Services companies blend new technology into existing chemical manufacturing infrastructures
By Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 11/1/2003 7:00:00 AM
To take full advantage of Web-based applications, companies must make those new systems talk to their existing applications.
This fact sparked an alliance between two technology services companies that specialize in solving transportation management problems for chemical manufacturers. The principals are SCO Logistics, which helps chemical manufacturers develop cost-effective strategies for shipping; and Transentric, which can help manufacturers transmit transportation-related data from older systems to Web-based applications, and sells a shipment tracking and tracing system of its own.
These companies first teamed when SCO Logistics called on Transentric to help solve a data-translation problem for Baker Petrolite, Houston, a supplier of specialty chemicals for oilfield services companies. SCO Logistics discovered the problem while installing a Web-based transportation optimization package called ShipLogix at Baker Petrolite.
"They found that Baker's mainframe-based legacy systems couldn't communicate with ShipLogix, which is designed to take XML input," says Bill Schmelder, a Transentric director, adding, "So they asked us to help."
Transentric's Agilink now acts as a communications bridge between Baker's legacy applications and ShipLogix transportation management. When Baker receives an order that requires shipping, it sends a message in flat-file format to Agilink, which transforms it into XML format and then transmits it to ShipLogix, which determines the best method of delivering the order to the customer.
"The traditional means of solving this problem would be for Baker to buy mapping software and use it to create a translation scheme, and then contract with a value-added network to transmit the messages," Schmelder says. "We provide both of those services in a single solution.
"This is a non-invasive way for companies to work Web-based technology into their existing infrastructure," Schmelder continues. "That's what has to happen for companies to make progress in the use of this new technology."
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