The global detergent industry will gather in Singapore this month to review its progress, identify its weakness, hear about the latest regulatory trends and make predictions for the future, when the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) presents Singapore 2012, World Conference on Fabric and Home Care. The event will take place Oct. 29-31 at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. During the two-day conference, 16 experts will identify the driving forces behind the future of the fabric and home care industry. Chief among these experts are the chairmen of three of the detergent industry’s most important players: Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever; Bob McDonald, chairman, president and CEO, Procter & Gamble and Motoki Ozaki, chairman of the board, Kao.

The first session on Oct. 29, 2012, “Balancing the Shifting Market Dynamics with Economic Realities: What Is Ahead?,” will be chaired by J. Keith Grime, JKG Consulting. The session will include a welcome address by Leo Yip, chairman, Singapore Economic Development board. Polman will deliver the morning keynote, “Shaping New Business Models for the 21st Century: Leadership in Action.”

The Marina Bay Sands Resort Hotel in Singapore is an integrated resort and the world’s most expensive standalone casino property at $8 billion.

Other morning speakers and topics will include: Damien Veilleroy, regional operating officer, Metro AG, Singapore, “The Market Shift East—Challenges and Opportunities for the Retail Trade,” and Saikiran Krishnamurthy, partner, McKinsey & Company, Inc., India, “Building a Global Scale Specialty Chemical Industry in India.”

The afternoon session, “Resource Management, Product Performance, and Environmental Responsibility: What is the Winning Formula?,” will be chaired by Mike J. Parkington, VP-laundry R&D, Unilever R&D Port Sunlight, UK. The afternoon keynote speaker will be P&G’s McDonald, who will present, “Innovating for Everyday Life.” Other speakers and topics will include: Per Falholt, executive Vice President and CSO for R&D, Novozymes, “The Future of Enzyme Cleaning and Fabric Care in the Sustainable World;” Thomas Müller-Kirschbaum, corporate senior vice president, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, “Are Product Shelves Turning into Catwalks? How Trendy Design Can Support Business Success in the Laundry and Home Care Market” and P. Scott Bening, president and CEO, principal, board member MonoSol LLC, “Conveniently Dissolving into the Future.”

The first session on Oct. 30, “Innovative Supply Systems and Manufacturing Paradigms: What are the Solutions?,” will be chaired by Manfred Trautmann, VP&GM, BU detergents and intermediates, Clariant International. The morning keynote, delivered by Ozaki of Kao, is Eco-innovation: Considering Lifestyles for the Future.” Other speakers and topics: Frank Pacholec, VP-R&D/corporate sustainability officer, Stepan, “Feedstock Innovation: Is Green the New Black?;” Gary Juncosa, executive VP-chemicals, LS9, “Transforming the Sustainable Products Model through Industrial Biotechnology” and Andy Shafer, EVP, sales and marketing, Elevance Renewable Sciences, “Bringing New Performance Materials to the Surfactant Market… and Sustainability Too.”

The event’s final session, “Revolutionary Products and Breakthrough Technologies: What Is Driving the Future?,” will be chaired by Masaki Tsumadori, research fellow–Global R&D, Kao Corporation, Japan. Speakers and topics will include: Michael Heinz, member of the board of executive directors, BASF, “From Chemicals to Chemistry. How to Master Future Challenges and Trends in Fabric and Home Care;” Hiromitsu Takaoka, director of fabric care research laboratories, Lion Corporation, “Mission Invisible: Innovative Technology for Laundry Detergent in the Next Generation;” Dave Szczupak, executive vice president, Whirlpool, USA, “Clean & Green, How Can Appliance and Detergent Technology Combine to Satisfy the Customer and the Environment?;” Juergen Kielholz, global R&D group director hygiene home, Reckitt Benckiser, “Automatic Dishwashing: Innovative Thinking Model in FMCG Business for Delivering Breakthrough Consumer Solutions” and David Jago, director of insight & innovation, Mintel Group Limited, “Looking into the Crystal Ball-Market Changes and Key Trends Shaping the Household Industry through to 2015.”

Additional Events
The conference will also include an exhibition of industry suppliers, a poster session, networking receptions and a closing banquet. In addition, there is an opportunity for plant tours on Oct. 31 on a first-come, first-served basis.
More info: singapore.aocs.org