Common e-commerce standard for paper industry
A new common IT standard for e-commerce in the paper industry is about to be set. The standard, put forward by a grouping of major European paper producing companies, is designed to provide a clearer interface between customers and suppliers and to avoid confusion, expense and duplication in the industry. The project, which is due to come into effect in autumn, is a follow up to the PAPINET project which aimed to set a standard for e-commerce transactions. When it was launched nine months ago, it had the support of many of the major paper producing companies. This project aims to push the boundaries of the standard beyond just paper and printing and take in all product areas and would also like it to be adopted outside of Europe. It will be coordinated by the Confederation of European paper industries (CEPI). CEPI's chairman, Mr Juha Niemela, said of the project: 'The paper industry recognises the enormous potential that making use of e-commerce tools can bring in lowering transactional and other costs'.