Meet our new Director General
Ulrich Adam started his new role as Director General of Orgalim earlier this month. Here, we ask him five questions to get to know our new DG a little better...
1. What is the most important issue facing Europe's technology industries today?
Competitiveness, competitiveness, competitiveness. The next five years could make or break Europe’s industrial base. We don’t have time left and can’t afford to fail, so we need to manage the turnaround right here and right now.
Making Europe a global magnet for investment, talent, and innovation within a seamlessly integrated single market has been announced and attempted many times before – this time, we need to get EU policies right so they can exert a real positive difference on our companies on the ground.
2. What one action or piece of legislation would make the biggest positive impact on Europe's competitiveness?
If it were only one piece of EU legislation, we'd be in a very happy place – I think we're more likely talking about a dozen!
If pushed for an answer, I would say: CBAM. Our latest study shows that the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in its current form will expose downstream industries like ours to substantial risks of carbon leakage and will put us at a massive structural disadvantage. All while our major international competitors will be able to access raw materials at far more affordable prices.
This is not a sustainable pathway forward. Hence our call is clear: CBAM should be withdrawn before the beginning of the so-called definitive period on 1 January 2026. And the phase-out of Free Allocation under the EU ETS should be suspended.
3. Why is it important that Europe ensures a competitive and secure energy supply and what is the best approach to take to achieve this?
Our sector is a key enabler for the broad-scale electrification and digitalisation journey that our society is embarking on. While Europe and many of our companies are global leaders in energy efficiency, this journey – together with the rapidly expanding use of AI – will require lots of energy in the future.
Currently, the energy price difference with other major producer regions such as the US or China is quite simply too high. The EU’s Affordable Energy Action Plan is a welcome step to address this. And in the volatile geopolitical world we live in, Europe would be well-advised to re-focus on energy production and secure energy supplies from within the Union and trusted partners.
4. Who would you invite to your dream dinner party (living or dead, real or fictional) and what would you like to ask them?
The Beatles – and ask them to come together for a final reunion concert.
5. What piece of technology or innovation makes you most hopeful for the future?
Advanced industrial manufacturing has completely changed the way we work, produce, move and live for the past 250 years. And this cycle of change is accelerating again. Think about AI, machine learning, advanced automation and robotics, 3D printing, big data – it’s hard to pick one particular technology but we can be confident that major, positive innovations will emerge from within our industrial ecosystem.
This weekend, I’ll join the Orgalim delegation to the Hannover Fair in Germany – so I hope to learn and discover more about the most promising technologies and innovations to shape a better future.