Henk Akse

Henk Akse worked half of his career for different companies, which all

focused on energy and environment (Shell, Paques, Vattenfall and Arcadis)

before founding his own firm Traxxys in the fall of 2004. Traxxys is an

independent consultancy company focusing on innovation and

sustainability.

At Shell, Henk was responsible for innovating existing chemical

manufacturing plants (Shell International Chemical Company) and for

developing novel oil additive processes (Shell Research ETCA), thus

delivering input for the intended construction of two oil additive plants in

Berre (France) and Stanlow (UK). He managed international teams focusing

on the design of next-generation zero-waste chemical plants for ethylene,

propylene and butylene (Shell, The Hague, SICM) by supervising engineering projects in cooperation with

companies like Stone & Webster (Houston), Snamprogetti (New York), Honeywell UOP (Des Plaines Illinois)

and Lummus ABB (The Hague).

In 1998, Henk founded the Dutch Knowledge Network about process intensification (PI). PI holds the

promise of bringing down capex and enhancing process circularity while keeping plant capacity at level.

Today, SPIN-NL (Sustainable Process Intensification Network NL) is a thriving and inspiring network

attracting young chemical engineering professionals and encouraging them to integrate sustainability in

their daily work.

Between 2004 and now, Traxxys has advised over 65 different chemical companies, R&D institutes

and governmental organizations in the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Belgium

and Ohio (USA). Traxxys has developed an empirical innovation method called 6-steps SIM in cooperation

with clients. The essence of the method is that it is the company itself that innovates. Its first deployment

was in 2014.

Henk has a partner, two daughters and a grandson. He participates in Coastal Rowing Competitions

(Royal Netherlands Yacht Club) and in cycling tours (Elfstedentocht Friesland). His main other areas of

interest comprise photography and visual arts. He is an enthusiastic visitor of the annual Bach Academy in

Bruges (Belgium) and of “Concerts en nos Villages” in the surroundings of Poitiers (France)