Flash Gordon wanted!

The contrasting fortunes of the (old) manufacturing-based and (new) services- and technology-based industries are strongly reflected in the August/September issue of Process Engineering magazine.

Reading-based Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd's ability to secure and deliver contracts to build massive process facilities around the world is a clear success story. At the other end of the size scale, an emerging new breed of companies specialising in technologies and services to meet industry's growing energy-management and environmental needs is also in the ascendancy.

Bridging old and new, meanwhile, are engineers such as those at the Drax Power plant, who are trying to reinforce the future of this 40-year-old, coal-fired power station.

Against this, Azko Nobel's takeover of ICI and Huntsman's sale of other former ICI businesses to private equity-backed Hexion highlight the continuing demise of the former flagship of the UK chemicals industry. (Many thanks to readers who supplied comment on this issue in our e-newsletter and on the PE website). Likewise, the declining scale of the TOTAL Processing & Packaging exhibition, particularly from a chemicals industry viewpoint, has also generated much concern among readers.

The underlying theme, throughout, is the need to identify and adapt to the trends that are reshaping industry and business and turn challenges into competitive opportunities — as Steve Fitzsimons of npower points out in our Energy Efficiency feature.

News of the Government's failure to back carbon capture projects, such as BP's plan at Peterhead, and the likely absence of skills to meet the requirements of the Energy White Paper suggest that the industry should not wait around for the UK's — now Gordon Brown-led — regime to get up to speed with these issues.