ProcessNet

ProcessNet was a German platform for process engineering, chemical engineering and technical chemistry, operated as a joint initiative of DECHEMA and VDI-GVC. According to its official website, it brought together more than 5,000 members from science, industry and public administration to exchange experience, discuss current questions and identify new scientific trends. The initiative functioned as a community and networking framework rather than as a commercial manufacturer: its value lay in connecting experts, organising events, publishing technical material and coordinating specialist work across the German-speaking process and chemical engineering landscape. The platform was organised around the shared interests of its parent organisations, DECHEMA and VDI. Its stated focus included jointly developing and carrying out initiatives, exchanging information, using synergies, avoiding parallel activities and bundling the visibility and reach of the organisations for the benefit of the community. ProcessNet also maintained a well-known event database: since 1996, specialists have collected non-reportable, safety-relevant incidents and made them available to interested parties in standardised form. ProcessNet has since been superseded. The official website states that the previous initiative "ProcessNet" has been replaced by five joint DECHEMA/VDI specialist sections that bundle activities in their respective subject areas: fluid dynamics and separation technology; process, apparatus and plant engineering; particle technology and product design; reaction engineering; and education and innovation. DECHEMA and VDI continue their long-standing cooperation under a new cooperation agreement, and information about the joint specialist sections, past and future events, publications and awards is now directed to dechema.de. The ProcessNet website itself notes that these pages have moved. Because the initiative has been replaced by the new DECHEMA/VDI sections, ProcessNet is best understood as a formerly active community brand within the German chemical engineering ecosystem. Its legacy persists through the specialist sections, the event database and the ongoing cooperation between DECHEMA and VDI.

ProcessNet was established as a joint initiative of DECHEMA and VDI-GVC, the two leading German organisations in chemical engineering, process engineering and technical chemistry. Its purpose was to provide a common platform for the German-speaking community in these fields, bringing together members from science, industry and public administration. According to the official website, the platform grew to more than 5,000 members who used it to exchange experience, discuss current questions and identify new scientific trends. A distinctive element of ProcessNet's work was its event database. Since 1996, specialists had collected non-reportable, safety-relevant incidents and made them available to interested parties in standardised form, creating a long-running reference resource for process safety. Over time, DECHEMA and VDI decided to restructure their cooperation. Under a new cooperation agreement, the previous initiative "ProcessNet" was replaced by five joint DECHEMA/VDI specialist sections that bundle activities in their respective subject areas: fluid dynamics and separation technology; process, apparatus and plant engineering; particle technology and product design; reaction engineering; and education and innovation. The cooperation continues to focus on jointly developing and carrying out initiatives, exchanging information, using synergies, avoiding parallel activities and bundling the visibility and reach of the organisations for the benefit of the community. As a result, the ProcessNet website now notes that its pages have moved, and information about the joint specialist sections, past and future events, publications and awards is directed to dechema.de. ProcessNet therefore transitioned from an active community brand into a legacy name within the DECHEMA/VDI ecosystem.

• Specialists began collecting non-reportable, safety-relevant incidents in standardised form for the ProcessNet event database.

• ProcessNet operated as a joint DECHEMA/VDI-GVC initiative with over 5,000 members from science, industry and public administration.

• Under a new cooperation agreement, ProcessNet was replaced by five joint DECHEMA/VDI specialist sections.

A non-commercial, member-based German platform for the process engineering and chemical engineering community, jointly run by DECHEMA and VDI-GVC.

• ProcessNet community platform

  A German platform for process engineering, chemical engineering and technical chemistry with over 5,000 members.

• Event database

  A standardised database of non-reportable, safety-relevant incidents collected since 1996.

1. 1ProcessNet - eine Initiative von DECHEMA und VDI-GVCprocessnet.org
2. 2ProcessNetwikidata.org