5th Kocaeli Chamber of Industry Process Safety Symposium Begins

The 5th Process Safety Symposium and Exhibition, organized by Kocaeli Chamber of Industry and bringing together the latest developments and innovative approaches in the field of process safety, has begun. The event, held in Kocaeli on 8-9 October 2024 and featuring Naci Görür, Member of the Academy of Sciences and Earth Scientist, as a speaker, brings together national and international experts, academics and industry professionals. 

Within the scope of the event, important topics such as the SEVESO III Directive, Tanks Used in Industry, Pressurised Equipment and Pipelines will be addressed, alongside forward-looking titles such as the Effects of Digital Twin Applications on Process Safety. The symposium addresses critical solutions for the management of hazardous substances in industrial processes and the prevention of major accidents, while also emphasizing the impact of digital transformation on process safety. 

The official opening of the symposium took place with the cutting of the ribbon. The ceremony began with speeches by Hasan Şerefhan, Chairman of the Process Safety Symposium Organizing Board and Technical Factory Director of DYO Construction Paints, Cengiz Yaman, General Manager of Kimya Medya Publishing, Erkam Tüzgen, General Manager of Kocaeli IT Valley, and Ayhan Zeytinoğlu, Chairman of the Board of Kocaeli Chamber of Industry.  

Uğur Candan, General Manager of SAP Turkey and Featured Speaker at the event, drew attention with his presentation on "The Role of Technology in Process Safety and Its Adoption in Industry". Furthermore, the 1st Panel of the Event was held under the moderation of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serkan Girgin, Faculty Member of the Center of Expertise for Large Geographic Data Science at Twente University's Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, on the topic "Artificial Intelligence Applications in Process Safety and Best Practice Examples Around the World". The panel featured important names such as Dr. Tekin Kunt, EMEA Director from PSRG Inc., Ömür Vural Taşdemir, Global EHS Manager of BASF, and Ramees Musthafa, Dubai Application Sales Manager of HIMA Middle East.

The 1st Session held in the afternoon took place under the moderation of Ahmet İlker Can, Management and Technology Consultant. In this session, "Important Work Carried Out in Turkish Industry for Process Safety and Best Practice Examples" was discussed. While Tuba Demir, Health Safety and Environment Manager of Poliport Kimya, spoke on "Performance Monitoring in Process Safety", Mehmet Ali Canpolat, Senior Operations Support Engineer at Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), shared his experience on "Pipeline Monitoring Systems". SOCAR Process Safety Chief Engineer Hande Ekmekçioğlu took part with her presentation on "Barrier Approach in Process Safety Applications". Hasan Ali Ölmez, Maintenance, Reliability and Auxiliary Operations Manager at Cargill Food Solutions Meta, provided information on "Maintenance Program Setup and Increasing Asset Availability". Aytuğ Ayhan, Emergency Response Manager at TÜPRAŞ Izmit Refinery, contributed to the event with his presentation titled "Strategic Approaches in Our Process Safety Roadmap". The Gala Dinner held at the end of the symposium's first day brought participants together and provided an opportunity for knowledge exchange. 

Process Safety: A Safety Element at the Heart of Industry

The symposium once again highlights the great importance of process safety in industrial processes. Regulations such as SEVESO III and ATEX determine safety standards for industrial facilities, while digital transformation makes the integration of these standards more effective. Process safety plays a major role not only in protecting industrial efficiency but also in managing environmental and social risks.