Many booths at the Chem Show, which was held in mid-December in New York City, featured exhibitors' latest and greatest offerings. As usual, we scoured the aisles looking for new and noteworthy developments. At this show, though, we're proud to report that one of the most interesting debuts took place right at our own booth.That's where we revealed publicly for the first time Chemical Processing China, a Chinese-language magazine featuring content from Chemical Processing. A large poster at the booth showed a mockup of the first issue. (Here is a PDF of the cover story: Biorefinery Beckons.)The Chinese chemical industry has grown significantly over the last decade, powered by investments both by the government and multinational companies. While the industry, like most manufacturing sectors in China, suffered a slowdown recently, indications are that it's rebounding (as is the American chemical industry, as our cover story "U.S. Chemical Industry Gets into Better Tune" details).In one telltale sign of the ascension of the Chinese chemical industry, state-owned Sinopec now ranks among the world's top chemical firms. A September 2013 rundown by London-based ICIS puts it at number two, behind BASF. "The chemical operations of China's Sinopec have grown significantly over the past 10 years, lifting the company from 29th in the ICIS rankings in 2002 to the number two slot for 2013," noted Nigel Davis, editor of ICIS Insight. Meanwhile, Chemical & Engineering News' 2013 rankings, released last July, place Sinopec at number three, within reach of overtaking Dow as number two, with BASF in the top spot.Some Chinese engineers already benefit from the wealth of content we post on ChemicalProcessing.com. However, the material being in English certainly prevents many others from taking advantage of that treasure trove of technical information. These engineers undoubtedly would welcome a Chinese-language magazine with such relevant and high-quality content.Putting out such a magazine is daunting, though. It requires not only ensuring top-notch translations but also understanding the intricacies of Chinese publishing and business regulations.Fortunately, Chemical Processing has reached an agreement with Hong Kong-based Industrial Communications Group Ltd. to launch Chemical Processing China in February 2014. The six-times-a-year magazine will contain CP content translated into simplified Chinese by professors in the chemical engineering department of one of the country's most prestigious universities. Industrial Communications Group already publishes two Chinese trade magazines: MWP China, manufacturing engineering, licensed from Centaur Communications in the U.K., and Kunststoff Magazine China, with content licensed from Weka Business Media in Germany. Both were launched in mid-2011.We're excited by this new venture. We see it not only as a way to expand the reach of our content and the value authors get from writing for us but also as a way ultimately to spur inputs from Chinese engineers.
MARK ROSENZWEIG is Chemical Processing's Editor in Chief. You can e-mail him at [email protected]
Be sure to check out his Google+ page.
