BUSINESS
E-BUSINESS
Documentum will issue about 7.7 million shares, worth about $108 million, and pay $ 12.6 million in cash for eRoom.
NEWS UPDATES FOR THE WORLD OF BUSINESS ONLINE
IP Management DuPont, Air Products & Chemicals, and Eastman Chemical have recently turned to technology to manage their intellectual property (IP). DuPont has launched an online technology bank as part of its intellectual assets licensing and sales business that lists more than 700 technologies available for licensing in 23 categories related to all its various businesses. The DuPont site uses technology developed by yet2.com, an online technology marketplace. Meanwhile, Air Products has selected software and Webbased tools from PLX Systems to help manage its patent estate and evaluate external technology opportunities. The database software will help the company compare and price IP for mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; estimate value for licensing, donation, and financial accounting; and make analyses for patent disputes, contracts, and portfolio management. Similarly, Eastman will use software from ClearForest to analyze IP and competitive information from a variety of internal and external sources. The analyses will be used by managers in making business and licensing decisions.
er versions of XML. Occidental Chemical is the first ChemConnect member to test the link and initiate electronic exchanges with some of its trading partners.
Technology Documentum will acquire eRoom Technology, a supplier of software for electronic collaboration (C&EN, Sept. 9, page 16). Documentum is a leading provider of software for managing information content. Documentum will incorporate eRoom's technology into its enterprise content management platform. This integrated system will let users set up virtual work spaces for structured, ad hoc, and real-time collaboration in which documents can be created, shared, edited, referenced, and stored.
Adexs, which stands for Automated Document Exchange Services, is fi L 3 ^ 5 C S > the new name for fob .com. Originally created as an online chemicals purchasing hub, fob later acquired technology for publishing, distributing, and managing commerce-related documents. It then created MSDSonline, which focuses on material safety data sheet handling, and formed Adexs in 2001. It now operates solely as Adexs, recently closing a $3 million round of financing and naming Tom Arnold as its new president and CEO. Adexs focuses on providing technology and services for document exchange and distribution in industries such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, health care services, and manufacturing. E-Business is written by Ann Thayer, who can be reached at
[email protected].
ALSO OF INTEREST • Rhodia has completed a pilot program with Kaidara Software to provide online virtual technical advisers to customers. Advisers should be available for problem solving on Rhodia's personal care business website by the end of the year.
line seminars, website tutorials in a variety of languages, delivery status, product catalog details, and personalized customer information.
• Honeywell Plastics has updated its
website to improve how it communicates • Crompton Corpus website nowincludes and works with customers. Along with an interactive education program that il- product information, there is an interactive lustrates chemical manufacturingprocess- answer center, education programs, and es and chemistry's impact on dairy life. It's various calculatorsformaterials use. ChemConnect and Global exchange designed to be used by students and teachers. • SpecialChem has added adhesives and Services (GXS) have created a link between their networks. Members using • GlaxoSmithKUne is using Plumtree sealants to its specialty chemicals websites. ChemConnect's connectivity services can Software's corporate portal to create Specifically, formulators and users can exchange data and documents with thou- myGSK. Before making this change, GSK find technical and product information sands of suppliers and customers in oth- had over 3,000 intranet sites; employees on adhesive and sealant raw materials. on five continents can now access information across the o>rripanythroi]gh one portaL • Cendian, a chemicals and plastics logistics provider orated by Eastman Chemer industries on the GXS network. Of • Air Products has launched a compre- ical, has been approved as a Responsible more than 100,000 companies on the hensive website for its semiconductor in- Care partner by the American Chemistry GXS network, about 50,000 have been dustry customers, providing information Council. The company was recently seidentified by ChemConnect as potential on consumables and gas and chemicals lected to manage logisticsfor250 North connections for its members. GXS, part management. Meanwhile, Dow Chemi- American collection and processing facilof GE until June, has operated for more cal's advanced electronic materials busi- ities owned by the environmental servicthan 35 years and processes 1 billion trans- ness has launched DowLumation.com as es company Safety-Kleen. actions per year accounting for $1 trillion a source ofnews and information about its • Mitsubishi Chemical and 10 related in goods and services. The link translates light-emitting polymers. group companies have launched a plastics and routes documents created with the XML-based Chem eStandards into for- • Xiameter, Dow Coming's no-frills solutions website. It willfeatureproducts mats such as electronic data exchange silicone products site, has upgraded its and supportforcustomer product devel(EDI), proprietary data forms, and oth- offerings. Some newfeaturesinclude on- opment using Mitsubishi materials.
Marketplaces
emConnect
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C&EN / NOVEMBER
1 1 , 2002
HTTP://PUBS.ACS.ORG/CEN
