Q1 2009 / gasworld South and Central American Conference

The curtain has fallen on the gasworld South & Central America Conference 2009, gasworld’s first ever venture into South America, and the feedback from delegates deemed it a resounding success despite the financial pressures that exist globally at present.

Delegates arrived from all corners of the world to attend the conference, as some, including the gasworld team, flew thousands of miles to approach Santiago over the still snow-capped Andes mountain range.

The conference, The Challenges Facing the Gas Industry in a Region of Opportunity, had been organized to understand more about the Latin American economy, the region’s prospects for the industrial gas business, and allow the locally-based gas companies within the region to learn from leading experts on new technology developments and operating practices.

The gathering of the 120 delegates, mainly from the gases community, was an important opportunity for companies to debate safety, learn about technology developments, listen to companies involved in ‘state-of-the-art’ operations within our industry and even find new opportunities to increase business.

SGR’s Henry Grieco addresses the audience in South America

Distinguished speakers included Cryolor’s Michael Blondin, emphasising the significance of transport safety, Chart Inc.’s Carlos Pinelo, Herose’s Keith Stewart, The Linde Group’s Raghu Menon, and independent Business Consultant Eduardo Pelitti.

Popular speaker Dr Roy Irani provided two presentations over the two day event, once again engaging the audience with an exploration of the latest developments in cylinder technology and 21^st century techniques for the re-qualifying of pressure vessels.

Other luminaries such as Weldcoa’s Hector Villarreal, StatoilHydro’s Henning Langas, Taylor Wharton International’s Jim Gordon (presenting an intriguing discussion about the innovative Cryo-Bio technology), Specialty Gas Report’s Henry Grieco, Cryogenic Industries’ Arturo Martinez, and Neil Amber of Universal Industrial Gases all graced the gasworld stage to present an array of insightful and informative topics.

This created both a comprehensive and wide-ranging platform to discuss, debate and network, while contributing to the overall ambience and resoundingly successful conference event.

There was much discussion about the industry and the global market, in light of the recent economic downturn. A prevalent theme throughout, the message appeared clear – despite the fiscal turbulence there are plenty of positives to reflect on and the gases industry will continue to grow. SGR

Rob Cockerill

Rob Cockerill is News Editor for gasworld magazine and regular feature writer for both the gasworld magazine and website. Rob is also a conference reporter and attends a number of events in this position. Contact Rob:rob@specialtygasreport.com