One of the world's first APIs based upon ECTA visibility guidelines, this new interface will help standardize carrier communication protocols with European chemical companies for more efficiency and less risk.
WAYNE, Pa., April 06, 2021latest Application Program Interface (API) was designed to help European carriers better communicate key data with chemical industry customers in a way that meets the latest supply chain visibility guidelines. The European Chemical Transport Association (ECTA), Europe's foremost chemical logistics authority, announced earlier this year best practice guidelines for transport visibility of bulk chemical shipments. These guidelines serve as a framework for carriers serving chemical manufacturers and distributors. Though not formally affiliated with ECTA, this API will help carriers comply with its standards more easily.
ECTA's new carrier communication standard was implemented to provide a uniform way of sharing mission-critical data such as Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA), as well as calibrating data definitions and status messages across all company-carrier networks for better interoperability. This standardized set of connectivity messages will mean more transparency and better data sharing.
Peter Devos, ECTA's Managing Director, says the initiative is already in play: "Supply chain visibility and the efficient exchange of interoperable ETA and transport milestone data will be a cornerstone of future supply chains. These supply chain visibility guidelines are already being used today, helping us make real progress against our goal of collaboration and transparency in the chemical industry."
Elemica offers the carriers in its network multiple channels for providing data to our joint customers. "We have chosen Elemica as our exclusive network partner for communicating execution and visibility data to our customers," said Antoine Baron, CIO of specialty carrier Groupe SAMAT. "Having a consistent method of communicating electronically with customers was important to us. Elemica's interoperable network and data channel options allow us to minimize our IT investments for connectivity and data translation."
"When we first started hearing about these new standards, we knew we wanted to do this," said Manuel Zwick, Elemica's Senior Network Quality Analyst. "For 20 years, we have provided the European carriers in our network with solution approaches to increase levels of automation and visibility. Our network is a great place for carriers to grow their business, and this is a good example of how they can use our connectivity to provide consistent, real-time data to their customers." The API is available as a free, open-source download at the Elemica website. Download the API Documentation.
The ECTA digital workgroup has recently released a second revision of its original March 2020 ECTA SCV best practice guideline, which can be downloaded on the ECTA website.
About Elemica
Elemica is the world's leading digital supply chain network for the global manufacturing sector. The company streamlines your supply chain by connecting mission-critical aspects of your business to a powerful digital network that processes more than $600B in transactions annually. For more information, visit elemica.com.
