Trinseo (NYSE: TSE), a global materials solutions provider and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, through its partnership with the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), a subsidiary of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), hosted a one-day process safety workshop for undergraduate chemical engineering students in China on March 9, 2019.
Chemical engineering students from Nanjing Tech University attended the workshop at Trinseo’s manufacturing site in Zhangjiagang, China (ZJG). The curriculum of the workshops will be designed and delivered by CCPS, the authoritative global organization providing the technical community with expertise and proven curriculum materials on process safety. Part of the “Doing a World of Good” campaign, this is the first student workshop outside the U.S. of the AIChE/CCPS Undergraduate Process Safety Learning Initiative, which combines process safety theory and real-world cases taught by process safety experts.
Mr. Luke Lee, Site Leader at Trinseo ZJG site, started by providing a short introduction. Mr. Guangqi Lu then introduced Trinseo’s corporate culture in safety and sustainability. Mr. Byron Sun, a safety expert and CCPS staff consultant, conducted the workshop presentation to 32 chemical engineering students and three faculty members from Nanjing Tech University. The risk-based process safety presentations were both informative and inspirational to the students, and will build their expertise and commitment to safety for their future careers as chemical engineers. In addition, the human resources session “Preparing for Your Successful Employment” – conducted by Esther Huang, Trinseo’s Human Resources Director, Asia Pacific – provided practical tips to attendees on the skillsets required for future job interviews, characteristics of high-potential employees, etc. The tour of the in-house laboratory as well as the Trinseo ZJG ABS and latex binders plants were also eye-openers for the students.
“The first workshop in the partnership has been a great success in that the attendees from Nanjing Tech University do benefit a great deal from it, which can be clearly seen in the positive interaction between them and the speaker Mr. Bryon Sun,” said Luke Lee, Site Leader. “Mr. Sun is a very effective communicator, very knowledgeable on the topic, and has been able to engage the students. The students are of high caliber and have enjoyed the sessions immensely. Credits also go to two of our production engineers who assisted in the tour of the production facility. The fact that they are also alumni of Nanjing Tech University has further inspired the students.”
One of the students sent a short instant message to a Trinseo staff member after leaving the Trinseo ZJG site, indicating that all the attendees were thrilled to take home the knowledge they have learnt from the workshop, adding “we have now found a direction to devote our efforts toward.”
Trinseo has been a supporter of the AIChE’s Undergraduate Process Safety Learning Initiative and “Doing a World of Good” campaign since 2016 in the U.S. To support the program’s expansion in China, the company made an additional $50,000 donation and provide in-kind support from Trinseo employees in China.
In emphasizing the importance of the process safety workshop series, Shakeel Kadri, Executive Director of CCPS, noted that chemical engineering schools around the world have not yet developed a standard process safety curriculum, and that employers have told AIChE and CCPS that they need engineers who are better-informed about process safety techniques when they enter the workforce.
“Through CCPS’s collaborations with organizations such as Trinseo, the Undergraduate Process Safety Learning Initiative is helping to ensure that every chemical engineering graduate acquires a basic knowledge and appreciation of process safety principles,” Kadri said.
“Trinseo is proud to be part of this effort to educate future generations of chemical engineers, and in particular to help bring the successful Undergraduate Process Safety Learning Initiative to China for the first time,” said Catherine Keenan, Vice President, Public Affairs, Sustainability and EH&S for Trinseo.
“Our employees in China are highly committed to process safety and training, so they really enjoyed passing on their knowledge to the next generation of chemical engineers. This partnership with CCPS and AIChE is in line with Trinseo’s company values, our commitment to Responsible Care®, and our dedication to work safely in everything we do.”
