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Solvay Industrial Visit
September 9, 2016
Wong Shuyii
"I think the lab tour is really informative. The interactive session is also useful to clarify doubts that we have."
- Feedback from a participant, on the usefulness of the industrial visit to Solvay
In September this year, NUS ACSSC organized an industrial visit to Solvay, an international chemical company that possesses an extremely diversed portfolio, being involved in market sectors such as agrotechnology, clean energy and personal care. The tour was led by Dr. Galder Cristobal, Director of Research and Innovation (Asia-Pacific) since 2011.
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The visit first commenced with an introductory talk by Dr. Galder about Solvay, its markets and products, and specifically Novecare. Novecare is a division in Solvay that specializes in developing technologies that can confer fluids with properties such as cleansing, softening and gelling. These technologies are then incorporated into its products such as shampoo, detergent, towels and paint. The talk was followed by a short question-and-answer session where Dr. Galder fielded questions from participants, mainly about hiring practices and qualifications required.
Dr. Galder next led the participants to the main working area of the Solvay staff - the lab. Solvay has 5 main labs - Agrochemicals, Coatings, Oil & Gas, Analytical, and Home & Personal Care. The lab technicians gave an overview of the workings of each lab, and the role of the lab staff, which allowed the students to briefly understand what a working life at Solvay entails.
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Finally, the tour was rounded up by a networking session, where participants could mingle with current staff in smaller groups. The staff members shared their experiences of working at Solvay, as well as managing the transition from a student to a working adult, such as job-hunting, how to approach interviews, etc.
Overall, we hoped organizing such an industrial visit could help give current Chemistry undergraduates an insight into the current state of the chemical industry, help them recognize possible career options after graduation, and ultimately ease their transition to working life. Once again, we would like to thank all participants for joining this event and we hope to see more of you in the coming years!