webMethods Leads Business-to-Business Integration Efforts for the Chemical Industry

Business Wire, Jan 29, 2001

Business/Technology Editors

FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 29, 2001

Twenty-Two Leading Chemical Manufacturers, Exchanges and

Marketplace Service Providers Reap the Benefits of webMethods

Business-to-Business Integration Solutions at the Heart of

Their eCommerce Initiatives

webMethods, Inc. (Nasdaq:WEBM), the leading provider of business-to-business integration (B2Bi) solutions, today announced that through broad adoption of its B2Bi solutions, webMethods is dramatically improving business processes for leading chemical manufacturers, exchanges and marketplace service providers. webMethods chemical industry customers have selected the company's B2Bi solutions to directly connect their back-end, ERP systems with suppliers and buyers, automating key business processes, reducing inefficiencies and saving costs throughout the supply chain.

Forrester Research estimates that 30 percent of the $1.6 trillion chemical market will trade online by 2005. webMethods has long realized that chemical companies stand to reap great rewards by streamlining inventory, purchasing, shipping and logistics functions. Therefore, it is no surprise that the chemical industry was one of the first and most fervent adopters of webMethods B2Bi solutions.

"Many people mistakenly think of the chemical industry as an old economy dinosaur, when this could not be further from the truth. Chemical companies have been some of the most savvy and early adopters of integrated B2B initiatives," said Glenn MacKenzie, director, Chemical Industry Solutions, of webMethods, Inc. "webMethods is at the core of this industry's most aggressive and successful B2B efforts. Our technology integrates disparate systems within companies and across the extended enterprise, cutting inefficiencies wherever possible and automating processes throughout and between organizations. The result is reduced operating costs, greater return on legacy and ERP investments, and increased profitability."

Leading the B2B Charge: Major Chemical Manufactures, Exchanges and Marketplace Service Providers Embrace webMethods

webMethods has deployed more B2Bi solutions for manufacturers in the chemical industry than any other B2Bi solution vendor. webMethods' ability to seamlessly and rapidly integrate disparate systems, both internally with client-server and mainframe systems, and externally through the firewall, is at the foundation of their successes.

A large percentage of chemical manufacturers are SAP customers, whose B2Bi strategies rely on directly tapping the SAP user base. webMethods ability to seamlessly and rapidly integrate with SAP-based systems, as well as the presence of webMethods B2B at the core of the SAP Business Connector, allows chemical manufacturers to access the SAP community of users directly and inexpensively. webMethods' partnership with SAP played a key role in establishing webMethods B2Bi solutions as the platform of choice among chemical industry manufacturers.

For leading chemical manufacturers, webMethods B2Bi solutions power trading partner integration. This seamless integration allows companies to tightly integrate with supply chain partners and create fluid and secure connections for automating inventory, purchasing and supply chain logistics. webMethods' chemical manufacturing customers include Airgas, Inc.; Ashland, Inc.; ATOFINA Chemicals, Inc.; Celanese Acetate LLC; Eastman Chemical Company; Englehard Corporation; FMC Corporation; Lubrizol Corporation; Occidental Chemical Corporation (OxyChem); PolyOne Corporation; Praxair, Inc.; Rohm and Haas Company; Solvay and Ticona LLC.

Many chemical manufacturers are also turning to B2B exchanges to help automate procurement and improve purchasing power. webMethods allows chemical buyers and suppliers to directly integrate their ERP and procurement systems with chemical industry exchange platforms. webMethods is the preferred integration technology for a majority of today's leading and successful B2B exchanges, including CheMatch.com; ChemConnect, Inc.; ChemPlastics; Envera and PetroCosm Corporation.

As B2B exchanges solidify the groundwork to support transactions and buyer/supplier integration, many are also implementing value-added services to increase their value proposition to participants. Services such as financial clearing, settlement, credit checks, shipping, insurance and logistics are considered crucial to a B2B exchange's ability to attract and retain customers. webMethods has been selected by numerous chemical marketplace service providers (MSPs) to tightly integrate their service offerings with B2B exchanges. These MSPs include Optimum Logistics Ltd. and ShipChem.

webMethods B2Bi solutions enable chemical manufacturers, exchanges and marketplace service providers to leverage industry standards and protocols to build an open, flexible platform for seamless, system-to-system integration. As a leader in delivering solutions to the chemical industry, webMethods has been an active participant in the creation of the eStandard, an emerging XML communication standard developed specifically for the chemical industry. By developing open solutions that support any number of XML standards, including the eStandard, RosettaNet, cXML, xCBL and OAG, webMethods is enabling companies to leverage existing IT resources and infrastructures to work with buyers and suppliers that communicate using multiple, complex dialects.