director at Oldbury, said: We are delighted to welcome such a well-respected company to the Langley Business Centre, and we are confident that this is the start of a long and mutually beneficial relationship. David Mowat, MP, visits Warrington site(L to R) Len Sharpe, Elin Sohlberg and David Mowatof investment which both companies have made in recent years. Len and Elin took the opportunity to explain the challenges which chemical manufacturers face in the current climate, particularly the high wholesale costs Jan Saunders, Systems and Services Certification UK Business manager at SGS, said: Our business courses cater for larger companies across to small and medium sized operations. We can provide tailored in-house courses at our Academy of between one and five days and Oldbury is a great location in the centre of the country. of energy which Mr Mowat has raised in the House of Commons.

8 David appreciated the tour and gained a valuable insight into both companies Mayor of Oldbury, Councillor Derek Rowley, said: This is another example of how Oldbury is gearing up for new business in 2015. SGS has invested in the local community and we are very supportive of them and what they are trying to do for businesses throughout the UK. Following discussions held at a breakfast meeting at Sir Thomas Boteler High School, Len Sharpe was pleased to extend an invitation to Warrington South MP, David welcomes new tenant to Oldbury office Oldbury(L to R) Jean-Fran ois, the Mayor and Jan SaundersOldbury Business CentreWarrington Looking Forward4 Solvay Connects [ Winter 2014 - 15 ] [ n 31 ]Regional So this is Christmas and what have we done? Solvay continues to actively support Priestley College and Len Sharpe was a speaker at their recent Annual Awards evening.

9 (L to R) Len, Mayor & Mayoress of Warrington Cllr Ted & Mrs Mavis Finnegan and Principal Mike SouthworthThinking back over this last year as it draws to a close and the challenge thrown up by the words of John Lennon, it has to be said that we have done many positive things in 2014, though it has also been a year tinged with sadness. The closure of the PCS plant in April was a sad event for the site and marked the end of an era. Persalts had been produced at Warrington since the 1950s. An opportunity for cultural exchange came mid-year with the arrival of ten visitors from Saudi Arabia who were to undertake Hydrogen Peroxide Plant Operator training in preparation for the new HPPO Plant under construction. The Saudi Trainees were incorporated into our shift teams and this created an environment in which cultural understanding could be Heat Recovery Project was mechanically completed on time and is now awaiting a window in the production programme for it to be commissioned.

10 It will reduce the site s impact on the environment as it will recover process heat and convert it to steam which means less natural gas will be consumed the skyline of the site is changing with the demolition of the H48 Plant. This was completed without injuries or disruption to site activities. This was a considerable challenge with the location of the H48 Plant so very close to an electrical switch room, the hydrogen peroxide storage tanks and distribution network. This is a testament ON THE OTHER HAND, EVERYONE ON THE WARRINGTON SITE HAS SHOWN FLEXIBILITY AND THE ABILITY TO WORK AS A TEAM IN RISING TO THE CHALLENGE OF THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR PARAMOVE . THE RESULT OF THIS EFFORT HAS BEEN THE DOUBLING OF THE QUANTITIES WE ARE ABLE TO LOAD, TEST AND DESPATCH. AN ACHIEVEMENT TO BE PROUD OF INDEED!to the efforts of the contractors and the site management team. Well done!