BASF gets its first business through Omnexus
BASF has obtained its first online business via Omnexus the day after the independent plastics e-marketplace went live in Europe. The order for 10 metric tons of Ultraform® resin was placed by Fennel Systems GmbH, an international plastics processor based in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany, and one of the first companies to use Omnexus to buy online.
Omnexus, which officially opened for business in Europe on July 31, 2001, was founded in the spring of 2000 by a group of the world's leading plastics producers, including BASF. Omnexus estimates the total size of the plastics market to be some $50 billion. Today more than 20 multinational suppliers already offer their products via Omnexus. Explaining his decision to buy online, Rüdiger Hölzemann, who is responsible for raw material purchasing at Fennel Systems, said: "Omnexus gives us fast access to almost all of the big plastics suppliers and their offerings".
E-commerce is an important part of BASF's business strategy and a firmly established business tool that is growing in popularity among the company's plastics customers. This year, BASF will expand its e-commerce activities by rolling out its own global e-commerce portal. For the company, both forms of sales channel-be it electronic marketplace or company-owned portal-have equal value. Customers are at the center of any e-commerce activity; they decide which buying route to choose. Dr. Reinhard Katz, head of Innovative Business Solutions Styrenics at BASF, puts it this way: "Electronic commerce is not a revolution, it is a tool used when some advantage is to be gained. Aside from the quality of our products, the reason Fennel chose BASF as a supplier can be put down to a convincing overall concept".
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