One industry, one standard
As online hubs form and compete for business, the chemical industry is in danger of finding itself -- once again -- with competing and incompatible data standards that will interfere with the dream of creating an integrated supply chain.

In this issue you’ll find a question-and-answer interview with Bob Mooney of Envera, following a similar interview with Dennis Campbell of Elemica in the August 17 issue.

Envera and Elemica are competing supply chain e-hubs. Although each one is backed and financed by a number of major chemical producers, both emphasize they are being organized as independent, neutral hubs.

Or are they? Can any arrangement of hubs that splits the supply chain into different camps truly be neutral or... Click here for Full Story

 --Bernadette Hearne, Editor, e-business Chemicals Newsletter

E-BUSINESS FOR CHEMICALS & PLASTICS EUROPE 2000 18-20th September 2000 Les Pyramides, Brussels
Keynotes include: Werner Spinner, Chairman of the Board, Marketing and Logistics, Bayer AG Francois Perier, Executive Vice President, AtoFina Feike Sijbesma, Member of the Managing Board, DSM CLICK HERE NOW FOR FULL DETAILS	Exhibit at the show

PolyOne and Millennium: ERP-to-ERP links still make sense
Despite the pending launch of two online supply chain hubs – Envera and Elemica – PolyOne (formerly Geon) is proceeding with its program of direct ERP-to-ERP links with its suppliers, adding Millennium Inorganic Chemicals to the list that began with OxyVinyls LP.

So far, PolyOne, created September 1 from the merger of Geon and M.A. Hanna, is the only chemical company on record as having completed an ERP-to-ERP link. Project leaders say that while they are excited about the long-term potential of the hubs, they believe the benefits they are realizing now -- i... Click here for Full Story

Interview with Robert Mooney, President and CEO Envera
J. Robert “Bob” Mooney is President and Chief Executive Officer of Envera LLC, the first Internet consortium in the chemical industry to announce that it planned to focus on facilitating long-term contract relationships between suppliers and customers. With a planned startup date of October 1, 2000, Envera may also be one of the first member-owned consortiums in any industry to go live. We spoke recently with Mooney about the Envera concept. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation.

Q. Envera was the first e-organization in the chemical industry to focus on contracts business and e-enabling the supply chain – in fact, it may have been one of the first in any industry. What was the genesis of the idea or the inspiration for Envera?

A. It goes back to Ethyl Corpora... Click here for Full Story

Announcement:

E-BUSINESS FOR CHEMICALS & PLASTICS USA 2000 USA - 9-11th October 2000, The Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel, Philadelphia.
Keynotes include: Earnest Deavenport, CEO & Chairman, Eastman Chemical Company Gary Cappeline, President, Honeywell Specialty Chemicals Chaired by: Cinda Hallman, Senior vice President, The DuPont Company CLICK HERE NOW FOR FULL DETAILS	Exhibit at the show

INTERNET CHEMICAL EXCHANGES ICI chooses e-Chemicals for supply chain solutions ADDISON, Texas (September 6, 2000) -- ICI, a major global supplier of specialty products and paints, has chosen e-Chemicals to implement the company's e-supply chain solution. The program will be initiated with select business units in North America and Europe and is expected to be operational by the end of the year. Gas trades lead ChemConnect activity SAN FRANCISCO (September 5, 2000) -- Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), a specialty gas used in the semiconductor industry, has become the most-traded product on ChemConnect's World Chemical Exchange since the company acquired the Industrial Gas Exchange two months ago. Chemfinet announces largest specialty chemical trade KANSAS CITY, Missouri (September 5, 2000) -- Chemfinet (www.chemfinet.com) says it has brokered a $760,000 online transaction between ChemFirst Fine Chemicals and Fry Technology for toll manufacturing of proprietary polymeric photoresists. OneChem enhances storefront offering RIDGEFIELD, Connecticut (August 29, 2000) -- OneChem, an application service provider (ASP) for transactions in the chemical industry, has upgraded the features and functions of its StoreFront offering.

RELATED INDUSTRY NEWS Plastico.com chooses From2 for logistics MIAMI (September 5, 2000) -- Plastico.com, a pan-Latin America vertical portal for the plastics industry, has chosen From2's complete global shipping solution. Internet Capital Group invests in FuelSpot.com WAYNE, Pennsylvania (August 29, 2000) -- Internet Capital Group, a venture capital firm, has acquired an interest in FuelSpot.com, a trade, exchange and e-commerce portal for the crude and refined petroleum industries. The initial investment is $7.8 million, with an equal or larger investment anticipated in the future.

E-PROJECTS LG Chemical joins Omnexus ATLANTA (August 30, 2000) -- LG Chemical Ltd., the largest chemical firm in South Korea, has announced plans to join Omnexus, an online marketplace for plastics injection and blow molders, as a supplier. RedMeteor adds back-office integration tool HOUSTON (August 29, 2000) -- RedMeteor.com, an online commodities exchange for petroleum products, has chosen Sagavista software, allowing customers to integrate their RedMeteor transactions into their back-office systems.

PRODUCTS & SERVICES DataCHEST.com aligns with Aixonix MONTREAL (August 31, 2000) -- DataChest.com, a provider of e-business solutions for chemical and regulatory information, has signed a strategic agreement with Aixonix. Covalex chooses WebIntelligence SAN JOSE, California (August 30, 2000) -- Covalex.com, an Internet marketplace for chemical transactions, has chosen WebIntelligence software to make information from its Ariba and Oracle applications available to its partners via an extranet. WorldWideTesting gets $6 million investment ATLANTA (August 29, 2000) -- WorldwideTesting (www.WorldWideTesting.com) has received a $6 million investment led by PtekVentures, the strategic investment unit of Ptek Holdings (www.ptek.com).