A good year and a half before the start of the 33rd Achema, preparations are already in full swing. The three new focus topics in 2021 include

• Product and process safety:
  The increasing use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in operations and production puts IT and cyber security at the top of the priority list. Cyber attacks are becoming more frequent. The interplay between the physical and virtual worlds must therefore be secured. Vulnerabilities need to be assessed and eliminated along the entire value chain, from the procurement of raw materials to the recycling of products at the end of their life cycle.
• "The digital lab":
  There is usually still a long way to go before intelligent digital workflows in a fully networked laboratory. The basis is at least the establishment of a powerful IT environment and fully integrated devices, but it can also go as far as completely redesigning and dividing up the laboratory space. R&D laboratories and quality assurance laboratories can take different approaches. Therefore, a modular design is just as desirable for the laboratory as it is for production facilities. Both types of laboratory generate a large amount of data that needs to be analyzed using big data methods.
• Modular and networked production:
  Manufacturing processes in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries need to be flexible, fast and cost-effective. Modular process skids that can achieve this are pre-assembled, tested in the technical center and then assembled on site. The skids are equipped with their own programmable control logic or can be integrated into a higher-level process control system. Module Type Packages (MTP) with open standard interfaces enable genuine interoperability. Modular systems are the key to meeting customer requirements for small batches of different products.

The organizers of Achema - the Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology(Dechema) - are also working on new formats to provide even more opportunities for discussion and networking. These include matchmaking tools and new interactive event formats. They are intended to stimulate discussion and provide additional impetus. The hall layout is also to be slightly adapted in order to make optimum use of the structural changes on the exhibition grounds and to integrate the brand new Hall 12 in the middle of the area. In this way, the trade fair aims to give visitors the opportunity to experience solutions and products for the process industry live and to make global contacts. The redesigned website provides an information center which, in addition to the latest news about the event, also puts the topics in perspective and thus gives exhibitors and visitors the opportunity to set impulses and find out about new trends in advance.