ChemConnect reports that the year-to-date transaction volume on its commodity markets trading platform exceeds 23 million metric tons. The value of transactions has broken the $5 billion mark. This month, the company will launch an enhanced electronic marketplace that it says will increase the speed of trades, show real-time pricing and positions, and allow broader access to groups of buyers and sellers of natural gas liquids (NGL), aromatics, oxygenates, olefins, and related products. Earlier this year, ChemConnect acquired competing chemicals exchange site CheMatch and the online NGL marketplace Chalkboard. It says it has more than 250 active customers who have conducted business online.

 
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Services

SourceXL, a provider of online negotiation and marketplace tools for midsized companies, reports that it has added new clients, including Lonza, Rogers Corp., and Reichhold Chemicals. Through SourceXL, users can conduct auctions and dynamic request-for-quotes or other events on a hosted subscription basis. Reichhold, for example, held its first event in November 2001. Since then it has conducted over 20 events on the site involving more than 80 participants, including all key customers and vendors. Reichhold says the events have yielded nearly $800,000 in savings and increased revenues.

Plasticsgrid and IQMS have joined to provide enterprise resource planning software to European plastics manufacturers. Plasticsgrid will become a distributer of IQMS's ERP software, which is designed specifically for plastics and other repetitive manufacturing environments. The software combines traditional ERP features such as accounting and planning with customer relationship management, wireless warehouse management, and quality-control aspects. Plasticsgrid provides e-commerce applications for European plastics and chemical producers.

InnoCentive, the website that gives cash rewards for the best solutions to posted scientific problems, has set up a partnership with the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE). The alliance is part of the site's recent push to expand internationally (C&EN, Sept. 9, page 10). IIChE is one of India's oldest scientific organizations and has more than 18,000 members from academia, industry, and research institutes.

  
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Companies

Dow Chemical will use Pavilion Technologies' environmental performance monitoring software at seven sites in Texas. Dow will be able to track environmental operations across the regional network in real time, monitoring more than 150 NO_x sources. The company wants to support and ensure compliance with the Texas Council on Environmental Quality NO_x State Implementation Plan for the Houston/Galveston area by 2007. The monitoring software will be integrated into Dow's manufacturing execution systems for automated data gathering, management, and reporting.

Royal Dutch/Shell will globally deploy the mySAP enterprise portal system to integrate information systems for more than 85,000 employees. Through the portal, employees will have access to enterprisewide systems such as e-mail, databases, searches, and company notification processes. Employees around the world will log in once to a single, personalized portal. Employee access will be defined based on areas of responsibility and security clearance. Shell anticipates cost savings from fewer data errors and better data access.

Rhodia has selected software from Blue Martini to create global e-business sites for its silicones and its home, personal care, and industrial ingredients (HPCII) businesses. Customers will have access to customized catalogs of up to 1,500 silicone products and 1,300 in HPCII, along with tailored information based on their profiles. Customers will be able to process and track orders online. They can also manage accounts, product information, and documents such as technical datasheets, analysis certificates, analytical documents, and order forms. Company product experts will be available online. Rhodia plans on extending the Blue Martini applications to support other business enterprises.

 
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CYBERSECURITY

The Chemicals Sector Cyber-Security Information Sharing Forum was among several groups that recently participated in the unveiling of President George W. Bush’s hotly debated national strategy to secure cyberspace (C&EN, Sept. 23, page 22). Created in March, the forum represents a cross-section of trade associations and individual companies within the chemical industry. Forum leader David E. Kepler, who is corporate vice president and chief information officer at Dow Chemical, addressed more than 600 attendees at the event. Acknowledging the significant role of information and process control technology in chemical production, Kepler noted that the chemical industry has “already taken many strides to protect our information and keep our operations safe.” The industry’s cybersecurity efforts, focusing on risk management and reduction, will contribute to the broader national strategy. The chemicals program calls for leveraging collective knowledge, shared technology, and practices to protect people, property, products, processes, information, and information systems. The sectorwide strategy includes five key initiatives: fostering involvement and commitment, establishing a program to advocate the creation of practices and policies, setting up voluntary practices and standards, creating an information sharing network, and encouraging acceleration of improved technology and solutions development. The broader national strategy is being presented as a “living” document on the Internet at http://www.securecyberspace.gov. 

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