Sector leaders will be gathering at a crucial moment to review the state of the industry during Downstream USA 2021’s leadership plenary track in October.
The leaders, including senior executives from Borealis, Chemours, Chevron, Dow and Shell, will discuss ‘revitalizing downstream’ following a period of unprecedented upheaval for the sector.
“As the world’s economies fire up for revival it has become clear that downstream, and the products we produce, are critical to global recovery,” said Bridget Robinson, downstream global project director at Reuters Events, which is organizing Downstream USA 2021.
“To meet this obligation the industry must overcome volatility in demand, changing customer requirements, disrupted operations and an overwhelming imperative to harness technology,” she said.
The downstream sector has been immersed in turmoil since March 2020, when a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia knocked the bottom out of the oil market and forced several U.S. upstream operators into bankruptcy.
The impact of the price crash was however quickly overshadowed by the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused many downstream operators to postpone turnarounds and capital projects.
And even before vaccination programs had got the virus under control, in February this year a Southern U.S. polar vortex led to widespread blackouts that halted operations at many Texas facilities.
The events of the last year and a half have proved that “we need to future proof the downstream industry through more sustainable, resilient and smarter business strategies,” said Robinson.
“Never has there been such an important time for so many of the industry’s leaders discuss how the industry can build resilient business models, harness innovation, gain a better understanding of future customer demands and embrace sustainable operations for a net-zero future.”
Confirmed speakers at the event’s leadership plenary track include Dow chairman and CEO Jim Fitterling, Shell downstream CIO Robbert Van Rutten and Chevron downstream and chemical executive vice president Mark Nelson.
Also attending will be Toyota North America’s group manager Craig Scott, Chemours’ president of advanced performance materials Denise Dignam and Borealis’s CEO Thomas Gangl and executive vice president of polyolefins and innovation and technology Lucrèce Foufopoulos.
The plenary track will aim to analyze how the downstream sector can:
- Build more resilient business models following a supply glut and demand shock, with the potential for a global recession in the coming months.
- Nurture a customer-centric culture to improve engagement and identify touch points for investment and ways to improve processes.
- Embrace sustainable operations to meet demands for increased accountability and a more environmentally sound circular economy.
- Increase innovation to deliver more affordable and reliable products to fuel human progress and economic growth around the world.
- Drive diversity in downstream by building, training, and retaining a more diverse workforce.
Downstream USA 2021 will feature an innovative hybrid format. It will start with a digital conference with more than 15,000 attendees, from October 12 to 15.
Then there will be an in-person conference and exhibition, for more than 3,000 attendees, at the NRG Center in Houston on October 21 to 22. To claim your free pass to join the plenary track, visit the website.