Two months before the start of Achema 2012, the outlook on the global flagship event for chemical engineering and biotechnology is exceedingly positive. The organizers expect a slight growth compared to the last event in 2009 when 3,767 exhibitors and more than 173,000 participants were counted.

The fastest-growing exhibition groups are measurement, control and automation, and pharmaceutical, packaging and storage techniques. With about 50% the proportion of international exhibitors is exceptionally large. China and India show strong growth rates, as do Turkey, South Korea and some Eastern European countries. Achema takes place every three years; with its combination of exhibition, a congress with about 900 lectures and a broad range of guest and partnering events, it is the global summit for scientists, developers and users from all process industries.

The growth of Achema is driven by the positive development of important industries such as the chemical and the automation industry, laboratory and analytical technology and plant engineering, as representatives of industry associations stated at the economic press conference in the run-up to Achema in Frankfurt/Main. An important driver is the striving for energy efficiency. At Achema 2012, energy is one of the focus topics. Apart from efficient energy use, energy generation and the development of innovative energy carriers and storage technologies are also in focus. Chemistry and process engineering can make significant contributions, for example through the development of battery and fuel cell technology, but also through new concepts for heat storage.

A second important driver for innovation is the gradual shift from fossil to renewable resources. The virtual platform "BiobasedWorld at Achema" offers a global forum where new scientific findings will be discussed as well as the development of appropriate processing technologies where biotechnology plays a special role.