Exploring the Environment of China 2011
Bayer Materials Science, Shanghai
by Jared Romeo
While in the city of Shanghai, the Duquesne University Delegation to China had the immense privilege of visiting Bayer Materials Science largest international facility.
Looking upon the Bayer facility for the first time, one is truck by its sheer size. The complex sprawls over a staggering 100 acres and dominates the eastern coastal lowlands in the Caojing Industrial Park. The complex is self-sufficient containing administration, laboratory, manufacturing, and distribution centers. It even boasts its own fire department. The delegation was admitted first to a main reception building. There, we were given a personal lecture by Bayer Shanghai's director of manufacturing.
Bayer Shanghai is a facility that provides bulk raw materials to synthetic companies the world over. In particular, raw materials for coatings and adhesives are produced along with polycarbonates (Makrolon®) and polyurethanes. 
These materials are applied in almost every field of manufacturing imaginable. Since Bayer Shanghai is the largest Bayer producer of these goods, it has become the cornerstone of the Bayer international market and a massive contributor to the Chinese economy.
The effect of Bayer Shanghai in China can only be described as positive. The facility was built by Bayer as a prototype in an effort to massively increase efficiency and decrease environmental footprint. The synthetic processes that are hazardous in nature at Bayer Shanghai are dealt with by state-of-the-art robotic and electronic systems. Indeed, local residents of Caojing have not only benefitted from Bayer as a major source of employment, but they are lucky to members of a facility that has fewer human accidents than all other Bayer facilities worldwide combined. In fact, upon entering the facility, every member of the Duquesne Delegation was required to view a safety video and outfitted with chemical indicator badges. Any person, including employees, leaving the facility must turn in badges for inspection upon departure and any problems are dealt with by on site medical specialists. The visit to Bayer was more than just an information session however.
After learning about the revolutionary new methods employed by Bayer Shanghai, we were lucky enough to be given a tour of the entire complex guided by the master planner himself. It was on this tour that we were able to inspect the pieces of an internationally renowned chemical giant. We were also made aware of some of the complex wide efficiency standards. One example in particular is the water usage system. Water supplied to the complex is collected in massive empty fields on site w
here it is funneled through a complex piping system to feed not only the facilities but the fire safety lines as well. This water is then recycled continuously to further conserve consumption.
At the end of the tour, Bayer provided each delegate with a boxed lunch which seemed to underscore the general friendliness and openness of the Bayer staff as a whole. As a member of the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at Duquesne University I am now more aware of the importance of being such a member. The experiencing of visiting Bayer Shanghai has imparted in me a sense of importance and responsibility. The importance stems from the fact that I realize now that I am a representative of a massive, successful, efficient, and overall friendly corporation that aims to improve the world through the sciences. The responsibility stems from the fact that as such, I must strive to represent the ideals embodied by Bayer and contribute to the remarkable scientific breakthrough it has experienced. In short, when I walk into The Bayer School of Learning each day at Duquesne University I look up and understand the meaning. I understand the importance. I understand that my experience at Bayer Materials Science Shanghai has impacted me both emotionally and intellectually-an experience for which I could not be more thankful.
