Manufacturing Executive - March/April 2009 - (Page 10) Jose Bravo talks to Paul Tate DIALOGUE 03-09 SHELL PUMPS IT UP In our latest Dialogue with a thought leader in European manufacturing, Jose Bravo, one of Shell Oil’s chief scientists, discusses how innovative technologies keep Shell at the edge of exploration. E ver since the sons of Marcus Samuel, a Londonbased antiques dealer and exotic shell importer in the mid-1800s, had the bright idea to build bulk, leak-proof tankers to ship oil back to Europe, the company the family founded has strived to stay one step ahead of its competitors. Now, the €351 billion U.K./Dutch Shell Group employs 104,000 people and operates across 110 countries, including some of the harshest places on the planet. To keep its business at the edge, Shell has adopted a series of high-impact strategies to help develop and apply innovative technologies to improve key processes and drive new ideas for alternative energy. Jose Bravo is a self-professed champion of technology excellence and a chief scientist at Shell. In Manufacturing Executive’s latest Dialogue with a leading manufacturing thinker, he tells Executive Editor Paul Tate about the major role that technology plays in pumping up Shell’s business. Q: What is the role of chief scientist at Shell and how does it support the company’s business aims? A: Shell has always been a technology-enabled company. Technology is a big competitive advantage when you use it properly. Over the years, when oil was low in price, we kind of lost our focus on technology in Shell. There was a need to renew that. A few years back, our CEO [Jeroen van der Veer] asked, “How can we get it more visible? How do we energise technical people in the company? How do we create the differentiator that we need?” He wanted a group of people that would act as the technology conscience of the organisation and make sure that the health of technology was what it needed to be, and that the enthusiasm of the technical people was there. The chief scientist and chief technology officer positions were created as leadership roles in the company to highlight the importance of technology. My specific area is separations. All the manufacturing processes in the chemical and refining industries involve 10 Manufacturing Executive MAR/APR-09
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