Elemica Holds Open House to Showcase New European Headquarters in Frankfurt / European presence plays pivotal role for building strategic alliances and supporti

Philadelphia and Frankfurt, Germany (ots) - Elemica, a neutral network founded by some of the world's leading chemical companies to serve the global chemical industry, today announced plans to showcase its new Frankfurt-based European headquarters at Lyoner Strasse 15 on Friday, April 6, 2001 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event follows the recent appointment of Bertrand Petit as COO for European operations, and will include a facility tour and a press conference outlining Elemica's e-business strategy for serving chemical buyers and sellers in Europe.

Speaking at the press conference will be Petit and Elemica's CEO and President Kent Dolby. "The new facility represents our commitment to our global customers," said Dolby. "Under Bertrand's direction, our European operations will contribute significantly to providing innovative approaches and a high-level of customer service for serving our stakeholders' e-business and connectivity needs." According to Petit, 12 of Elemica's 22 investors are headquartered in Europe and significant sales are expected to come from international markets. "Situated in the heart of Europe, Frankfurt is ideal for strengthening our presence and building strategic relationships internationally," explains Petit. "We look forward to further expansion in Europe and becoming an integral partner with the chemical industry in its effort to increase supply chain efficiency and reduce cost." Elemica plans to hire more than 50 employees over the next three years as part of its ongoing expansion plans for the company's European operations. The new facility currently employs 15 people. About Elemica Elemica is a premier global neutral network for the contract buying and selling of chemicals. The company will offer an integrated, end-to-end system, enabling buyers and sellers to streamline their business processes for contract sales and improve negotiation, contract management, order fulfillment and payment. Elemica's comprehensive solution creates powerful efficiencies and offers support that extends from pre-sales through negotiation and contracting, and continues through the transaction, supply chain, and after-sales processes. Phased rollouts of full integration services are scheduled for 2001. The network's 22 investors include: Air Products and Chemicals, ATOFINA, BASF, Bayer, BP, Brenntag, Celanese, ChemCentral, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Degussa, The Dow Chemical Company, DSM, DuPont, Millennium Chemicals, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Mitsui Chemicals, Rhodia, Rohm and Haas, Shell, Solvay, Sumitomo Chemical and Vopak.

ots Original Text Service: Elemica GmbH Internet: http://recherche.newsaktuell.de Contact: Neil Gussman Elemica, Inc. 001 (215) 599-1200 ext. 1299 ngussman@elemica.com

Stefan Oberdörfer Citigate Demuth 0049 (69) 170071-68 oberdoerfer@citigate-demuth.de

www.elemica.com

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