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e-Business in the chemical, rubber and plastics industrySummary of key points: use of e-standards and intermediariesAdvanced forms of e-business require the agreement on standards for data exchanges;this includes identification standards, classification standards, catalogue exchangestandards, transaction standards and business process standards. Interoperabilitybetween the broad range of ICT systems in place is still a big issue and challenge.The large players of the sector have jointly started various initiatives to address thisproblem; key initiatives include the development of Chem eStandards (by CIDX) and theemergence of specialised "connectivity hubs" such as Elemica and cc-hubwoo. Theyhave made significant contributions to the advancement of e-business, but notablybetween large enterprises and within the sector. The new challenge is to expandconnectivity to the numerous smaller companies, and between sectors.EDI still widely used: among large firms, EDI-based standards are still widelyused for B2B exchanges; nearly 50% of large firms maintain EDI connections withbusiness partners. XML-based standards are used by about 20% of large firms.Comparatively few small companies say that exchange data in these formats.Chem eStandards TM , developed by CIDX, are the main data exchange format inadvanced e-business exchanges in the sector. In contrast to other sectors, thisindustry-led initiative was quite successful in establishing an industry-specificstandard facilitating data exchanges. Most e-business solutions for the chemicalindustry are compatible with Chem eStandards TM , for example those offered byElemica.Business process outsourcing as an opportunity: interoperability challengeshave led to the emergence of specialised service providers, which can helpcompanies significantly in connecting digitally. Elemica is the leading connectivityhub for the sector, matching document delivery and receipt formats betweensellers and buyers for a range of processes. e-Procurement solution providerssuch as cc-hubwoo are working in the line of traditional e-marketplaces. Finally,there are highly specialised e-invoicing service providers focusing on singlebusiness processes (such as OB10).79