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Article: Trust and Transparency: supplier relationships in the chemical industry.(Business Forum)
- Article from:
- JCT CoatingsTech
- Article date:
- April 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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At the start of the 21st Century, companies in the chemical industry are facing ever-increasing financial, environmental, and social pressure. Leading industry experts contend that we must derive more value from knowledge and services and less from materials and energy.
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During the high-tech boom of the 90s, pundits heralded the demise of middlemen in B2B sales environments. The term "disintermediation" was coined to describe this phenomenon. More recently, with demand lagging, producers focused on cutting costs. In many cases, this meant cutting sales staff. At the same time, considerable consolidation occurred among both producers ...