Novozymes Taps American Biofuels Market With New Facility at Nebraska

Everybody is talking about the bio–based economy – But what is the truth behind the slogan? How close are developments for the renewable energy, food, animal feed, fine & bulk chemical, textile, printing, machinery manufacturing and IT industries to market introduction? With ACHEMA 2012's special issue BioBasedWorld just ahead, lets take a closer look at the industry, and see if biotechnology and renewables can already deliver solutions to meet the challenges of tomorrow:

Why Are Bio Economy Companies Reluctant?

Forced to deal with commodity market volatility, non-payment risks, financial crises, new trade barriers in agricultural and food markets and regulatory conflicts relating to genetically modified plants, companies are noticeably reluctant to abandon so far reliable sources of raw materials, replace equipment that works reliably, modify production processes to handle new materials or build new systems from scratch based on new technologies.

What Decision Makers Say...

Investment – yes, technology revolution – no; me-too products – no, something new – yes, say the decision-makers. As a result, the preference is for components, modules, process solutions and systems which are able to accommodate different raw materials to produce the same end product and which are suitable for small test series.

Up to this point, there have been few biotech solutions outside of the pharmaceutical industry, which have been affordable and have met expectations on a large scale. That is due to the nature of the technology: The products are generally precursors and intermediates made of biological material which is subject to variation. They are seldom of the “off-the–shelf” variety, and it takes additional expertise to produce a saleable (end) product.

This text is an excerpt of Bio–Economy: Where Do We Stand?

The Deck is Being Reshuffled...

The deck is being reshuffled, cutting across existing supply chains and national and industry boundaries. In a world of globalized economic relationships, we will be seeing the inexorable advance of biotech methodologies and process techniques which are cost-efficient and create products that offer greater value-add. Of course the market does not simply soak up innovation. Technology suppliers should not assume that what they have to offer is self-explanatory. They have to work to acquire and retain customers.

...Take a Look at What is to Come in the Bio–Economy at ACHEMA 2012!

Potential customers on the other hand who expect the sales force to show up at the door with innovation in hand have already lost the battle. Both sides, technology suppliers and customers, need a dedicated

platform where they can get together and hold face-to-face discussions. BioBased–World at ACHEMA 2012 is one of the few forums worldwide which provides access to such a large cross-section of the industry.

This text is an excerpt of Bio–Economy: Where Do We Stand?