“Climate change is on the minds of all generations”

Mr Brudermüller, Mr Altendorf – young people are heading to the streets in many countries to demonstrate for protection of the climate and the environment. What’s your view of the protests?  

Brudermüller: Climate change is one of society’s biggest challenges. Young people are demanding that we do more to tackle this problem, which I can fully understand. After all, it’s about their future. From what I can see, however, climate change is on the minds of all generations. In our company, both young and older employees are discussing this issue. They are convinced that as a chemical company, we can make a bigger contribution to better protection of the climate. 

Altendorf: The protests illustrate how much this issue is driving people. But there is also an underlying development that has been noticeable for some time now. The question of meaningful work is becoming increasingly important during interviews with job applicants. They’re seeking ‘good’ employers, and ‘good’ implies how the company is contributing to our overall well-being as a society. 

What does Endress+Hauser contribute exactly?  

Altendorf: We help our customers improve their products and production processes in many important facets of daily life. Our customers ensure that we drink clean water and eat safe foods, that we have access to effective medications and that our infrastructures are dependable. We help customers like BASF manufacture important chemical products using less energy and fewer raw materials, but at the same high quality, while releasing fewer harmful emissions and ensuring that people and the environment are not put at risk. 

How does BASF see this? 

Brudermüller: We want to contribute to a world that offers everyone a livable future with a better quality of life. We’re working together with our customers and partners to ensure optimal use of our existing resources. We’re looking for innovations that make mobility, energy generation, transport, nutrition or living more efficient and that prevent or reduce emissions. Electromobility is one example. This will only work with high-performance batteries – and our researchers are working on the battery materials of the future.   

But at the same time, the chemical industry is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Is there anything you can do here?  

Brudermüller: Protection of the climate and the environment is firmly anchored in our corporate strategy. We have committed to becoming climate neutral by the year 2030. For our industry, which is very energy intense, that’s a very ambitious goal. We’re reducing CO2 emissions at our production facilities at the same time. We have scaled them back by 50 percent since 1990, even though production has more than doubled. We did that by constantly improving efficiency. Given what we have achieved, further savings will be increasingly more difficult. Our researchers are therefore working at full speed on groundbreaking low-CO2 technologies and processes. I am confident that we will come up with innovative solutions. Our ultimate goal is to avoid CO2 emissions in the first place. 

What significance do contractors have for you and what do you expect from them?  

Brudermüller: Specialist firms and other external specialists have made a big contribution to the success of BASF for decades. We apply very high standards in the selection process. Only those companies who meet our requirements and provide high-quality, reliable services can work for us. The working relationships with proven contractors are usually long. 

Altendorf: The collaboration between BASF and Endress+Hauser is one of the longest and most intense customer relationships in the chemical industry. The company is one of our largest customers worldwide. To me it’s not the volume of business that is so noteworthy but the fact that a close and trustworthy relationship developed over time. During my many visits to BASF in Ludwigshafen, I had the chance to significantly expand my own knowledge in the area of process engineering. We learned a lot from one another through these joint projects. This partnership spawned a lot of good of things in the area of instrumentation and automation for the chemical industry. 

Mr Brudermüller, you have spent your entire career at BASF. How do you make sure you don’t get tunnel vision?  

Brudermüller: I’ve been working for BASF for more than 30 years. I’ve become familiar with every aspect of the business, from the lab to marketing and production. Each new station brought with it new responsibilities and demands. Since I was constantly exposed to new things – people, responsibilities, countries – I was never at risk of getting tunnel vision. And I’m still as enthusiastic about chemistry as before. Discovering new things, making products better and driving innovations forward is simply an exciting thing for me!   

Mr Altendorf, you’ve worked for the same company for more than 30 years as well. Where do you acquire the necessary fresh ideas?  

Altendorf: What’s very important for me is external stimulus. I travel on business around  the world and meet a lot of people from different cultures: customers, our own people, industry colleagues, representatives from other companies. What’s also exciting is talking with young people, such as our apprentices or university students. What’s fundamental for me is to see what’s happening outside of our industry. I deliberately take the time to learn new things and educate myself further. That helps me a lot, personally and professionally!